Associate General Counsel

ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL | REMOTE

Provides legal services for the benefit of Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH) and its affiliated entities located in the United States and abroad, with a specialized focus on employee benefits, executive benefits, executive compensation and related regulatory, transactional, governance and litigation matters. The Associate General Counsel Serves as the principal legal advisor and subject matter expert for employee benefits, executive compensation, executive benefits, and fiduciary governance matters across BSMH and advises on applicable laws, regulations and risk considerations, including ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, Department of Labor guidance, Affordable Care Act requirements, COBRA, church plan issues and executive compensation rules.

This position serves as legal counsel to Human Resources, Finance, Compliance, governance committees and other business stakeholders. Responsibility for operational administration, compliance monitoring, corrective action implementation and plan operations remains with the applicable business, Human Resources, Finance and Compliance functions.

• Provide legal advice regarding employee benefit plans, executive compensation arrangements, fiduciary governance, transactions, contracting, litigation and regulatory matters.

• Provide legal advice regarding the legal implications of plan design proposals, plan administration issues, compliance correction strategies, fiduciary obligations, participant communications and governance activities.

• Review and provide legal input regarding plan documents, summary plan descriptions, amendments, policies and procedures.

• Review employee communications for legal sufficiency and regulatory compliance.

• Advises on tax-exempt executive compensation, physician compensation interactions, deferred compensation arrangements and incentive compensation arrangements.

• Stay current with legal and regulatory developments affecting employee benefits, executive compensation, Human Resources programs that impact healthcare employers.

• Identify, evaluate and advise on legal risks and external regulatory influences, including issues presented by ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, IRS guidance, Department of Labor guidance, Affordable Care Act, COBRA, church plan rules, Internal Revenue Code section 409A and Internal Revenue Code section 4958.

• Provide legal advice regarding compliance obligations, corrective action alternatives, policy development and governance requirements.

• Review, revise, draft and negotiate contracts, agreements, letters and other documents related to benefit plans, Human Resources programs, vendors, consultants, third‑party administrators, recordkeepers, insurers and other business partners.

• Support transactional attorneys with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and other strategic transactions by advising on benefit plan due diligence, successor liability, recognition of service, plan integration and post‑closing implementation matters.

• Assist with structuring transactions and preparing template or form documents to promote consistency, efficiency and risk mitigation.

• Provide legal advice regarding benefit plan and executive compensation governance, including the Retirement Plan Committee, Retirement Administrative Sub‑Committee, Defined Contribution Investment Committee, People and Culture Committee and other committees or leadership groups as assigned.

• Prepare or review committee materials, governance documents, resolutions, minutes, fiduciary education and…