Senior Legal Counsel
About The Position
AscellaHealth is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to serve as a senior individual contributor and strategic partner, providing comprehensive legal guidance on contracts related to managed care and pharmacy benefit management services, health plan relationships, network agreements, non-dispensing pharmacy activities, and regulatory matters. The role supports the company’s payer strategy and helps ensure legal and regulatory compliance across payer-facing activities. The position is based at the company’s headquarters in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, and is hybrid, with in-office attendance required three days per week. The Senior Legal Counsel advises the Payer business unit on contracting and legal strategy, monitors healthcare regulatory developments, and provides practical business counsel alongside rigorous legal analysis. The role also serves as a trusted advisor to senior Payer business leaders and collaborates with Finance, IT, and non-dispensing pharmacy colleagues. Additional legal support and assistance with merger, acquisition, and joint venture due diligence and integration may be assigned by the General Counsel.
Requirements
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school.
- Active bar membership in good standing.
- At least 7 years of legal experience, focused on healthcare-industry contracts, in a law firm or in-house.
- Extensive experience negotiating and drafting contracts.
- Working knowledge of CMS coverage and reimbursement policies, including Medicare Parts B and D and Medicaid managed care.
- Familiarity with HIPAA, HITECH, and applicable privacy and security obligations in payer contexts.
- Relentless attention to detail and ability to be a creative self-starter and team player.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and effectively in a team.
- Problem-solving ability, including de-escalating issues and finding solutions quickly and effectively.
- Strong business skills and demonstrated ability to build working relationships with teammates, business leaders, and stakeholders.
- Transparent and persuasive communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to thrive amid constantly changing and potentially competing priorities.
- Ability to think and act independently, formulate and support new ideas, and champion initiatives within and beyond the scope of the role.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel, Word, and Outlook.
Nice To Haves
- Licensure in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
- In-house healthcare legal support experience.
- Experience in specialty pharmacy, PBM, or specialty healthcare services.
- Experience with laws affecting PBMs and PBM service providers.
- Curiosity, continuous-learning orientation, and openness to adopting new technologies that affect business, markets, and user experiences.
Responsibilities
- Draft, review, and negotiate a high volume of contracts, including master services agreements, pharmacy network agreements, rebate services agreements, confidentiality agreements, ancillary services agreements, and vendor contracts.
- Advise the Payer business unit on contract strategy, risk allocation, reimbursement terms, exclusivity, termination rights, and indemnification.
- Maintain and manage standard contract templates and playbooks, updating them as regulatory requirements or business needs evolve.
- Monitor and interpret federal and state healthcare regulatory developments affecting the payer market, including laws affecting PBMs and PBM service providers, anti-steering laws, rebate and pricing laws, CMS rules, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, HIPAA regulations, Medicare and Medicaid laws, and state insurance regulations and requirements.
- Support the development and maintenance of compliance policies and programs related to payer interactions.
- Advise senior leaders in the Payer business unit, proactively identify legal risks, and recommend solutions aligned with business objectives.
- Collaborate with Finance, IT members of the Payer business unit, and members of the non-dispensing pharmacy.
- Assist with due diligence and legal integration for mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures as directed by the General Counsel.
- Provide other legal support as directed by the General Counsel.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
