Employee Benefits Counsel

About the role

Responsible for monitoring and communicating ongoing and changing laws affecting health and welfare plans, including ACA, ERISA, the Code, HIPAA, and COBRA. The individual in this role will be responsible for the development and presentation of materials on various health and welfare compliance related issues to internal sales teams, as well as external clients.

Responsibilities

• Establish effective working relationships with internal partners, clients and carriers
• Function as part of a national team of Employee Benefit Attorneys to meet the overall objectives for the health and welfare compliance team
• Research, read, evaluate and edit articles, alerts and other materials for publication or distribution to internal and external clients
• Gather material, perform research, and assist client service team in the formulation of strategy to solve client problems related to ERISA, ACA, the Code, HIPAA and state issues affecting health and welfare plans
• Develop and maintain compliance education tools for health and welfare compliance
• Create and deliver presentations to internal staff and to external clients and prospects
• Monitor and identify legal developments such as relevant statutes, regulations, case law and legal articles affecting employee benefit plans
• Maintain and update compliance library resources, including cross checking and validating that information is up-to-date

Requirements

• College degree and J.D. required
• 4–8 years experience working on compliance issues of employer-sponsored welfare benefits plans; prior experience in employee benefits law or compliance consulting on these issues required
• Proficient with computers and quickly competent with new technology tools; full competence with MS Office Suite and Adobe products required
• Thorough understanding of laws impacting health and welfare plans including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, Internal Revenue Code, and insurance laws affecting these programs
• Strong leadership skills
• Comfortable in public speaking environments; ability to convey complex information simply and organized to diverse audiences
• Strong oral and written communication skills to explain complex issues and interpret complex information
• Strong research and writing skills with experience interpreting statutes and regulations
• Strong interpersonal and verbal skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Self-starter with demonstrated cooperation and collaboration in team settings
• Ability to work with diverse individuals and personalities
• Keeps informed regarding industry information, new product information, and technology to continuously improve knowledge and performance
• Ability to work in fast-paced environment with minimal instruction and high degree of accuracy
• Sets priorities and manages workflow to ensure efficient, timely, and accurate production of tools and materials
• Able to quickly assess and learn organizational roles, responsibilities, and process flows
• Maintains cordial and effective relationships with internal clients, team members, and vendors
• Interacts effectively using good communication skills, cooperating purposefully, and providing information and guidance to achieve business goals
• Some travel required (10–20%)