National VP, Estate Settlement

Since our founding in 1924, we've cut cardiovascular disease deaths in half, but there is still so much more to do. To overcome today’s biggest health challenges and accelerate this progress, we need passionate individuals like you. Join our movement, be part of the progress, and help ensure a healthier future for all.

About the role

This position will work in a hybrid setting (in office 2-3 days a week) at our National Center office located in Dallas, TX. The Association offers many resources to help you maintain work-life harmonization through your changing needs and life situations. To help you be successful, you will have access to Heart U, our award-winning corporate university, as well as additional training and support, locally.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the organization’s senior legal authority and executive leader for the Estate Settlement function, with enterprise-wide accountability for the overall success, performance, compliance, and strategic direction of the Association’s estate settlement operation.
• Provides strategic leadership, in-house legal counsel, and operational oversight across all estate, trust, and planned gift administration matters.
• Responsible for maximizing charitable estate distributions, minimizing legal and fiduciary risk, ensuring operational excellence, and leading cross-functional collaboration with internal stakeholders, donors, fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and outside counsel nationwide.
• Leads the Bequest Administration team, accountable for performance.
• Leads the organization’s overall Estate Settlement function, establishing strategic priorities, operational standards, workflows, governance practices, performance expectations, and cross-functional coordination for all estate settlement activities.
• Leads and manages the performance of the (remote) Bequest Administration team, promoting a positive and productive culture while ensuring revenue is realized as quickly as possible with the highest attention to donor gratitude, timeliness, detail, accuracy, and documentation.
• Provides direct legal counsel on the administration of estates, trusts, beneficiary designations, gift agreements, and charitable interests. Reviews and drafts legal documents, interprets estate instruments, and advises staff and leadership on legal rights, risks, and strategies related to estate settlement matters.
• Monitors and ensures compliance with all relevant federal and state laws, regulations, and organizational policies governing estate settlement. Stays current on changes in estate, trust, and charitable giving law. Conducts regular reviews of estate settlement processes to identify and remediate legal and compliance risks.
• Oversees all litigation and disputed estate matters, including trusts, beneficiary designations, gift agreements, fiduciary administration, and other contested issues. Personally handles legal work as appropriate and directs outside counsel on strategy, budget, and case management to protect and maximize charitable distributions to the Association. Manages discovery, mediations, negotiations, court proceedings, and settlements while balancing legal, financial, and reputational considerations.
• Collaborates with counterparts representing other public charities when the Association is not the sole charity beneficiary of an estate or bequest.
• Partners with Finance to ensure accurate accounting of estate settlement transactions and provides legal review of financial instruments and Association reporting related to estate administration. Coordinates annual split-interest actuarial calculations with Finance.
• Prepares the annual CEP Audit and Accountability Report for the American Heart Association. Prepares the annual Estate Settlement Report for the Association.
• Provides regular progress updates and revenue insights, income projections, and responds to other periodic report requests for use by the Mission Advancement executive leadership team.
• Develops and implements legal and operational strategies to streamline estate settlement processes for efficiency and effectiveness. Identifies best practices, ensures full legal documentation of estates and stakeholder relationships, and leverages technology to track progress and outcomes.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope and responsibility of the job level and family.

Requirements

• Minimum five (5) years of relevant legal experience in estate administration, trust law, charitable giving, or a closely related area of practice.
• Demonstrated experience handling litigation, disputed estate and trust matters, and leading outside counsel.
• At least five (5) years of supervisory or team leadership experience.
• In-house counsel experience in a nonprofit or financial services environment preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 30% local and overnight stay.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. state; admission to the Texas Bar or eligibility for Texas licensure preferred.
• Board certification or advanced credential in estate planning, trust law, or nonprofit law is a plus.

Pay

Salary minimum to the midpoint of the range is $142,200.00 to $189,700.00. Pay is commensurate with experience; geographic differentials may apply to the pay range.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary with regular market value reviews and adjustments.
• Performance and recognition programs, including annual salary planning and incentive programs.
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Robust retirement program with employer match and automatic contribution.
• Employee assistance program, wellness program, and telemedicine services.
• Professional development opportunities through Employee Resource Groups (ERG), mentoring programs, and Heart U, the Association’s national online university with over 100,000 resources.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) starting at a minimum of 16 days per year for new employees, increasing with seniority, plus 12 paid holidays annually, including several days off at the end of the year.
• Tuition assistance program for career development related to current or potential future positions.