Roswell Park Cancer Institute

Title:

Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer

Job Type:

Regular

Company:

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Department:

Executive Office

Time Type:

Full time

Weekly Hours:

40

FTE:

1

Shift:

First Shift (United States of America)

Summary:

Roswell Park is seeking an experienced and seasoned attorney to lead its Legal Division.

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, providing clinical care of cancer patients, research, prevention initiatives, and education services as its four-part mission. Founded in 1898 by Dr. Roswell Park, Roswell Park maintains Dr. Park’s revolutionary “multidisciplinary approach” to cancer with scientists and clinicians working in concert and collaboratively to address the patient’s cancer diagnosis.

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was among the first centers to receive National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation in 1974 as a comprehensive cancer center. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was a founding member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Many Roswell Park faculty serve on the NCCN panels that developed the Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ – the internationally recognized standards for clinical policy in oncology, and the most comprehensive, most frequently updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine.

Formerly a part of the New York State Department of Health, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center became a Public Benefit Corporation pursuant to legislation in 1999. Becoming a Public Benefit Corporation has provided the benefit of administrative autonomy while maintaining substantial financial support from New York State. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Roswell Park is a public employer and most Roswell Park employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements between the State of New York and one of several unions representing employees across the State.

Over the last decade, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has undergone major growth, adding over 1,000 new jobs, initiating one of the nation’s first hospital facilities dedicated to Phase I cancer research studies, and setting itself apart as a leader in surgical robotics, immunotherapy and CarT Cell therapy, personalized medicine, studies targeting tumor microenvironment and cancer prevention, and the development and testing of new agents and technology. Committing the infrastructure, intellectual capital and necessary resources to convert its scientific discoveries into products/applications, Roswell Park has established a number of biotech spin-off companies and formed strategic partnerships with investigators and centers throughout the world.

The campus spans 28 acres in downtown Buffalo and consists of 15 buildings and 2 million square feet of space. Roswell Park’s hospital building, completed in 1998, houses a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment center. In addition, the organization built a new medical research complex and renovated existing education and research space to support its future growth and expansion. In addition, Roswell Park maintains an ambulatory facility in Amherst, New York, north of the main downtown campus, as well as an affiliation with a Roswell Park community medical practice with locations across Western New York.

The Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer has primary responsibility for directing and overseeing the legal and regulatory affairs of the organization, and acts as senior legal counsel for executive leadership and the Board. Duties include and are not limited to contracts, commercial relationships and transactional matters, spinoff company development, litigation and legal proceedings, personnel matters, insurance matters, Board affairs, Board committees and governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Directs and oversees the activities of the Legal Department both directly and in concert with the Vice President and General Counsel; oversees the activities of the Vice President and General Counsel as well as the Deputy General Counsel for Risk Management. Oversees budgetary matters in the Legal Department, and acts as primary liaison between the Department and the Finance Department and the Human Resources Management Department.
• Advises Roswell Park executives and managers concerning legal rights and obligations, and compliance with various State and Federal statutes and regulations.
• Supervises, participates in, handles, and oversees ongoing litigation matters and manages relationships with outside counsel.
• Participates directly in all legal and regulatory functions as the needs of the organization require.
• Provides legal counsel to the President and CEO, the Board of Directors, various Committees of the Board and other members of the management team.
• Participates in an advisory and lead counsel capacity with respect to business, transactional and commercial matters and strategic planning, preparation, review and negotiation of contracts, leases, memoranda of understanding, and other legal documents on behalf of the organization.
• Participates in a supervisory capacity regarding regulatory compliance for the facility, including oversight of the corporate compliance function.
• Acts as Corporate Secretary and official Secretary to the Board of Directors; participates in all Board committee meetings; participates with the Vice President and General Counsel in the oversight and direction of governance policies and activities; administrative oversight of Board of Directors, including scheduling, Open Meetings Law compliance and procedure; maintains corporate records and minutes of Board meetings and all Board committees; primary oversight of administration and governance for Roswell Park affiliates and subsidiaries.
• Provides oversight of Public Authorities Law compliance, including compliance with related requirements in the NYS Finance and Public Officers Law; representation in administrative proceedings with NYS agencies and divisions.
• Provides oversight and direction for the implementation and integration of corporate risk management functions; medical staff governance matters.
• Supports and promotes the integration of risk management, insurance programs, and quality assurance activities; Oversees the activities of the Deputy General Counsel for Risk Management and the Corporate Compliance Officer to maintain compliance with existing requirements of the Joint Commission, NYCRR, existing laws, regulations, existing industry practice, Roswell Park policies and procedures and standards of conduct.
• Oversight of HIPAA and patient privacy matters.
• Acts as Secretary, non-voting member, and administrator of Roswell Park Merit Board (on-site labor administrative board).
• Oversight and counsel regarding legal compliance with State procurement requirements, and approval role for procurement exemption requests.
• Lead counsel on in-house handling of EEOC and NYS Division of Human Rights complaints filed against Roswell Park.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Law Degree from ABA Accredited Law School
• License to practice law in the state of New York
• Not less than ten (10) years experience in an in house legal department at a hospital system or academic medical center, with not less than five (5) years of that experience in a senior role in the legal division (e.g. General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel).
• Significant corporate governance experience in a medium to large sized organization.
• Not less than four (4) years experience as an attorney in a private law firm.

Compensation and Benefits:

Competitive salary based upon the experience and qualifications of the recruit. Compensation includes a competitive base salary and a significant incentive program providing up to 20% incentive. Fringe benefit program is comprehensive and includes significant retirement plan benefits, health coverage, life and disability insurance, significant personal leave time, and post-retirement health benefit availability.

Qualifications:

Required Education and Experience

License Requirement

Recognized licensure, if required, to perform the functions of the position.

Education and Experience

1. Doctoral degree and the equivalent of eight (8) years of progressively responsible senior-level experience including eighteen (18) months experience in a supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial or executive capacity; or

2. Master’s degree and the equivalent of ten (10) years of progressively responsible senior-level experience including eighteen (18) months experience in a supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial or executive capacity; or

3. Any combination of education/experience/training that demonstrates the ability of the individual to perform executive-level duties and fulfill the responsibilities of the Senior Vice President. However, all candidates must possess a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree and have the equivalent of at least eighteen (18) months’ experience in a supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial or executive capacity; stated in 1 or 2 above.

NOTE:

Required degrees must have been granted by an accredited school, college or university or one recognized by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as following acceptable educational practices.

Preferred Qualifications: 

The following are considered to be highly preferred qualifications for candidates for this position. Candidates should possess a significant number of these attributes:

• Significant experience counselling organizations on requirements for Medicare/Medicaid payment issues, False Claims Act, Antikickback Statute, Stark, and HIPAA matters. Strongly preferred.
• Ten (10) years of law practice, either in house or private practice or a combination, concentrating on health care law and regulation. Strongly preferred.
• Prior employment in a legal department of an NCI-designated cancer center, while not a required qualification, would be considered a significant positive.
• Several years’ experience advising or employed by a state or local governmental entity or entity affiliated with a state government.
• Experience with public procurement regulation and requirements.
• Significant experience with health care compliance programs and regulatory requirements. Strongly preferred.
• Significant experience overseeing health care and/or business litigation matters on behalf of substantial corporate entities. Strongly preferred.
• Experience counselling research personnel, research grants compliance, research ethics matters.
• Experience in biotechnology technology transfer matters including licensing, intellectual property issues, start up activities.
• Significant experience managing a medium to large legal department in an in house setting, including responsibility for budgeting, scheduling, hiring and personnel management.
• Significant experience with human resources, personnel and labor relations matters, including union relationships, employee benefits, executive compensation.
• Experience with information security/cybersecurity matters.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corporation (RPCIC) and Health Research Inc. (HRI) Roswell Park Division believe that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunities, and we do not discriminate against our employees, applicants or job seekers because of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, creed, age, disability, pregnancy-related condition, military or veteran status, marital or familial status, domestic violence victim status, citizenship status, genetic information, individual’s relationship or association with a member of a protected category or any other protected group status as defined by law.

Reasonable Accommodation Request

RPCIC and HRI are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email HR-PayAndBenefits@RoswellPark.org and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Our Core Values

RPCIC and HRI are committed to providing an environment where patients, families, employees and community are treated with courtesy and respect. We support an inclusive environment that nurtures the talents, skills and abilities of each individual to embody and reflect our core values: Innovation, Integrity, Teamwork, Commitment, Compassion and Respect.

Historical Compensation Information Statement 

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@goer.ny.gov.

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