Assistant Vice President for Legal

Founded in 1905 with the endorsement of Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, Lincoln Financial Group is the first and only company to carry Abraham Lincoln’s name, image and ideals at the heart of their brand. For more than a century, they have advanced President Lincoln’s inclusive vision and values by building an honest, dependable financial services company.

AVP and Senior Counsel—Group Protection will provide legal advice and support relating to the sale and administration of the Company’s Group Protection insurance products and services. This position will report to VP, Chief Counsel—Group Protection and will partner with the other lawyers and compliance staff to provide input and advice on all legal, regulatory and compliance matters to ensure that all laws and company policies and procedures are correctly followed and administered.

AVP and Senior Counsel—Group Protection will provide legal advice and support on all on all legal, regulatory and compliance matters involving Group Protection, with focus on sales and distribution, contract review and negotiation, privacy and information security, and other operations matters. In addition, this position will work with a team of legal professionals to provide administrative support for the Legal and Compliance team. Finally, the position will participate on company and department projects as both a legal advisor and team member. * Provide legal review and advice on sales and distribution matters, including sales compensation, broker arrangements, sales and enrollment activities, and general field compliance. * Provide legal review, advice and negotiation assistance on Group Protection contracts, in conjunction with other Legal staff and other company contract reviewers. * Provide legal review and advice on RFPs, RFIs and other material in support of sales activity. * Provide legal review and advice on ebusiness, information security and vendor management. * Provide input and guidance, with Legal and Compliance team, on risk assessment activities with respect to all Group Protection business activities. * Provide legal review and advice on matters involving ERISA, privacy, absence management and other laws applicable to group insurance products and services. * Participate in Group Protection strategic projects as a legal resource and/or team member to provide legal support to ensure overall business plans and initiatives are aligned with legal and compliance requirements. * Participate in providing training and education to Group Protection business. * Manage Legal and Compliance administrative support team to provide support to legal and compliance functions, with emphasis on efficiency and expense management. * Lead and/or participate in Legal and Compliance department committees and special projects to create and streamline processes and procedures, and serve as a resource to team members on complex assignments and projects. * Coordinate and collaborate with Enterprise Legal and Compliance on all shared services to leverage enterprise resources and provide consistent enterprise-wide advice and services. * Select outside counsel, as needed, and direct them on various legal projects. * Maintain current knowledge of legal developments and trends, assess the impact, and ensure that new trends/developments are appropriately incorporated in current/future strategies.

**Education** * Undergraduate degree. * J.D. from an American Bar Association (ABA) approved school. * Member of a state Bar in good standing. **Experience** * Experience with insurance matters, with emphasis on group insurance and employee benefits. * Minimum of 10+ years’ experience as an attorney, preferably either at a law firm or financial services company. * Experience reading, interpreting and drafting contracts. * Experience with sales and distribution organizations. * Experience with ERISA, privacy, information security, ebusiness, and state insurance laws. * Experience with the legislative and regulatory rules and processes. * Understanding of corporate structure, client organization, and business/corporate protocol. * Demonstrated ability to recognize and weigh business and legal risks, lead strategically and advance innovative solutions. * Basic computer skills: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). **Leadership** * Direct and lead, in partnership with the Group Protection Chief Counsel, all legal activities for the Group Protection business, including development and implementation of legal and compliance strategic plan. * Direct and lead, in partnership with the Group Protection Chief Counsel, department activities including strategy, budgeting, planning, resource allocation and staffing/development of talent. * Lead Legal and Compliance administrative support team. * Lead responses to the Group Protection business in understanding and interpreting laws and regulations by drafting communications, memos, and policies. **Execution** * Demonstrated track record of consistently meeting and/or exceeding performance expectations. * Drives projects to successful completion, with emphasis on timelines and budget. * Manages team and all activities to meet budget and increase efficiency. * Possesses a bias for action and avoids workplace distractions. * Carries out duties in compliance with all state and federal regulations and guidelines. * Carries out duties in compliance with all company and business policies and procedures.