Chief Legal Officer / General Counsel
Chief Legal Officer / General Counsel
Harbor Health | Austin, TX
About Harbor Health
Harbor Health is redefining healthcare delivery as a payvider - we're both the insurance company and the care provider, which means we control the entire member experience and can actually fix what's broken in American healthcare. We launched our insurance company in 2025 and now serve members across Texas markets including Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and El Paso. Funded by leading healthcare venture firms, we're and growing fast, recently expanding through strategic acquisition to nearly 600 employees across 40 locations.
This is not incremental innovation. This is a fundamental challenge to how healthcare works - and it comes with a unique legal and regulatory complexity that requires exceptional leadership.
The Opportunity
We need a General Counsel who can navigate the dual regulatory worlds of insurance and healthcare delivery while helping us move at startup speed. Someone who understands insurance law deeply but doesn't let its complexity slow down innovation. Someone who sees legal and compliance as a strategic partner to the business, not a roadblock.
This isn't about building a traditional legal department or reviewing contracts all day. This is about being the grown-up in the room who helps us take smart risks, advising leadership on high-stakes decisions, and building the legal infrastructure for a company that's challenging how an entire industry operates.
What You'll Do
• Serve as strategic advisor to CEO and executive team on legal, regulatory, and compliance matters affecting our payvidor business model
• Own the legal strategy and compliance for Harbor Health Insurance Company - managing state insurance department relationships, regulatory filings, rate reviews, and ongoing compliance
• Own the legal strategy and compliance for Harbor Health’s practice entities - managing regulatory filings, malpractice management, and ongoing compliance
• Responsible for accreditation, regulatory filings and exams
• Navigate the intersection of insurance law, healthcare regulations (HIPAA, Stark, Anti-Kickback, etc.), employment law, and corporate governance
• Lead and develop the legal, regulatory and compliance team (including a team of attorneys, paralegals, regulatory managers and a , Compliance Department)
• Partner with clinical and operations leaders to structure provider arrangements, clinic operations, and care delivery models within regulatory guardrails
• Manage corporate legal matters including M&A activity, commercial contracts, vendor agreements, and partnership structuring
• Build risk management frameworks that allow us to move quickly while protecting the company
• Advise on employment matters and executive compensation structures in collaboration with People team
• Own board governance and investor relations from a legal perspective
• Establish scalable legal processes and infrastructure as we grow across Texas and potentially into new markets
What We're Looking For
Must-haves:• Insurance law expertise - you've worked in-house or at a firm serving insurance companies and deeply understand state insurance regulation, rate filings, market conduct, and compliance requirements
• Healthcare legal experience - you know your way navigating healthcare regulations, provider arrangements, and the operational realities of delivering care
• In-house leadership - you've built or led a legal function, not just practiced law at a firm
• Business partnership mindset - you instinctively understand how to enable the business, not just identify risks. You know when to say "here's how we can do this" vs "we can't do this"
• Intellectual agility - you can quickly absorb our complex business model, see around corners, and provide practical guidance even in ambiguous situations
• Builder mentality - you're energized by creating infrastructure and processes from early-stage, not managing established legal departments with big budgets
• Executive presence - you can hold your own in the room with operators, clinicians, finance leaders, and board members
Helpful but not required:
• Payvidor or integrated delivery system experience
• Texas insurance market knowledge
• Experience with healthcare M&A or acquisitions
• Startup or high-growth company background
• Background in both transactional and regulatory work
Who Thrives Here
You're pragmatic and solution-oriented. You don't reflexively say "no" - you figure out how to structure things so the answer can be "yes." You're comfortable with ambiguity and fast decision-making cycles. You can translate complex legal issues into clear business implications for non-lawyers.You understand that as a payvidor, we face regulatory scrutiny from multiple angles - insurance departments, healthcare regulators, employment agencies - and you know how to manage that complexity without it paralyzing the business. You're intellectually curious about our model and genuinely excited about using legal expertise to enable disruptive innovation in healthcare.
You believe legal leaders should be strategic partners who help companies take smart risks, not risk-avoiders who slow everything down.
Why This Role Matters
We're operating in two of the most regulated industries in America - healthcare and insurance - while simultaneously running healthcare clinics, building technology and creating a new model. Getting the legal strategy right is existential. You'll shape how we structure our business, what markets we enter, how we partner with providers and employers, and ultimately whether we can scale this model nationally.The right legal strategy doesn't just keep us compliant - it becomes a competitive advantage.
Reporting & Team
This role reports to CEO and is a member of the Harbor Leadership Team alongside our COO, CFO, CTO, Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief People Officer, Chief Product Officer, and SVP, Growth.
You'll lead a team currently consisting of:
• 1 Attorney
• 1 Paralegal
• Director of Regulatory Filings
• Compliance Director
• Insurance Compliance Manager
Location & Compensation
Preference would be based in Austin, TX but open to remote with regular travel expectations (25%+). Competitive compensation including meaningful equity in a high-growth healthcare company.