Associate Director, Legal

Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused on guarding wellness and giving every person more time free from cancer. Founded in 2012, Guardant is transforming patient care and accelerating new cancer therapies by providing critical insights into what drives disease through its advanced blood and tissue tests, real-world data and AI analytics. Guardant tests help improve outcomes across all stages of care, including screening to find cancer early, monitoring for recurrence in early-stage cancer, and treatment selection for patients with advanced cancer. For more information, visit guardanthealth.com and follow the company on LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Facebook.

Guardant Health has an exciting new opportunity for an Associate Director, Healthcare Compliance, to join our Commercial Legal & Compliance team to support our new Screening Division.  This new position will have dual responsibilities, serving as a legal counsel overseeing day-to-day contract matters and as a compliance advisor to stakeholders within the Screening Division.   The position will work closely with the Chief Compliance Officer, the Privacy Officer, and a lean compliance team in ensuring compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements for the promotion and sale of medical services to primary care practices.

What we are looking for:

Experience in a healthcare organization providing legal advice on contractual arrangements with referral sources for designated health services (DHS).  Specific prior experience in the development/deployment of compliance programs, including all seven elements of the OIG recommended program for clinical laboratories.  The successful candidate will have:

• Extensive knowledge of federal and state laws (False claims act, Starks Law, EKRA, Antikickback statute, anti-bribery and corruption) and industry requirements for the diagnostics/device laws and experience implementing suitable policies tailored for compliance with these laws
• Experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial payor agreements, laboratory services agreements, phlebotomy services agreements, clinical trial agreements, and professional services agreements with health care providers
• Solid understanding of industry best practices for ethics and compliance risk within the healthcare diagnostics industry
• Proven track record in driving awareness and deploying risk mitigation strategies

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide specialized legal counsel and strategic advice on a wide range of compliance issues to support the development and commercialization of cancer screening test products
• Review, revise and negotiate commercial contracts, laboratory services agreements and other business agreements
• Developing a keen awareness of risks associated with the marketing and sale of cancer diagnostic products to proactively address issues and identify opportunities for process improvements
• Provide guidance with an eye towards problem-solving to business partners and key stakeholders through all stages of the product life cycle
• Draft, implement and maintain relevant policies, procedures, work instructions, and training plans related to risk areas
• Maintain current and accurate knowledge of existing and emerging trends, enforcement actions, industry best practices and laws and regulations regarding healthcare compliance and interactions with healthcare professionals
• Advice on legal issues throughout the medical device lifecycle related to clinical research, market access and reimbursement, product launches, commercialization, advertising and promotion, social media, patient access and financial assistance programs
• Review promotional and educational materials as part of a cross-functional team
• Perform routine teaching audits of high-risk functional areas to assess and improve training effectiveness
• Assist with internal investigations, as required, to promote a culture of zero tolerance for non-compliance, with heightened focus on timely follow up on incoming inquiries and complaints
• Manage the lifecycle of corrective actions and remediation plans that address compliance-related deficiencies in processes, procedures, and other operational activities
• Assist with special projects and follow up, as needed, under the direction of the VP, Commercial Legal & Chief Compliance Officer

• J.D. with a minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in a legal department of a healthcare organization and/or law firm setting
• Certification in Healthcare Fraud & Abuse Law Compliance preferred
• Working knowledge of clinical laboratory, diagnostic, and medical device industries and designated health services and enforcement of associated federal and state regulations
• Strong contract negotiation and drafting skills and familiarity with various types of commercial arrangements in the healthcare space
• Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills
• Knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid requirements, medical necessity and coding rules and guidelines preferred
• Demonstrated ability to advise and collaborate with business leaders and key stakeholders on compliance issues, facilitating risk assessment and developing practical business solutions
• Training and presentation experience in various settings including live audience and video conferencing
• Excellent strategic and analytical skills with the ability to help business partners identify compliant solutions to novel issues
• Ability to articulate risk without being an “alarmist”
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of privacy laws (GDPR, HIPAA, APPI and others) a plus

Hybrid Work Model: At Guardant Health, we have defined days for in-person/onsite collaboration and work-from-home days for individual-focused time. All U.S. employees who live within 50 miles of a Guardant facility will be required to be onsite on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. We have found aligning our scheduled in-office days allows our teams to do the best work and creates the focused thinking time our innovative work requires. At Guardant, our work model has created flexibility for better work-life balance while keeping teams connected to advance our science for our patients.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $191,510 to $263,330. The range does not include benefits, and if applicable, bonus, commission, or equity. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries across all US locations for the posted role with the exception of any locations specifically referenced below (if any).

For positions based in Palo Alto, CA or Redwood City, CA, the base salary range for this full-time position is $225,300 to $309,800. The range does not include benefits, and if applicable, bonus, commission, or equity.

Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including, but not limited to, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. If you are selected to move forward, the recruiting team will provide details specific to the factors above.

Employee may be required to lift routine office supplies and use office equipment. Majority of the work is performed in a desk/office environment; however, there may be exposure to high noise levels, fumes, and biohazard material in the laboratory environment. Ability to sit for extended periods of time.

Guardant Health is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our hiring processes for candidates with disabilities, long-term conditions, mental health conditions, or sincerely held religious beliefs. If you need support, please reach out to [email protected]

Guardant Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

To learn more about the information collected when you apply for a position at Guardant Health, Inc. and how it is used, please review our Privacy Notice for Job Applicants.

Please visit our career page at: http://www.guardanthealth.com/jobs/

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