Director of Legal & Compliance

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director of Legal & Compliance based in United States.

This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role responsible for owning and evolving a mature compliance and legal function within a fast-scaling digital insurance distribution environment. The role sits at the intersection of insurance regulation, commercial contracting, and technology-driven product development. You will take full ownership of an existing multi-entity compliance program and elevate it to the next stage of maturity, ensuring it scales effectively with business growth. You will also lead carrier, vendor, and program contract strategy while serving as the primary legal advisor to senior leadership. The environment is fast-moving, highly technical, and deeply collaborative across legal, product, and engineering teams. This is a sole in-house counsel role reporting directly to the COO, requiring strong judgment, autonomy, and commercial pragmatism.

• Own and mature the end-to-end compliance program across multiple entities, including policies, procedures, training, audits, internal controls, anti-fraud/AML frameworks, and governance cadence, ensuring readiness for regulatory scrutiny and business scaling.
• Identify regulatory and operational compliance gaps, prioritize risk-based remediation efforts, and implement scalable controls aligned with growth objectives.
• Oversee multi-state licensing requirements, including entity, producer, surplus lines, and related insurance licenses, ensuring accuracy, renewal compliance, and audit readiness.
• Support tax compliance coordination with finance teams, including surplus lines tax filings and state-specific regulatory obligations.
• Lead negotiation and execution of carrier agreements, binding authority contracts, MGA/MGU arrangements, vendor agreements, and reinsurance-related documentation where applicable.
• Develop contract templates, negotiation playbooks, and streamlined intake processes to balance speed of execution with legal protection.
• Serve as primary legal liaison for carriers, MGA/MGU partners, vendors, and outside counsel across litigation and specialized regulatory matters.
• Provide legal guidance on digital product development, including privacy compliance, data governance, and AI/ML risk considerations in underwriting and platform operations.
• Own privacy compliance frameworks aligned with GLBA and applicable state privacy laws, ensuring policies, disclosures, and controls remain current.
• Advise leadership on broader legal risks across commercial, corporate, employment, and regulatory matters in a rapidly evolving environment.

Requirements:

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and active bar membership in at least one US jurisdiction, with preference for New York bar admission.
• 8–10 years of combined law firm and in-house legal experience.
• Direct experience in insurance, insurtech, MGA, MGU, or carrier environments is required.
• Strong knowledge of surplus lines regulation, producer licensing, and wholesale insurance distribution models.
• Proven experience negotiating carrier agreements, program structures, or complex commercial contracts.
• Demonstrated ownership or significant contribution to a compliance program within a regulated environment.
• Strong commercial judgment with the ability to operate independently as sole counsel in a high-growth business.
• Familiarity with technology-driven platforms, data systems, and AI/ML applications in regulated industries.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to interface effectively with regulators, executives, engineers, and external partners.
• Preferred: experience with NAIC model laws, AI governance frameworks, GLBA privacy programs, and multi-state insurance compliance structures.

Benefits:

• Competitive executive-level compensation aligned with senior legal leadership roles.
• Fully remote work flexibility within a modern digital-first operating model.
• Opportunity to shape and scale a mission-critical legal and compliance function.
• Exposure to advanced insurtech, AI-driven underwriting, and digital distribution systems.
• Leadership visibility with direct access to executive decision-makers.
• Comprehensive benefits package including healthcare coverage and standard corporate perks (details provided by employer).