Assistant General Counsel - Financial Protection & Retirement Solutions

About this role

Guided by our company Purpose of “Inspiring well-being for our colleagues, consumers, and communities”, we are committed to building a best-in-class Law Department.

We drive a high-performance culture across our Legal, Compliance, and Government Affairs functions.  Aligned to “what” we deliver, our goals and “how” we deliver, our values and behaviors demonstrated in delivering against our goals.  We do this through leveraging a series of core capabilities, which include interpersonal effectiveness, ability to demonstrate business savvy, subject matter expertise in your practice area, and leading people and teams, where applicable. 

Our colleagues, and the candidates we hire are key to the continuing success of our department.

In this role you will primarily provide leadership and legal advice to Guardian’s Financial Protection and Retirement Solutions business (individual Life, disability, and annuity products) with a focus on retirement and income businesses (primarily supporting institutional annuity products and distribution of retail annuity products).  You will work with your business partners to provide legal expertise to help them deliver innovative business solutions focused on product development and design, sales, and administration of these insurance products as well as issues related to reinsurance.  In addition, as part of our Law Department community you will also provide mentorship to other attorneys providing cross training and development of the team.

You will • Provide leadership and advice regarding the development, administration, claims handling, and sale and distribution of various annuity contracts, including both retail and institutional annuity products.

• Provide counsel on insurance and securities laws and regulations applicable to institutional and individual annuities as well as other individual insurance products, including individual life and disability insurance.

• Provide influence and counsel to senior leadership regarding reinsurance transactions and other various forms of risk transfer.

• Negotiate and advise on reinsurance transactions between Guardian and third-party insurance companies (including, without limitation, block and flow reinsurance of annuities and life contracts), as well as negotiate customer, third-party administrator, distribution, and vendor agreements.

• Draft or review a variety of documents, including policy forms, reinsurance treaties, collateral agreements, administrative service agreements and other business-related contracts.

• Interface with state and federal regulators as needed regarding individual insurance products and/or reinsurance transactions.

• Coordinate with the business, regulatory affairs, government relations, compliance, and other cross-functional teams on multi-disciplinary issues.

You  have • Law degree (J.D. or equivalent) and bar admission required.

• 8+ years of relevant experience either with a law firm, insurance company or other financial services institution.

• Previous experience working on the development of annuities, life insurance and disability insurance products.  Experience with the development of institutional annuity products strongly preferred.

• Experience working closely with actuaries, risk professionals and investments. 

• Previous experience interfacing with insurance regulatory bodies strongly preferred.

Functional Leadership Skills & Behaviors

Interpersonal Effectiveness • Demonstrated ability to use communications and stories to inspire, motivate and influence others on ideas.  You communicate concisely, with composure and confidence - yet engaging manner.

• Go beyond the expected and engage others to do more than what is expected.

• Proactively sought out leadership or significant project opportunities rather than wait for direction.

Business Savvy • Taken the time to learn and become well-versed in the business.  Able to bring your professional expertise to use for business or customer needs in a way that makes a significant difference.

• A strategic end-to-end view when organizing and planning work or initiatives; able to deliver exceptional results and outcomes, including by managing or influencing through others.

• Found ways to ask insightful questions in creating or shaping a new solution.  Challenge existing approaches and enlist others in new thinking.  Created a change environment and champions new projects that shape the future.

Legal Expertise • A mastery of both written and oral communications with the goal to provide concise, clear messaging to persuade the audience, especially the executive level. 

• Remained current in your subject matter and demonstrates expert knowledge in your field.  You are sought after for advice / counsel.  Made significant contributions toward achieving team and organizational goals.

• Brought a solutions-based approach when working with clients / customers to understand needs required to deliver unique solutions to challenging business problems.

Lead by Example • Bring your authentic self to work and demonstrate empathy.  Create an inclusive environment

• Prioritize your well-being

• Stay informed and continually develop yourself as a leader.  Create capacity for growth

Location  

Hybrid: This role is based in our Hudson Yards office in New York, NY, 3 days per week, with the ability to work from home 2 days per week

Salary Range:

$178,690.00 - $293,560.00 The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals.  Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities,

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