Chief Counsel, UC San Diego Health - 139957
Payroll Title
MGN COUNSEL 3 HC
Department
OFFICE OF THE CAMPUS COUNSEL
Hiring Pay Scale
$372,180 - $472,000 / Year
Worksite
Greenwich Drive
Appointment Type
Career
Appointment Percent
100%
Union
Uncovered
Total Openings
1
Work Schedule
Days, 8 hrs/day, Mon - Fri
#139957 Chief Counsel, UC San Diego Health
Filing Deadline: Mon 7/6/2026
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UC San Diego values and welcomes people from all backgrounds. If you are interested in being part of our team, possess the needed licensure and certifications, and feel that you have most of the qualifications and/or transferable skills for a job opening, we strongly encourage you to apply.
Description
Reporting to the Chief Campus Counsel and the Deputy General Counsel – Health Affairs & Technology Law, the Chief Counsel, UC San Diego Health (Chief Health Counsel) serves as the principal legal advisor for UC San Diego Health and provides strategic legal leadership across the health sciences enterprise, including the health system, Student Health and Counseling Services, and the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Public Health.
As a member of the UC San Diego Health executive leadership team, the Chief Health Counsel partners with senior leaders to provide practical, solutions-oriented legal counsel that supports the organization's mission of patient care, education, research, and innovation.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the chief legal advisor on healthcare, regulatory, compliance, governance, risk management, and operational matters.
- Advise executive leadership on strategic initiatives, affiliations, transactions, and organizational priorities.
- Provide counsel on clinical operations, academic medicine, research activities, privacy, cybersecurity, healthcare innovation, and emerging technologies.
- Collaborate with leaders across the health system, campus, and the University of California on complex legal and policy matters.
- Lead and develop a team of attorneys and legal professionals supporting the health enterprise.
Leadership And Impact
The Chief Health Counsel is a trusted strategic partner to executive leadership and plays a critical role in helping UC San Diego Health navigate an increasingly complex healthcare landscape. The successful candidate will bring sound judgment, exceptional leadership skills, and the ability to balance legal risk with operational and strategic objectives.
The position requires a collaborative leader who can build strong relationships across diverse stakeholder groups, influence decision-making at the highest levels of the organization, and provide clear, practical advice in support of UC San Diego Health's mission and values.
Why UC San Diego Health
UC San Diego Health is consistently recognized among the nation's leading academic health systems for excellence in patient care, research, education, and innovation. As part of University of California San Diego, the health system brings together world-class clinicians, researchers, educators, and staff dedicated to improving health and advancing medicine.
This role presents an exceptional opportunity to influence the future of academic healthcare, support groundbreaking clinical and research initiatives, and contribute to the strategic direction of a rapidly evolving and nationally recognized health enterprise.
~Cover letter required for a complete application.
Qualifications
- Must possess a J.D. from an accredited law school.
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in healthcare, preferably related to operation of academic medical centers.
- Must be a member in good standing of the California Bar. (Out-of-state hire would be afforded time to pass the Bar within a reasonable period.)
- Previous management or supervisory experience and / or significant project management experience.
- Outstanding skills in the ability to lead by influence and consensus.
- Ability to exercise good judgment and to make good decisions quickly, often with incomplete information available and under circumstances where different stakeholders have inconsistent positions.
- Deep knowledge of health and hospital law and extensive experience developing and managing complex health care transactions
- Superior academic qualifications, with strong analytic, writing, and client consultation skills. Demonstrated ability to distill large quantities of often imperfect information and to generate creative approaches to legal challenges facing Health Sciences, including the Medical Center, the Medical Group, the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Public Health in the areas of healthcare, including clinical service and contracting.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate and work cooperatively with other attorneys, groups, clients and constituencies with differing priorities and perspectives.
- Outstanding interpersonal skills to interact effectively and develop and maintain productive working relationships with an array of diverse interests, individuals, and constituencies.
- Ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders including board members, donors, politicians, physicians and other care providers, staff, executives, and others, often in tense situations.
- Demonstrated ability to think creatively to assist the UCSD Health executive team and UC Legal leaders in solving problems of the greatest complexity.
- Demonstrated ability to act as a team player in all circumstances, as defined by contributing to the successful outcome of initiatives, accountabilities, and operations of others. Ability to work collaboratively across administrative and academic units and to build consensus.
- Additional responsibilities as assigned.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS
- Job requires dedication and hard work. Long hours in highly stressful, high-stakes settings are a norm, not an exception.
- Occasional out-of-area travel, typically to Northern California but occasionally to other parts of the country.
- The Chief Health Counsel must model ethics and integrity in all of their dealings.
- Compliance with the University of California Statement of Ethical Values and Standards of Ethical Conduct, conflict-of-interest rules, and the California Rules of Professional Conduct is a baseline expectation and requirement.
- Support, collaboration, and coordination with UC San Diego’s and UC San Diego Health’s compliance and quality programs is expected.
- Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on Background Check results.
- Cover letter required for a complete application.
_Pay Transparency Act
_ Annual Full Pay Range: $258,100 - $543,300 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)
Hourly Equivalent: $123.61 - $260.20
Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).
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If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.
To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.
The University of California 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, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.
For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination
UC San Diego is a smoke and tobacco free environment. Please visit smokefree.ucsd.edu for more information.
Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.
- "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
- UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
- UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
- Abusive Conduct in the Workplace
