Associate General Counsel, Distinguished - Stellarus (Short-Term Employment)

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JOB DESCRIPTION

This is a Short-Term Employment (Temporary) position which has a specified period of no more than three years of employment.

Your Role

The Associate General Counsel role primarily supports Stellarus Product, Pharmacy, Development and Partnership functions and may advise on related matters within the Ascendiun Family of Companies, as appropriate. The Stellarus Legal team provides legal guidance to the company and partners with its business leaders to promote legal and ethical behaviors in the achievement of the company’s mission.

The Associate General Counsel, Distinguished will report to the Stellarus Chief Legal Officer. This is a senior Law partner role with the opportunity to provide direct product counsel, advise on AI solutions and technology partnerships, act as lead counsel to Stellarus Pharmacy team and provide commercial counsel on partnerships and client matters. As part of the lean, resourceful Stellarus Law and Compliance team, this role contributes to the growth and evolution of the company. You will have primary responsibility for product and related counsel to the Pharmacy team, drafting, negotiating and advising on a wide range of commercial contracts, along with advising on AI solutions and AI governance, go-to-market partnerships and alliances, and general legal guidance.

The Stellarus legal team partners with the company’s leadership team to provide legal and strategic guidance across key priorities of the company. Successful candidates will be able to blend legal expertise, thought partnership, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to craft viable solutions for a high-growth company along with efficient execution. 

Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow – personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.

ABOUT THE TEAM

About Stellarus and the Ascendiun Family of Companies

Stellarus, launched in January 2025, is designed to scale innovative healthcare solutions that support customers in creating a health care experience deserving of their family, friends, and neighbors.

Stellarus is part of a family of organizations that is overseen by a nonprofit corporate entity named Ascendiun. The Ascendiun Family of Companies also includes Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and Altais, a clinical services company.

Stellarus’ vision is to empower its customers to create a healthcare experience that is worthy of their family, friends, and neighbors. Stellarus’ objective is to offer innovative, modern, scalable solutions that challenge the health care status quo. This very closely aligns with Blue Shield of California’s vision by using innovation to improve quality, affordability, and experience for members.

To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals.

Our Values:

At Stellarus, our core values of agility, trust, drive, courage and service shape our approach to developing innovative product offerings.

Physical Requirements:

Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork - Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.

Please click here for further physical requirement detail.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Your Work

In this role, you will:

• Provide Product health tech counsel and business generalist legal counsel to Stellarus on a range of Product, Pharmacy, development and commercial matters
• Provide product and commercial counsel to business and technology leaders on technology product development and offerings, commercial contracts, strategic partnerships and alliances, and customer contracts
• Provide guidance in corporate governance and other substantive legal areas and work with members of Stellarus leadership team, attorneys, compliance leaders and staff on Law and Compliance departmental matters as needed
• Provide thoughtful, creative and timely legal advice to various Stellarus business units
• Work collaboratively with a broad range of people, developing and maintaining strong relationships between the Stellarus Law and Compliance Department, Stellarus business and technology leaders and across the Blue Shield of California and Ascendiun Group’s legal teams

QUALIFICATIONS

Your Knowledge and Experience

• Requires a Juris Doctorate degree
• Requires at least 8 (eight) years of experience drafting and negotiating complex product, commercial, strategic, technology agreements, general product counsel, go-to-market and commercial matters, including experience at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house
• Requires experience working in the health technology, pharmacy tech, pharmacy supply chain, healthcare or biotechnology sectors (either from working with clients in the sectors from law firm practice and/or from in-house work in these sectors)
• Requires being a member of the bar and residing in one of the following states - California, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C., and meet that state’s requirements for in-house counsel after employment
• Experience in pharmacy supply chain, Product development, go-to-market, technology partnerships and agreements, AI solutions, and IP licensing preferred
• Experience in managing outside counsel preferred
• Strong negotiation, consultative and facilitation skills with the ability to effectively interact with all internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to influence a diverse set of stakeholders and drive to solutions