Vice President Deputy General Counsel

Sharp HealthCare based in San Diego, California seeks a strategic relationship-oriented legal executive to serve as its Vice President Deputy General Counsel (DGC). This is a unique opportunity to join the legal team of a growing, high-quality integrated healthcare delivery system.

As a not-for-profit organization serving 3.4 million residents of San Diego County, Sharp is the largest health system in the region as well as the largest private employer comprised of over 19,000 employees, 2,800 affiliated physicians, and 2,000 volunteers. Sharp is consistently recognized for their top decile performance in each of their seven pillars of excellence (Quality, Safety, Service, People, Finance, Growth and Community). Sharp was recognized with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the Nation’s highest honor for quality excellence in 2007, one of the first health systems in the country to have received this honor.

Founded in 1946, Sharp has grown from a single hospital to one of the most respected integrated healthcare delivery systems in the country. Today, the system includes four acute care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, three affiliated medical groups, a health plan, 24 outpatient clinics, six urgent care centers, three philanthropic foundations, acute rehab, sub-acute, skilled nursing, hospice, and multiple outpatient/specialty services. The system is recognized for over 35 years of active participation in population health management and alternative payment models, including coverage of over 282,000 commercial and Medicare patients under fully capitated structures, with 143,000 of these members insured through Sharp Health Plan, a Knox-Keene licensed health plan and the highest member-rated health plan in California.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President and General Counsel (GC), this position provides strategic oversight and coordination of critical legal services that support Sharp’s hospitals, medical foundation, and interconnected operations and businesses. As a trusted legal advisor, the DGC works closely with Sharp’s executive leadership and senior management teams, offering strategic insights that drive meaningful results across the organization. This role also leads a talented team of attorneys and legal professionals, fostering a high-performing and solutions-oriented legal function. Active participation in departmental leadership is essential, as the DGC contributes to planning, management, and key decision-making—ensuring legal strategies align with Sharp’s mission and objectives.

Success in this role requires establishing credibility and trust with executive leaders and staff by demonstrating a deep expertise in hospital and healthcare operations and its complex legal landscape. The DGC is responsible for ensuring that legal and regulatory matters are clearly communicated, keeping all relevant stakeholders informed and engaged. This includes seamlessly integrating legal perspectives into Sharp’s policies, strategies, and initiatives, fostering a culture of collaboration and proactive risk management. By identifying potential legal risks and championing strategies to mitigate them, the DGC plays a critical role in safeguarding Sharp from unnecessary legal challenges while advancing its strategic priorities.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced, results-oriented legal expert with a track record of success leading people and teams in a complex, integrated health system. Candidates will possess strong emotional and social intelligence to develop meaningful relationships at all levels of the organization. The successful candidate must have excellent academic credentials, a law degree from an ABA accredited school of law, membership in the California State Bar, or eligibility for admission based on in-house counsel is required, and an outstanding record of achievement with at least ten years of relevant experience as an attorney supporting hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers. Prior supervisory experience and experience with hospital operations, compliance, hospital-physician contracting, physician engagement or alignment and health care-related transactions is preferred. More information can be found at https://wittkieffer.com/positions/201012.

The base salary will be in the $339,100 - $535,995.00 range. Additional short-term incentives are also an important part of this package as is a highly competitive relocation assistance program

Please direct all nominations and applications to Werner Boel and Wendy Kerschner through the WittKieffer Candidate Portal at https://apptrkr.com/6128246. If you have trouble logging into the portal or have any inquiries about the opportunity, please contact us at wkerschner@wittkieffer.com.

Sharp HealthCare is dedicated to developing and maintaining a diverse workforce that understands and meets the needs of our diverse patient population. We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and inclusion to apply. An Affirmative Action officer is employed to coordinate efforts to comply with the federal and state regulations governing Equal Opportunity. All decisions made by Sharp HealthCare regarding employment, including transfers, promotions, demotions, compensation, benefits, and training are made without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, marital status, age (except as the law allows), sexual orientation, disability, veteran's status, or any other basis covered by local, state or federal law.