The Vice President Legal, Secretary and General Counsel is the top leadership position within the division. This position reports to the CEO with a dotted line to the COO. The Vice President Legal, Secretary and General Counsel is responsible for overseeing and managing all operations of the legal division, including its in-house attorneys, all external legal affairs, and corporate governance. Provides strategic legal guidance, legal consultation, and legal support to Senior Leadership Team members and the company’s Board of Directors. Anticipates and identifies legal issues keeping others informed of legal risks, potential legal risks, and legal guidance. Makes recommended courses of action and represents the company in legal proceedings. This position works with a multiple of people to include: internal divisions, senior leaders, board members, employees, agencies, law firms, and third parties as necessary/required. This position ensures that operations are performed within the appropriate limits prescribed by law and also protects the company’s legal rights.
Responsibilities
Provides leadership to the legal division which primarily handles litigated claims files. Provides oversight of Corporate Governance Annual Disclosure Report, ORSA documents, and corporate professional liability policies or programs.
Partners with the business to provide legal counsel and guidance on all legal matters relevant to the business.
Anticipates, identifies, and develops legal strategies and solutions to enable the mission of the company.
Reviews, researches, interprets, and prepares both written and oral opinions on a wide variety of legal topics/issues. Provides advice on contracts, leases, and other legal documents. Drafts, reviews, and approves regulations, procedures, bylaws, and other legal documents recommending revisions and language changes as necessary.
Represents or oversees the representation of the company in judicial and administrative proceedings.
Leads the legal team providing legal oversight and guidance to in-house counsel. Ensures the appropriate design of legal organizational structure and the staffing to effectively accomplish the company’s legal goals and objectives.
Selects and retains outside counsel, as required, to obtain legal opinions or to handle claims and litigation.
Teams with divisional units ensuring alignment of plans to minimize legal risk to the company.
Oversees critical business programs and/or initiatives as assigned to ensure organizational strategic objectives are achieved.
Leads communication to Senior Leadership and Board of Directors on legal topics.
Ensures effective product delivery based on customer outcomes/expectations.
Works directly with cross-functional teams when developing, customizing, and launching new legal processes; Partners with resources necessary to maintain legal compliance.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Supervisor responsibilities
Leads the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of key legal personnel. Carries out talent leader responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies, values, and applicable laws.
Responsibilities may include interviewing, hiring, selecting, and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints, and resolving problems.
Develops talent leaders and positions employees for key knowledge transfer and business sustainability.
Responsibility & decision making authority
Responsible for all aspects of legal decision making, strategic plans and implementation of strategic plans using best legal practices.
Significant projects, predictive analysis, and legal relationships. Reporting responsibilities to the CEO and possible review with the CEO or Board of Directors.
J.D. from an accredited law school; must have a minimum of fifteen (15) years of experience directly related to the legal duties outlined in this job description.
Admission in good standing with the Iowa State bar.
Minimum of fifteen (15) years of experience in a leadership role.
Requires a strong strategic perspective.
Experience with insurance industry operations and concepts.
Strong analytical knowledge and understanding of complex business environments.
Unwavering integrity, highly ethical, and trustworthiness are critical to success.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple concurrent tasks while leveraging advanced problem-solving skills, critical judgement, and action.
Must be a “systems thinker”, see the big picture, and translate into achievement.
Confirmed competence in written and oral presentations, negotiations, and solution implementation within complex and emotionally charged situations.
A positive “can do” attitude, self-starter, who gets results while motivating others to do the same.
Highly creative change agent that will bring new ideas to the organization.
A collaborative “team player” who has strong relationship building skills. Must be able to relate well to individuals within all levels of the company.
Ability to develop a keen understanding of the company’s business and growth strategy and translate this into legal advice for other divisions.
Experience driving business results.
Ability to establish division goals, and objectives that facilitate the efficient capture, storage, processing and dissemination of information.
Strong track record of effectively motivating individuals/teams to produce quality results, with tight timeframes and simultaneously manage several projects.
Requires presentations to both small and large audiences with various levels of knowledge and the ability to present complex topics to top management, public groups, and/or Boards of Directors.
Remains confidential while understanding appropriate stakeholders to involve supporting business solutions.
Defines problems, collects data, reviews facts and draws valid conclusions based on data, experience, and business intuition. Incorporates both abstract and concrete variables.
Ability to maintain a valid driver’s license and travel to represent Grinnell Mutual with customers, vendors or professional meeting sites. Ability to adhere to the Fleet Safety Policy.
Internal Number: 2019-1556
About Grinnell Mutual
Now in our second century of service, still committed to our trusted relationships with you. Trust in Tomorrow.®
Grinnell Mutual, in business since 1909, is the 110th-largest property casualty insurance company in the United States and the largest primary reinsurer of farm mutual companies in North America. Our products are available in 19 states.
Grinnell Mutual's mission is to cultivate our trusted relationships. With member mutuals, we do this by providing state-of-the-art reinsurance solutions and consultative services focusing on members'? success. With agents, we do this by providing insurance solutions with a focus on ease of doing business. With policyholders, we do this by fulfilling our promise to help them in their times of need. With employees, we do this by providing an innovative environment where they are empowered to be their best.
We have earned an 'A'? (Excellent) rating for financial strength from A.M. Best since 1976 and have been a Property-Casualty Ward’s 50® Company since 2016. Insurance Journal named us to their Top 100 Super Regional Property/Casualty Insurers in 2019.
We have also been recognized as an Iowa Top Workplace since 2011. Forbes rank...ed us the fifth best Iowa employer in their inaugural list of America's Best-in-State Employers. Vault ranked us #44 in their 50 Best Internships survey.
