Title: Counsel, Contracts & Distribution
Location: Austin, TX / Dallas, TX / Morristown, NJ
Reporting to: Associate General Counsel, Insurance & Distribution
About This Role:We're looking for a business-minded in-house attorney to support contracting across our technology, vendor, and insurance distribution partnerships. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys negotiating complex agreements, improving processes, and translating legal risk into practical business guidance.
You'll work cross-functionally with Procurement, Technology, Marketing, Compliance, and Insurance teams to help Hippo grow responsibly and efficiently in a highly regulated P&C environment. This is an individual contributor role for someone who enjoys owning their work, improving systems, and operating close to the business.
What You'll Do:Lead Commercial & Distribution Contracting- Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of agreements, including SaaS and AI agreements, vendor contracts, NDAs, and producer/carrier distribution agreements
- Advise stakeholders on contractual risk, regulatory considerations, and business implications
- Partner with internal teams to align contract structure with business goals
- Independently manage a high volume of commercial and distribution agreements from intake through execution, balancing speed and risk
- Provide clear, concise risk assessments and recommended paths forward to internal stakeholders
- Escalate non-standard or high-risk issues appropriately while proposing practical solutions
Own & Improve Contracting Operations- Serve as a key point of contact for contracting workflow and process improvements
- Maintain and update templates, playbooks, and standard forms
- Establish and track contracting metrics to improve turnaround time and reduce risk exposure
- Identify recurring friction points in contracting and implement scalable solutions to improve turnaround time and consistency
- Contribute to the development of playbooks, fallback positions, and self-service tools for business partners
Enable Compliant Growth- Provide guidance on 50-state insurance regulations and federal/state consumer protection laws (e.g., TCPA, FCRA)
- Support marketing reviews with practical, compliant recommendations
- Advise on data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI-related considerations in vendor and technology agreements
Partner Across the Organization- Collaborate with legal colleagues on regulatory and compliance initiatives
- Support training and cross-functional education
- Translate complex legal concepts into actionable, business-friendly advice
- Build strong working relationships with Procurement, Technology, and Insurance teams to proactively address legal considerations early in the contracting lifecycle
Must Haves:- J.D. and active U.S. bar license
- 5+ years of relevant legal experience (law firm and/or in-house)
- Experience negotiating technology and commercial agreements
- Experience in the insurance industry or advising procurement/vendor management functions
- Strong understanding of data privacy, cybersecurity, and regulatory risk in a P&C environment
Nice To Haves:- Direct experience with insurance distribution agreements (producer/carrier relationships)
- Experience working with SaaS, AI, or insurtech vendors
- Experience improving legal workflows or contract lifecycle management systems
Benefits and PerksHippo treats its team members with the same level of dedication and care as we do our customers, which is why we're fortunate to provide all of our Hippos with:
- Healthy Hippos Benefits - Multiple medical plan options, 100% covered dental and vision for you and your family, and a wellness program that rewards healthy habits. We also offer a 401(k)-retirement plan, short & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for health and dependent care, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Equity -This position is eligible for equity compensation
- Training and Career Growth - Training and internal career growth opportunities
- Flexible Time Off - You know when and how you should recharge
- Little Hippos Program - We offer 12 weeks of parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers
- Hippo Habitat - Snacks and drinks available for onsite employees
The Morristown, NJ base pay range for this role is $180,000 - $210,000. Exact compensation may vary based on several job-related factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to: skill set, experience, education/training, location, business needs and market demands.
