Office of the GovernorGO-NORTH Division
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
DIRECTOR OF LEGAL & CONTRACTSNonclassified Position# NONCEX4043
Annual Salary: $135,000
(In-person; statewide travel required)
*See total compensation information at the bottom of announcement.The
Governor's Office of New Opportunities and Rural Transformational Health (GO-NORTH) was established by Executive Order under Governor Kelly Ayotte and charged with leading the execution and implementation of the State's Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Plan and its five strategic initiatives to transform rural healthcare in New Hampshire.
1.
Initiative 1: Population Health: Increase prevention services and improve chronic disease management, behavioral, and maternal health.
2.
Initiative 2:Access: Ensure sustainable access to care by strengthening rural hospitals, primary care providers, federally qualified health centers, community mental health centers, emergency medical service agencies, and specialty telehealth services.
3.
Initiative 3: Workforce: Build and retain a skilled rural health workforce through education, training, and career pathways development.
4.
Initiative 4: Technology: Modernize care delivery by expanding technology, interoperability, and data security.
5.
Initiative 5: Financial Sustainability: Promote financial sustainability with innovative payment models and value-based care.
SCOPE OF WORK: The Director of Legal and Contracts reports to the GO-NORTH Director and serves as dedicated legal counsel to GO-NORTH. With the GO-NORTH Director's approval, the Director of Legal and Contracts may work either within the Attorney General's Office or the GO-NORTH offices.
The Director of Legal and Contracts provides health law and regulatory support across three principal areas: (1) procurement and contracting for GO-NORTH's five RHT initiatives, including requests for proposals and applications, subawards, contracts, memoranda of understanding; (2) financial and programmatic compliance with the CMS RHT Notice of Funding Opportunity, the State's Notice of Award, 2 CFR Part 200, and State procurement laws, including design and execution of the GO-NORTH's subrecipient monitoring framework; and (3) legal analysis to support the development of legislation and administrative rules necessary to implement the policy commitments in New Hampshire's CMS approved RHT plan. The Director of Legal and Contracts works in coordination with GO-NORTH leadership, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Administrative Services.
ACCOUNTABILITIES: Draft, review, and support negotiation of procurement documents for GO-NORTH RHT initiatives - including requests for proposals, requests for applications, scopes of work, contracts, subawards, memoranda of understanding, and amendments - and prepare associated Governor and Executive Council items and supporting documentation.
Advise GO-NORTH program staff on the application of State and federal procurement standards, including at 2 CFR 200, including competition requirements, documentation of the procurement method selected, cost and price analysis, sole source justification, and the treatment of procurement appeals.
Identify and structure risk mitigation strategies for organizational and personal conflicts of interest in procurements, including procurements executed by GO-NORTH sub-recipients.
Design, document, and maintain the GO-NORTH's subrecipient monitoring framework, including pre-award risk assessment, risk-based monitoring plans, desk reviews and site visits, financial and programmatic reporting requirements, corrective action, and the enforcement remedies available under 2 CFR 200; supports resolution of Single Audit findings under 2 CFR Part 200.
Draft and maintain template agreements, standard terms and conditions, and required federal flow-down provisions for use with GO-NORTH procurements and the procurements of GO-NORTH sub-recipients so that recurring transactions can be executed consistently and without renegotiation of standard terms.
Advise GO-NORTH finance on allowability, allocability, and reasonableness of costs under 2 CFR Part 200, and on RHT-specific funding limitations, including the administrative and indirect cost limitation, provider payments, capital expenditure conditions, prior approval requirements, and the non-duplication and non-supplantation guardrails in the State's RHT Notice of Award.
Support the development of legislation, including bill drafts, amendments, and technical language, and of administrative rules, necessary to implement RHT policy commitments; prepare supporting legal analysis, coordinate with the GO-NORTH Director of Financial Sustainability & Policy, Office of Legislative Services, and assist with development of legislative hearing materials and testimony as requested.
In coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the General Counsel support legal analysis on appropriate Medicaid authorities to sustain RHT initiatives - including State Plan Amendments, Section 1115 demonstration authority, sections 1915(c) and 1915(i), section 1945 health homes, state directed payments under 42 CFR 438.6(c), and managed care contract amendments.
Advise on the legal structure workforce recruitment and retention investments to support compliance with CMS RHT program terms and conditions including the five year service commitment, repayment and default provisions, enforceability, and the records necessary to demonstrate compliance beyond the period of performance.
Advise on records access and confidentiality obligations affecting GO-NORTH activities, including RSA chapter 91-A (the State's Right to Know Law), applicable exemptions, records retention under 2 CFR 200, HIPAA, and 42 CFR Part 2.
Support responses to CMS monitoring, reporting, prior approval requests, audit inquiries, and requests for information; ensures that legal determinations affecting the use of funds are documented contemporaneously and are supportable on federal review.
Provides training and technical assistance to GO-NORTH staff, DHHS program staff, and subrecipients on contracting requirements, allowable costs, reporting obligations, and monitoring expectations.
Performs other duties as assigned in support of GO-NORTH's RHT Program.
SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE ABLE TO:
• Distinguish what federal and State requirements permit from what they require and communicate that distinction clearly to GO-NORTH program staff and external stakeholders.
• Use sound judgment in identifying compliance risk early in program design, rather than at the point of execution.
• Manage a high volume of concurrent projects against fixed federal deadlines.
• Communicate complex legal and regulatory concepts to non-attorney audiences, including hospital and provider leadership, legislators, and community partners.
• Work collaboratively across State agencies and with federal counterparts.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: Juris Doctor degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
License/Certification: Admission to the New Hampshire Bar. Must be a member in good standing and remain so throughout employment.
Experience: Three (3) years of experience as a practicing attorney with a substantial and demonstrated focus on health care, including experience in each of the following: contracting or transactional work for health care organizations; and corporate and regulatory health care matters.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Position is funded in whole by the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program agreement and is contingent on the continued availability of federal funds through the period of performance ending September 30, 2031.
• Must comply with the State's code of ethics and conflict of interest requirements applicable to executive branch employees, and must disclose any financial or professional interest in an entity that may receive Program funds.
• In-State travel may be required to engage stakeholders; a valid driver's license and access to transportation, or the ability to arrange transportation, is required.
For further information please contact David Chorney, Director of Financial Sustainability & Policy at David.A.Chorney@go-north.nh.gov.
*TOTAL COMPENSATION INFORMATIONThe State of NH total compensation package features an outstanding set of employee benefits, including:
HMO or POS Medical and Prescription Drug Benefits:
The actual value of State-paid health benefits and the amount of employee health benefit contributions may vary depending on the type of plan selected and the bargaining unit with which a position is associated.
See this link for details on State-paid health benefits:https://www.das.nh.gov/hr/benefits.aspx
Value of State's share of Employee's Retirement: 12.87% of pay
Other Benefits:*Dental Plan at minimal cost for employees and their families ($500-$1800 value)
* Flexible Spending healthcare and childcare reimbursement accounts
*State defined benefit retirement plan and Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan
*Work/life balance flexible schedules, paid holidays and generous leave plan
*$50,000 state-paid life insurance plus additional low-cost group life insurance
*Incentive-based Wellness Program (ability to earn up to $500)
Total Compensation Statement Worksheet:
https://www.das.nh.gov/jobsearch/compensation-calculator.aspx
Want the specifics? Explore the Benefits of State Employment on our website:https://www.das.nh.gov/hr/documents/BenefitBrochure.pdf
https://www.das.nh.gov/hr/index.aspx
