Chief Legal Officer
Facility: Scripps Health Corp
Location: San Diego, CA
Career Area: Regulatory
Employment Type: Full Time
Shift: Day
Job ID: 252002931
Let’s Get Started
Scripps Health Administrative Services supports our five hospital campuses, 31 outpatient centers, clinics, emergency rooms, urgent care sites, along with our 17,000 employees, more than 3,000 affiliated physicians and 2,000 volunteers.
Job Description
Organization: Scripps Health
Location: San Diego, California
Reports to: President & Chief Executive Officer
Position Type: Full-time, Executive Leadership Team
About Scripps Health
Founded in 1924, Scripps Health is a $5 billion, private nonprofit health system based in San Diego, founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps. Serving over 600,000 patients annually, it operates five acute-care hospitals, 30 outpatient centers, home health services, and a wide physician network of 3,000 affiliated doctors and 17,800 employees. Recognized nationally for excellence, Scripps has earned top rankings from U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, Newsweek, and Becker’s Healthcare, and maintains an AA rating with a stable outlook from S&P Global Ratings due to its strong leadership and financial performance.
The Opportunity
Scripps Health seeks a seasoned, strategic, and mission-driven Chief Legal Officer (CLO) to provide executive leadership and oversight for all legal matters across the organization. As a key member of the Corporate Executive Leadership Team, the CLO will advise the Board of Trustees and senior executives on a wide range of legal issues including regulatory compliance, governance, litigation, transactions, employment, privacy, risk management, and healthcare law.
The CLO will lead a high-performing legal team and collaborate closely with internal stakeholders, external counsel, and regulatory bodies. The ideal candidate will combine deep legal expertise with strong business acumen, sound judgment, and a values-driven approach consistent with Scripps Health’s mission of compassionate, patient-centered care.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the chief legal advisor to the CEO, executive leadership, and the Board.
- Direct and manage all legal affairs, including litigation, contracts, risk, compliance, and employment law.
- Provide counsel on strategic transactions, mergers, acquisitions, and affiliations.
- Lead and mentor the in-house legal team and coordinate with outside counsel.
- Ensure organizational compliance with federal and state regulations affecting health systems.
- Maintain and promote ethical standards, risk mitigation strategies, and a culture of accountability.
#LI-DP1 |
Qualifications:
- Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with the State Bar of California (or eligibility for in-house counsel registration).
- Minimum 15 years of legal experience, with at least 10 years in healthcare law or a related regulatory environment.
- Proven leadership experience in a complex, multi-entity organization, preferably within a healthcare system.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate at the executive level and manage complex legal challenges across diverse functional areas.
Competencies:
- Strategic thinker with a proactive, problem-solving orientation.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
- Unquestionable integrity and discretion.
- Strong understanding of the legal landscape governing nonprofit, integrated healthcare systems.
In compliance with the California Pay Transparency Act, Scripps Health posts the pay range for all jobs. Please note that actual pay will be determined based on relevant experience and internal equity within the pay range. Please also note this range is applicable for employees who reside in California only. A geographical pay differential may be applied for remote employees who reside out of state. Scripps Health strives to ensure that our employees receive equal pay for equal work in line with our commitment to being an equal opportunity employer.
Scripps Health is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression), age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.
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About Us
At Scripps, we seek dedicated, compassionate people to join our team and make a significant impact on the health of our community and the future of health care. Throughout our five hospital campuses, 30 outpatient centers and clinics, and hundreds of affiliated physician offices throughout the region, each member of our team plays a key role in our life-changing and life-saving mission. Our people and their commitment to the highest standards of care are what define us.

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