Deputy General Counsel, Business Development

The Opportunity

The Deputy General Counsel for Business Development ("BD") serves as a senior legal advisor and strategic partner to the Company's Business Development team. This role advises on strategic initiatives, leads complex commercial negotiations, supports product development, helps ensure regulatory compliance, and advances the Company's broader business objectives. The position reports directly to the Sr. Deputy General Counsel.

The ideal candidate brings substantial hands-on experience across commercial contracting, insurance regulatory counseling, and product advising, with a demonstrated ability to lead high-value negotiations and partner closely with cross-functional teams from concept through implementation. Prior experience in the insurance industry, particularly in InsurTech, is strongly preferred. The successful candidate will have sound judgment, a practical approach to risk, and the ability to translate complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for business leaders.

Salary Range:  $150,300 - $187,900 (STI & LTI Eligible)

Root is a “work where it works best” company. Meaning we will support you working in whatever location that works best for you across the US. We will continue to have our headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Lead the drafting and negotiation of innovative partnership and strategic initiative agreements across the insurance ecosystem.
• Serve as embedded counsel to the Business Development team on insurance agency agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and other strategic opportunities.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal and business risk through thoughtful contract drafting, negotiation strategy, and practical counseling for internal stakeholders.
• Provide clear, actionable legal guidance to senior management and internal stakeholders on insurance regulatory requirements across all 50 states, including statutory and administrative regimes, as well as applicable federal laws and regulations such as GLBA.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit, Claims, Product, Data Science, and State Management to align on risk-based approaches to new and emerging programs led by the Business Development team.
• Prepare high-quality, decision-ready written analyses to support leadership in strategic planning, risk assessment, and issue escalation.
• Provide practical, timely legal guidance to teams building new products and services across traditional and digital distribution channels.
• Work closely with cross-functional partners through all phases of product development, implementation, and rollout.
• Translate evolving regulatory and commercial developments into pragmatic recommendations and risk management strategies.

What You Will Need to Succeed

• Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school and an active bar license in good standing in at least one U.S. state.
• 7+ years of commercial contracting experience in-house or at a reputable mid-sized or large law firm representing corporate clients.
• 5+ years of insurance regulatory experience in-house or at a reputable mid-sized or large law firm representing corporate clients.
• Demonstrated expertise in property and casualty insurance, including prior insurance regulatory and commercial contracting experience.
• Demonstrated expertise advising insurance entities and distribution partners on issues arising in the insurance agency context, including digital agencies, product flows, and commission structures.
• Proven ability to deliver strategic legal advice under time pressure, with limited or imperfect information, and to exercise sound judgment in ambiguous situations.
• Experience influencing senior leaders and partnering effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Strong track record of embedding with product managers, engineers, actuaries, data scientists, and business development professionals to help launch new products and initiatives.

As part of Root's interview process, we kindly ask that all candidates be on camera for virtual interviews. This helps us create a more personal and engaging experience for both you and our interviewers. Being on camera is a standard requirement for our process and part of how we assess fit and communication style, so we do require it to move forward with any applicant's candidacy. If you have any concerns, feel free to let us know once you are contacted. We’re happy to talk it through.

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Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is the policy of Root to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or candidate with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship for Root. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact recruiting@joinroot.com