Product Counsel, ERISA & Operations
Summary of Relevant Experience
Summary of Experience – Product Counsel, ERISA & Operations @ Human Interest
- ERISA and employee benefits attorney who has served as in-house benefits counsel at multiemployer pension and health funds and a Fortune 500 insurer, advising on fiduciary obligations, plan governance, and qualified plan compliance across the full benefits lifecycle.
- Regulatory compliance counsel who translated complex ERISA, HIPAA, and IRC requirements into operational guidance for plan administrators, customer-facing teams, and senior leadership, mirroring the product-counsel advisory model this role requires.
- Litigation and plan administration lawyer who led complex ERISA matters, conducted M&A benefits due diligence, and managed outside counsel, demonstrating the technical authority and independent judgment needed in a high-growth fintech environment.
- JD/MBA-credentialed attorney positioned at the senior counsel level, with approximately four years of progressive in-house experience across financial services, insurance, and labor sectors, ready to serve as a dedicated ERISA subject-matter expert for a 401(k) recordkeeping platform.
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Why this is a fit
Your ERISA/employee-benefits specialization and in-house experience at multiemployer funds and a Fortune 500 insurer align tightly with this product counsel role at a 401(k) fintech; the role asks for 5–8 years of ERISA-focused experience and your ~4 years puts you at the low end of the range, which is the main gap, but the substantive match on fiduciary duty, qualified plan compliance, and EPCRS is direct.
About the role
Human Interest is on a mission to ensure that people in all lines of work have access to retirement benefits. More than half of all working Americans are not saving enough for their future. Too often, it’s because they are employed by a company that doesn’t offer a retirement plan. Human Interest is changing that by making it affordable and accessible for small and medium-sized businesses to offer employees a path to financial independence through retirement savings. We’re a high-growth fintech company changing the retirement industry. We are backed by a number of investors. This includes funding from Marshall Wace and Baillie Gifford, as well as top investors such as BlackRock , TPG (The Rise Fund) , SoftBank, Glynn Capital , NewView Capital, USVP, Wing, Uncork, and more. About the role In this role, you will be the in-house ERISA expert for Human Interest, applying deep substantive expertise to the ERISA, IRC, and fiduciary obligations inherent in operating a 401(k) recordkeeping platform . The role sits at the intersection of ERISA, technology, and operations. You'll be part of a legal team helping a growth-stage company expand access to retirement plans for small and mid-market employers, making it easier for the businesses that need 401(k) plans to offer them. You will have two primary internal clients: (1) the teams that work directly with plan sponsors and participants, and (2) the product team responsible for building our features and products. You will bring legal rigor, practical judgment, and the ability to translate applicable regulatory frameworks into actionable guidance. You need to be comfortable applying your expertise in an environment where automated workflows and payroll integrations support the underlying ERISA requirements that govern recordkeeping. Human Interest's legal team uses AI tools to work efficiently and deliver high-quality legal work. This role will not be a good fit if you are not already familiar with and using AI tools in your daily work. What you get to do every day Your work spans two primary internal audiences: the teams that work directly with our customers, and the product team that builds the platform. Across both, you'll apply ERISA fiduciary, qualification, and disclosure expertise to live business questions. Serve as the Front-Line Legal Advisor to Customer-Facing Teams: Be the go-to ERISA resource for the internal teams that work directly with plan sponsors and participants — providing real-time, practical legal guidance on the ERISA, IRC, and fiduciary questions that surface as customers interact with the platform. This work spans the full customer lifecycle, from new plans coming onto the platform to ongoing administration and customer retention. Day to day, this includes: Advising on complex plan sponsor or participant questions that internal teams cannot resolve on their own Working through fact patterns where automation, plan terms, or customer expectations don't align, and determining the right ERISA-defensible course of action Helping internal teams navigate ERISA-driven constraints when responding to time-sensitive customer matters, including matters requiring EPCRS analysis, anti-cutback considerations under IRC §411(d)(6), or participant disclosure obligations Advising on when a new or updated fee disclosure is required under ERISA §408(b)(2), §404(a)(5), or related rules, and on the substantive content Reviewing participant-facing communications, SPDs, SMMs, and plan sponsor disclosures for ERISA compliance, including both the content of individual disclosures and the automated workflows that generate them Translating technical ERISA conclusions into plain-language guidance that internal teams can confidently deliver to customers Serve as the ERISA SME for Product: Be the go-to ERISA resource for the product team as they design and build new features. This is on-call SME work — you'll be brought in for discrete ERISA questions as they come