Leave of Absence Coordinator

Summary of Job Responsibilities

The Leave of Absence Coordinator provides administrative and tactical support for employee leave programs, including Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI), Short-Term Disability, parental leave, and military leave. This role assists with form collection, documentation, tracking, and communication to ensure accurate processing and compliance with federal, state, and internal policies and regulations. The specialist helps gather and coordinate paperwork, maintain records, and support employees and managers with basic, routine questions throughout the leave process.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Individuals must be able to perform these duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Handles the tactical aspects of the leave intake process, including sending emails, documenting in the Leave of Absence Planner, and providing timely follow-up to information requests.
• Tracks the required forms and proactively follows up on missing documentation.
• Assist with audits, including gathering leave-related documentation for internal, external, or compliance audits.
• Manages the Leaves of Absence email inbox, responding to inquiries in a timely and accurate manner and escalating as necessary.
• Serves as a liaison between employees, managers, third-party vendors (currently Unum), and the PERA Leaves team.
• Collaborates with Human Resource partners to ensure they are informed of employee leave status and return-to-work requirements through clear communication and accurate tracking.
• Collects, verifies, and tracks all leave-related documentation and issues required correspondence to support accurate recordkeeping and regulatory compliance using tools such as Excel, Microsoft Planner, and others.
• Maintains organized records of all leave-related documents and correspondence in accordance with internal processes.
• Monitors and accurately records Unum-reported leave hours, ensuring usage remains within approved limits, and maintains cumulative FMLA and FAMLI hour reporting.
• Reconciles time-away data with Unum, PERA Payroll, and employees, researching and resolving discrepancies to ensure accuracy.
• Update Leaves of Absence dashboard data monthly to provide an organizational-level view of leave hours utilized for workforce planning initiatives.
• Document and communicate the Leave of Absence Coordinator(s) recurring process and documentation concerns or issues for employees and third-party vendors.

Other Duties/Responsibilities

• Performs other duties as assigned

Job Qualifications

• 2+ years in an administrative support role
• 1-2 years of experience with employee leaves of absence preferred
• Basic understanding of Colorado FAMLI, FMLA, and Short-Term Disability
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Strong math skills and Excel skills, including the ability to use formulas such as VLOOKUP and pivot tables
• Experience with Microsoft Office Tools, including Outlook, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong critical thinking skills and the ability to detect discrepancies in data
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with care and integrity
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to successfully manage multiple priorities while ensuring a high-quality output and timeliness
• Ability to take direction from multiple individuals
• Ability to deal with complexity and know when to escalate

Working Conditions
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Standard office environment with frequent telephone communication, computer operation, and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy and printer machine.
• Occasional moving and positioning of supplies in excess of 20 pounds
• All employees are expected to present themselves in a professional manner in alignment with the financial services industry
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods of time
• Ability to operate standard PC equipment
• Ability to manage frequent deadlines and tight schedules

Hybrid Work Option
Opportunity to work from home up to two days per week after successful training onsite. Eligibility is dependent upon factors detailed in PERA's Work from Home Policy.

Interested Candidates:
Complete the employment application online at https://www.copera.org/careers. Please have copies of your resume and cover letter available to upload. Please review the following questions. You will be asked for a response to these as part of your application:

• Tell us about a work environment where you performed at your best. What made it a good fit (pace, structure, feedback style), and what did you do to stay organized and productive?
• Tell us about a time you used Excel to track work, improve accuracy, or create a report. What was the business need, what did you build, and what was the result?

Job Description Disclaimer

This job description is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required of an employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned with or without notice.

Unfortunately, at this time, PERA cannot consider candidates that require sponsorship (now or in the future) or are located outside of the US.

All Colorado PERA employees are subject to PERA’s Ethics Policy, and some employees are subject to the Personal Trading Policy. These policies include restrictions on outside business activities and employment, as well as certain requirements for personal trading. You may request copies of these policies from PERA’s talent acquisition team, and any questions can be answered by PERA’s Investment Administration team.

About Colorado PERA

Looking for a career where you can make a difference? Colorado PERA provides benefits services to public employees across Colorado, including teachers, state troopers, snowplow drivers, correctional officers, and many others who deliver essential services. As Colorado’s largest pension plan, we serve and educate over 700,000 members, comprising both former and current public employees.

At PERA you will earn more than a paycheck. PERA is a culture where you can grow your potential and work in an inclusive environment, where diverse perspectives are valued. We hire exceptional employees and recognize that our people are our best asset. Not only do we make sound investments for our members, PERA invests in our employees’ growth through training and leadership opportunities.

To promote wellbeing, we offer hybrid or flexible working options for most roles and a total rewards and benefit program including health, dental and vision coverage - eligibility starts the first day of the month following the date of hire for most plans; generous paid time off and volunteer hours; pension and retirement plans, including PERA’s defined benefit plan, 457 defined contribution plan, and 401(k) employer match, as applicable; tuition assistance; free, convenient on-site parking or RTD subsidy; free on-site fitness center to stay active; employee assistance program; training, leadership and mentoring programs and more. PERA is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness qualifying employer.

To learn more about life at PERA, watch this video or visit www.copera.org/careers.

Position Title: Leave of Absence Coordinator
Division: Human Resources
Reports to: Human Resources Manager
Job Status: Full-time, Non-exempt
Salary: $30.28 to $36.06 Hourly, Commensurate with experience
Posting Dates: 01/09/2026 to 01/25/2026