Summary:

This position is responsible for the strategy, communication, and compliance for all U.S. leave programs across various states, including Workers Compensation. As a player-coach role it blends strategic leadership with hands-on, day-to-day execution, ensuring a smooth employee experience while managing the outsourced leave vendor relationships. The ideal candidate will be a proactive leader who excels in a fast-paced environment, is dedicated and passionate about compliance and employee well-being, and is skilled in managing vendor partnerships.

Job Duties & Responsibilities:

• Oversee all leave of absences and accommodations for the company in multiple states. Responsible for managing and documenting any leaves with our vendor.
• Assist with cost and budget analysis, communications, any further leave vendor system set up.
• Serve as the subject matter expert and primary point of contact for all leave-related programs (FMLA, ADA, STD, LTD, etc.).
• Lead and mentor a small internal team, while also managing individual leave cases as needed.
• Develop and refine leave policies and procedures to ensure compliance and consistency across the organization.
• Maintain and ensure accuracy for all timecard coding for employees out on leave.
• Evaluate existing practices and propose enhancements to boost leave requests satisfaction and eliminate compliance concerns.
• Manages and facilitates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) interactive process in compliance with applicable laws, guidelines and company policies and processes and coordinates the non-occupational return to work program and reasonable accommodations. Coordinates reasonable accommodations with employees, HR and managers.
• Manages processes and communications, including with leave vendor, to maintain compliance with ADA, Family and Medical Leave (FMLA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) among other laws and guidelines.
• Creates and leads HR, manager and employee training sessions.
• Provides direct leadership to internal Workers Compensation (WC) staff support and our WC carrier to support employee WC leave requests.
• Collaborate with Payroll, Benefits, Legal, and Human Resources Operations to ensure alignment and risk mitigation.
• Acts as the liaison between leave management and human resources. Will be responsible for external benchmarking marketplace best practices related to leaves.
• Foster a collaborative team environment by treating individuals with respect and honesty and utilizing direct communication and practicing active listening skills.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional Job Description:

Physical/Mental Demands:

• Ability to manage multiple complex tasks and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• High level of concentration and attention to detail required for reviewing legal and medical documentation.

• Strong emotional intelligence and resilience when handling sensitive employee situations.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in decision-making.

• Frequent need for problem-solving, critical thinking, and effective communication across departments and with external vendors.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex topics and interact with all levels of management and associates, including HR colleagues, Executives and Business leaders.

• Self-starter and able to take initiative, effective at prioritizing multiple projects, comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.

• Capable of working independently with minimal supervision.

• Thrives under pressure, tight timelines and interacting with staff at all levels with professionalism, empathy and diplomacy.

Education & Training

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business, Education or related field.

• 5 years’ related work experience; 3-5 years leave management experience.

• Experience with FMLA, multi-state paid leaves, disability insurance, ADA, WC and all associated legal aspects required and possess the ability to read, interpret and apply laws, regulations and policies.

• Experience managing third-party vendors or outsourced service providers.

• Experience with multi-state operations.

• Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS) Certification a plus.

• Preferred experience with UKG/Kronos time and attendance and HRIS technology.

With a career at Rogers, you can look forward to a Total Rewards package of benefits, including:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance coverage for you and your family
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Employee share program
• Life/disability insurance
• Flex spending accounts
• Tuition reimbursement
• Health and wellness program
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Through UnitedHealthcare, UMR and HealthSCOPE Benefits creates and publishes the Machine-Readable Files on behalf of Rogers Behavioral Health. To link to the Machine-Readable Files, please visit Transparency in Coverage (uhc.com)