HR Specialist, Absence Management

BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CLASS TITLE: HR Specialist, Absence Management (Leaves/ADA)

REPORTS TO: Manager, Employee Absence and Risk Management

TITLE CODE: V18057 GRADE: 07/OPE ($78,269 to $121,002 - Annual Salary Scale for Exempt 12-Month Employees Represented by BCPSOPE 2021-2022 Effective January 1, 2022)

DEFINITION: Administers absence management programs, including leaves and accommodations. Consults and collaborates with administrators and supervisors and provides guidance and assistance to employees, families, and staff regarding policies, procedures, and regulations associated with leaves of absences and workplace accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Supervises professional and support staff. Performs other duties as assigned.


EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:

Leaves & Accommodation Duties:
Administers and supervises the Board of Education (BOE) and non-Board of Education approved leaves of absences such as sick leave bank, maternity, paternity, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and other federal leave programs. Works independently and administers each step of the leaves process from inquiry to application, to decision making and monitoring employees return to work.

Administers and supervises accommodation requests made under the ADA. Works independently and resolves accommodation matters from inquiry, to application, to decision making and monitoring return to work.

Processes leaves and accommodation requests based on laws, rules, regulations, established procedures, and master agreements. Uses independent judgement to determine the need to escalate an issue to the manager.

Communicates policies, rules, and procedures to employees and supervisors to ensure appropriate reporting and administration of leaves, accommodations, and absence management programs.

Assists in the resolution of absence management issues, including confirming pay and benefits status; counseling on payroll coding; and verifying the appropriate use of personal illness leave.

Refers employees to case management review, the options process, absence management programs, leaves of absences, ADA accommodations, and/or the return-to-work program, as needed.

Maintains paper and electronic files for all leaves and accommodation matters. Creates and maintains case status reports, attends case review meetings, and collaborates with various offices throughout Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) to resolve leaves, accommodations, and absence management issues.

Manages and updates databases and case management system to reflect employee progress and compliance.

Collaborates with Employee Assistance Program, Cigna, and appropriate leadership regarding Return to Work (RTW) plans following physician directives. Ensures related communication with employee.

Communicates regularly and provides status reports of various programs to Manager, Employee Absence and Risk Management.

Reviews files and collaborates with appropriate office and/or staff to gather documentation required for recommendations related to termination of employment. Prepares recommendations related to termination of employment for submission to the Chief Human Resources Officer.

General Office
Supervises, coordinates, and evaluates the work and performance of the absence management representatives.

Assists with revisions to BCPS policies and rules, as needed.

Develops and maintains standard operating procedures for leaves and accommodations programs. Develops training materials and provides presentations on leaves and accommodations processes.

Assists in developing and revising forms and standard operating procedures.

Serves on various committees and assists with special projects, as needed.

Creates and maintains confidential employee records. Complies with applicable laws and regulations concerning medical information and confidentiality.

Maintains paper and electronic records management system. Ensures recordkeeping is compliant with policies, rules, and records retention/destruction protocols.

Gathers and provides necessary records for hearings and may attend hearings as needed.

Serves as back-up to other Specialists in the office on various processes.

Performs other duties as assigned.


MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education, Training and Experience:
Possession of a bachelor’s degree. Five years of increasingly responsible professional experience directly related to human resource administration. Experience in employee absence management and related laws and regulations is preferred. Supervisory experience preferred.

Other combinations of applicable education, training and experience which provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform effectively in the position may be considered.


License/Certifications:
Professional in Human Resources (PHR) or Sr. Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification issued by the Human Resources Certification Institute or SHRM-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) or SHRM-Sr. Certified Professional (SHRM_SCP) issued by the Society for Human Resources Management preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Thorough knowledge of human resources laws, codes, regulations, and standards. Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of human resources administration. Knowledge of absence management, leaves laws, and return to work programs. Knowledge of Board of Education Policies and Superintendent’s Rules. Technology competency including knowledge and skill in the use of database, internet, PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft Word, Outlook email and calendar, and related applications. Knowledge and skill in data analysis.

Skill in human resources administration. Skill in communicating effectively. Skill in preparing and presenting reports and training. Skill in analyzing procedures and practices and developing improvements. Skill in speaking and presenting before groups. Skill in preparing documents and giving sworn testimony at hearings.

Ability to manage confidential information effectively. Ability to communicate effectively. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships. Ability to exercise tact and discretion.

PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
The work of this class is generally sedentary. Work involves travel to other offices and schools throughout Baltimore County. In addition, work involves travel to offices throughout the state.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS: Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) is committed to prov8idng the hithest quality education to BCPS students and staff while ensuring the health and safety of its students, employees, customers, clients, contractors, interns, and other visitors.

Applicants are required to have a completed application on file for employment with Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS). Each time an applicant applies to a job with BCPS, the application must be resubmitted. If an applicant started an application with BCPS in the past and at a later date decides to apply for additional positions, it is the applicant's responsibility to review the entire application and ensure that all data is up to date (for example, the applicant may need to add additional schooling or certifications, an additional work experience, or provide updated references). The applicant must remember to review the entire application each time for accuracy and submit each time for a new or different vacancy.
Professional references must be submitted to complete your application. Examples of professional references include current and former principals, supervisors, managers, mentor teachers and university/college supervisors. Personal references from colleagues, friends, community members, etc. will not be accepted. Applicants should notify their reference proactively to inform them they will receive a form via email through a MAILBOT email address from Baltimore County Public Schools. Applicants should also inform their reference(s) of the job they are applying to.
Be sure to account for all periods of employment and unemployment, including student teaching and internship experience, and include names, addresses, and telephone numbers of employers.
Be sure to answer all criminal background questions. If you answer "yes" to any of the criminal background questions you must provide a written explanation. A criminal offense does not necessarily exclude an applicant from employment with BCPS. Factors such as passage of time since the offense, the nature of the violation, and the extent of rehabilitation will be taken into consideration.

All persons employed by the Baltimore County Public Schools, regular and temporary, are required to be fingerprinted and have a criminal background investigation (State of Maryland, Senate Bill 315, effective October 1, 1986) completed. The fee charged for fingerprinting is $81.00. An identification card will be issued which must be shown prior to employment.
Anyone offered employment is required to provide proper identification and documentation of eligibility for employment in the US.
If you have military experience you will be asked to provide a copy of DD214.
Official transcripts for all higher education must be received prior to contract signing.

Non-Discrimination Statement