Leave Specialist

Job Title: Leave Specialist

Department: Employee Health Office (EHO)

Reports To: Director of Employee Health and Wellbeing

Job Code 002069

FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Summary

The Leave Specialist is responsible for the comprehensive and integrated administration of leave of absence programs, ensuring strict compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including but not limited to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), FAMLI, and workers’ compensation (WC). This role collaborates with HR Business Partners, Employee Health nurses, leaders, and employees to ensure a seamless experience for employees who experience workers' compensation claims, FMLA claims, PWFA claims, transitional duty, and ADA accommodations to achieve positive outcomes, support employee well-being, organizational effectiveness, and create a frictionless experience.

Key Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Leave Administration: Manage the entire leave process from initial request through return-to-work coordination. Ensure accurate and timely documentation, eligibility determination, approval or denial decisions, tracking, and timecard completion.
• Employee Support: Clearly communicate leave policies and procedures to employees, providing guidance on interactions between leave laws, paid time off, workers' compensation, and short-term/long-term disability benefits.
• Data & Compliance Management: Maintain secure and confidential records, ensuring compliance with legal and organizational requirements.
• Workflow & System Oversight: Ensure seamless processing of leave transactions, accurate payroll reporting, leave tracking, and timely notifications for recertifications and expirations.
• HRIS & Payroll Collaboration: Partner with HRIS and Payroll teams to ensure accurate timecards, system updates, reporting, and leave classifications.
• Leader & Employee Communication: Facilitate smooth transitions for employees returning from leave and keep leaders informed of leave status, restrictions, and policy updates.
• Regulatory Compliance & Policy Enhancement: Stay current on FMLA, ADA, SSL, PWFA and other applicable leave laws. Evaluate and recommend policy improvements to align with legal standards and best practices.
• HR Business Partner Collaboration: Provide guidance on all aspects of leave.
• Reporting & Metrics: Analyze leave data, generate reports, and track trends to support data-driven decision-making and policy improvements. Provide high level data analysis to leadership as requested.
• Administrative Support: Assist the Employee Health Office with administrative tasks as needed.
  
  

Qualifications & Skills

• Education: Bachelor's degree or higher (preferred).
• Experience: Prior experience managing leave programs, with a strong understanding of federal and state leave laws.
• Skills & Competencies:
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• High degree of professionalism and ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex policies clearly.
• Ability to build trust and credibility among employees and leadership.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience working with HRIS systems.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Empathy; critical thinking and judgment.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience administering leave programs and working knowledge of best practices in leave management.
• Benefits and Human Resources experience.
• Expertise in FMLA, ADA, PWFA, WC and state/local leave laws, particularly in Maryland.
• Certification or specialized training in leave administration or Human Resources(preferred).
  
  

Licenses & Certifications

• None required.