Benefits & Leaves Manager

Join Our Team!

Are you passionate about building a workplace where employees have access to high-quality benefits and leave programs? Do you excel at collaborating with employees, managers, and external partners to ensure seamless program administration? Join the Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC) as a Benefits & Leaves Manager, where you’ll oversee the design and implementation of benefits, leave, and workers’ compensation programs, partner with vendors and HR teams to optimize service delivery, and support a workplace that prioritizes employee well-being in alignment with OCDC’s mission of promoting the growth and development of children and families in Oregon.

OCDC is a nonprofit organization providing Head Start and comparable early childcare and education programs throughout the state of Oregon. Our mission is to promote the growth, well-being, and development of children and families in need. Our team includes educators, social workers, transportation staff, facilities personnel, and administrative professionals, all driven by the shared goal of making a difference.

Position Summary

The Benefits & Leaves Manager plays a pivotal role in shaping a supportive and thriving workplace by leading the development, administration, and management of OCDC’s comprehensive benefits programs. This includes overseeing essential offerings such as health, dental, life, COBRA, cafeteria plan/Section 125, ADA, retirement plans. Additionally, the role is responsible for managing leave programs, including workers’ compensation. Serving as a liaison between the organization, employees, plan providers, and third-party administrators, the position ensures seamless communication and collaboration. As a key leader, this role champions a culture of care by aligning benefits and leave programs with the organization’s mission and values, maintaining compliance, and empowering the team to provide exceptional support to stakeholders.

Essential Functions

• Design, implement, and oversee OCDC’s benefits, leave, worker’s compensation, and retirement programs.
• Act as a subject matter expert, interpreting regulations and offering guidance to employees and managers, while ensuring full compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
• Partner with vendors and brokers to resolve issues and ensure seamless coverage for employees.
• Collaborates with employee relations and people leaders to develop strategies for managing leave-related situations, providing tools, resources, and recommendations.
• Work closely with supervisors to provide support in identifying patterns of absence and ensure appropriate use of protected leave.
• Conduct analysis of benefits programs and offer strategic recommendations to senior leadership to enhance program effectiveness and employee satisfaction.
• Lead benefits planning and open enrollment, including vendor selection, communication efforts, and employee education initiatives.
• Ensure full compliance of benefit and leave programs with all applicable laws and regulations (ACA, ADA, FMLA, OFLA, PLO, HIPAA, etc).
• Prepare and submit required reports to various state and federal agencies, such as the IRS.
• Manage vendor relationships, monitor service performance, and negotiate contracts to ensure optimal service delivery.
• Monitor budgetary requirements, resolve discrepancies, and evaluate cost-control measures for benefits programs.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

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

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position supervises support and professional level staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree. Preferably in human resources, business administration, or related field.
• Minimum 4 years of relevant work experience.
• 1 years of experience in a people and team management role. OR Equivalent combination of relevant education and related job experience

Additional Certification:

• CEBS preferred – Certified Employee Benefits Specialist

Technical and Organizational Skills:

• Expertise in managing and administering employee benefit programs, leave management, and workers’ compensation.
• Advanced knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations (ACA, FMLA, OFLA, PLO, HIPAA, ERISA, IRS requirements) to ensure compliance.
• Ability to analyze benefits-related data and provide strategic insights to senior leadership.
• Manages vendor relationships effectively, ensuring high-quality service and cost-effective contract negotiations.
• Expertise in managing projects, such as open enrollment, program updates, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborates effectively with stakeholders to resolve challenges and ensure seamless program delivery.

OCDC is an equal opportunity employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.