Leaves and Benefits Manager

This position has a Hybrid schedule, remote access will be activated after successfully completing 90 days in the role onsite.

Position Summary

The position of Leaves & Benefits Manager oversees integrative workplace health programs such as Workers’ Compensation, leaves of absence, ergonomics, benefit offerings, and medical accommodations. Responsible for ensuring all offers and cases are handled within guidelines and documented appropriately. Administers credit union benefit programs, coordinates annual renewal and open enrollment, and ensures accurate reconciliation of all benefit plans. 

Minimum Qualifications (Education, Experience, Skills)

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources or related field, a certificate in Human Resources Management, or four years’ relevant work experience.
• Functional competency with basic HR body of knowledge, with three years’ experience working in an HR/Employee Relations Department to include hands-on experience with leaves of absence, accommodations, employee relations, or benefits.
• Management experience is preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated critical thinking and effective problem-solving skills.
• Professional interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated internal service skills, including patience, discretion and confidentiality.
• Intermediate level PC and MS Office skills, to include Outlook, Excel and Word. 
• Excellent organizational and time management skills. Project management experience is desirable. Ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks to meet deadlines.
• Detail oriented and demonstrated accuracy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Direct operations for all leave and accommodation requests received and approve as appropriate. Ensure cases are handled in an appropriate and compliant manner based on existing laws and credit union policies. Provide oversight to team to ensure all cases are properly documented and guide them through complex situations. Partner with Employee Relations leadership as needed.
• Lead the interactive process. Facilitate good-faith, timely dialogues with employees to identify reasonable workplace accommodations. Ensure all approved accommodations are implemented immediately, in partnership with management and other departments, and that any workplace equipment items are delivered timely. 
• Manage all open Workers’ Compensation claims, ensuring that the team is conducting regular follow-ups and outreach with employees and managers. Provide updates to carrier; schedule and attend periodic claims reviews with the broker and insurance carriers. Provide management with a summary of each claims review meeting.
• Guide direct reports on properly completing assessments for periodic individual and site ergonomic evaluations in conjunction with carrier. Review carrier recommendations and order approved ergonomic supplies needed. 
• Work with management to ensure compliance with applicable benefit regulations including COBRA, ACA, HIPAA and ERISA.
• Oversee the monthly benefit reconciliation process for all plans, the annual benefits renewal, and open enrollment process, and ensure that any benefit program changes are properly communicated to employees.
• Partner with insurance carriers, brokers, and vendors to resolve issues and ensure that all service expectations are consistently met. 
• Ensure all employee files pertaining to leaves, accommodations, Workers’ Compensation and benefits are maintained in accordance with policy.
• Maintain vendor management system as required by obtaining new vendor approvals and conducting annual vendor and user access reviews.
• Complete and post annual Cal/OSHA 300 logs as required by the US Department of Labor. 
• Respond to routine HR-related questions related to policy interpretation and application; respond to employee concerns and provide information and policy guidance to supervisor and/or employee. Escalate issues to manager as appropriate.
• Responsible to lead, mentor and supervise direct reports, guide them through problem-solving and critical thinking and address performance deficiencies where necessary. 

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist in answering phones, screening or appropriately directing calls and messages.
• Back up to Leave of Absence Coordinator and HR Generalist (Leaves and Benefits) 
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

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

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to walk; sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.