Benefits Manager, Leave Administration

The Benefits Manager will be responsible for managing and administering all aspects of employee leave across our national footprint while providing a stellar employee experience by collaborating with internal teams and external vendors as well as ensuring compliance with relevant regulations. This role will be a subject matter expert capable of delivering innovative solutions through functional and technical expertise and will design and administer competitive and compliant leave solutions that contribute to employee satisfaction, well-being and retention. All activities will be performed in support of the strategy, vision and values of JE Dunn.

• Autonomy & Decision-Making: Makes decisions on non-routine matters, provides recommendations to supervisor, and refers all exceptions to supervisor.
• Career Path: Various

BENEFITS MANAGEMENT FAMILY - CORE

• Advises employees and managers on leave programs. Responds to inquiries, troubleshoots concerns and advises on leave administration
• Processes requests for leave of absence according to company policy, as well as adhering to regulatory requirements
• Manages leave administration team and individually administers compliant absence management programs, including but not limited to Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, FMLA, USERRA, Paid Family Leave, Life Insurance and statutory leave programs
• Manages and maintains the system and related processes that tracks leave of absences, premium payments and FMLA qualifications
• Analyzes leave claims, determines eligibility and manages the leave process until return to work or separation of employment
• Serves as subject matter expert on state, federal, and company leave policies and regulations
• Collaborates with Payroll and HRIS teams to ensure correct pay and leave coding, and manage reconciliations when employee returns
• Manages strong vendor relationships to ensure exceptional customer service, as well as competitive, cost-effective and compliant benefit offerings
• Collaborate with team in oversight of online benefit enrollment system. Partners with internal HRIS, Payroll and IT teams to ensure process efficiency and seamless integration of data files internally and with vendor partners
• Partners closely with HR and legal staff regarding status of related employee matters
• Documents and updates policies and procedures related to leaves of absence
• Oversees the effective communication of leave programs to optimize the employee experience and ensure supervisor understanding of the leave process
• Utilizes industry benchmarks to evaluate and compare existing company programs with those of other employers to ensure ongoing competitiveness. Makes plan design recommendations to ensure programs are competitive and in line with overall JE Dunn Total Rewards Strategy
• Mentors, coaches and provides real-time feedback on expectations and performance to ensure growth and development of team members

• Inspires a sense of team in the work environment. Utilizes communication and conflict resolution skills to foster teamwork and collaboration. Models a positive and professional attitude, maintaining composure under pressure
• Communicates and explains goals and encourages and motivates team performance and productivity in alignment with broader work program and corporate goals and plans. Leads and facilitates effective team meetings. Recognizes individual and team accomplishments.
• Assesses and manages quality of work produced by team
• Creates, monitors and manages scheduling; directs assignments and goal setting for optimal productivity and resource management
• Participates in a range of talent management activities, which may include responsibilities such as evaluating and managing performance, providing formal and informal feedback, recruiting and staffing, employee learning and development, addressing employee relations risks and issues, etc.
• Provides feedback and coaching to support individual employee performance, learning and career development
• Removes obstacles and solves problems and addresses escalated issues from team members to optimize team performance and productivity
• Serves as a change agent by supporting corporate and work program change initiatives. Models and communicates positive approaches to adapting to change

• Ability to perform work accurately and completely, and in a timely manner
• Experience with Benefits Committees, Investment/Retirement Committees and general governance practices
• Experience with non-qualified plans, executive perks, amenities and work life/wellness programs
• Solid balance of business acumen, strategic thinking and pragmatic tactical implementation
• Excellent at working with peers and motivating people as well as skilled at accomplishing goals with the help of others
• Highly articulate with outstanding written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills and strong executive presence
• Demonstrated experience with on-line benefit systems
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Experience negotiating benefit contracts and working with vendors
• Knowledge of pertinent federal and state regulations, filing and compliance requirements and both adopted and pending affecting employee benefit programs, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, ADAand HIPAA
• Proficient in MS Word, Excel and Power Point
• Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively within a team, internally and externally

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, human resources or related field (Preferred)
• In lieu of the above requirements, equivalent relevant experience will be considered.

• 8+ years' experience managing leave programs including FMLA, Disability, and Statutory Leaves across a variety of geographic locations (Preferred)

The benefits package aligned to this position is Professional Non-Union. Please click the link below for more details.

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