Benefits Analyst - Leaves and Disability

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

1d•$68,300 - $102,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Benefits Analyst provides analytical, technical, process, project, and administrative support for WGU employee benefit plans and programs, including retirement, healthcare, wellbeing, EAP, life and disability, paid time off, leaves of absence, accommodations, recognition, and ancillary benefits. The role delivers personal-touch customer service to employees nationwide and supports benefits strategy, design, operations, reporting, data reconciliations, audits, system configuration reviews, communications, and project management within a high-pace, high-growth environment. A major focus of the position is high-volume leave-of-absence and workplace accommodation case management. The analyst reviews requests and supporting documentation; tracks eligibility, deadlines, status, communications, and case milestones; maintains accurate and confidential records; and coordinates next steps with employees, managers, People & Talent partners, Benefits, Payroll, vendors, and other stakeholders. The role supports FMLA, company-provided and personal leaves, disability-related leaves, workers' compensation-related absences, applicable state and local leave programs, and ADA accommodations. The analyst also responds to employee and manager questions through multiple channels, processes benefits eligibility and enrollment transactions in the HR system, supports open enrollment and employee presentations, coordinates with third-party vendors, and helps ensure accurate and compliant case administration. The role contributes to team training and peer review, process documentation and improvement, case audits, reporting, education, and communications. Occasional travel of up to 20% is required, including attendance at designated company summits.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience performing the essential job functions; a high school diploma is required.
2–3 years of experience specifically working with leaves of absence and accommodations.
Ability to manage a high volume of leave-of-absence and accommodation cases simultaneously.
Strong interpersonal skills when working with employees, leaders, team members, external administrators, and advisers.
Ability to work collaboratively and demonstrate influence and leadership.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to write, read, and interpret technical material and communicate effectively in writing and verbally.
Knowledge of and demonstrated prior experience with operational and strategic aspects of employee benefit plans, including insurance renewals, retirement plans, vendor management, government filings, communications, and benchmarking.
Ability to maintain a current understanding of university employee benefit programs and available resources.
Strong understanding of laws and regulations applicable to HR, especially employee benefits, leaves, and accommodations.
Comfort working with Microsoft Office products, data in various formats, and information systems to process requests, answer questions, prepare reports, and identify problems.
Solid technical understanding of HRIS and related employee benefits processes, including their cross-functional impacts with other enterprise systems.
Data-driven approach and ability to diagnose root causes, identify primary drivers of outcomes, and recommend improvements.
Knowledge of the design and management of standard employee benefit programs and retirement programs, including project management, enrollment, vendor management, auditing, filings, training, education, and communication.
Ability to think creatively and identify inventive applications of standard solutions.
Ability to present to groups and communicate technical matters effectively and persuasively in writing, reports, email, and verbally.
Strong work ethic, collaborative orientation, and eagerness to take on new assignments in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize multiple simultaneous time-sensitive activities.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and ability to make data-supported decisions.
Interest in contributing to team success and individual growth, and in fostering a sense of belonging.
Occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits, typically one to two per year; additional business travel may be assigned as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience presenting to groups.
Experience in the human resources function of a large organization.
HR shared service center experience.
Experience with HRIS or payroll systems.
Workday experience.
Progress toward or completion of Certified Benefits Professional (CBP), Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), or another HR-related certification.

Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive, confidential, timely, and accurate case management and administrative support for a high volume of leave-of-absence and workplace accommodation cases.
Review leave and accommodation requests and supporting documentation; track case status, eligibility, required documentation, deadlines, communications, and next steps.
Manage multiple complex and time-sensitive cases, maintain complete case records, and follow up on certifications, approvals, denials, extensions, returns to work, and other milestones.
Support administration of FMLA, company-provided leaves, personal leaves, disability-related leaves, workers' compensation-related absences, and state and local leave programs.
Support ADA and other applicable workplace accommodation processes, including intake, documentation review, interactive process support, tracking, reevaluations, and coordination with People & Talent stakeholders.
Partner with managers and People & Talent business partners on leave and accommodation processes, employee communications, attendance considerations, return-to-work requirements, and policies.
Escalate complex, sensitive, or potentially high-risk matters to leadership, Employee Relations, Legal, or other subject matter experts as appropriate.
Respond to employee benefits, leave, and accommodation questions through the help desk, phone, email, instant messaging, in-person interactions, support queues, and other channels.
Coordinate with third-party leave, disability, and benefits vendors; resolve escalated issues and discrepancies; monitor vendor performance and case activity; and escalate service concerns and processing errors.
Provide mentoring and training to less experienced team members and conduct peer reviews as needed.
Share knowledge and support consistency and quality across benefits administration, case management, policies, procedures, systems, and regulatory requirements.
Develop and maintain documentation for benefits, leave, and accommodation processes and procedures; assist with root cause analysis and identify process, policy, workflow, or system improvements.
Identify opportunities to improve employee experience, reduce backlogs, increase efficiency, strengthen compliance, and improve case accuracy and consistency.
Perform case audits, data reviews, and quality assurance; analyze trends and support reporting on leave, accommodations, benefits, case volumes, and operational performance.
Support employee benefits, leave, and accommodation education, training, and communications, including digital and print materials, presentations, manager education, and employee communications.
Provide analytical, technical, process, project, administrative, tactical, and system transaction support to the Employee Benefits team and others within Total Rewards.
Process benefits eligibility and enrollment transactions in the HR system, run reports, verify data accuracy, research issues, and support open enrollment and new employee presentations.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.