Benefits and Leaves Coordinator

Citizens of the World Charter School - Los Angeles•Los Angeles, CA

3d•$24 - $26•Onsite

About The Position

The Benefits and Leaves Coordinator is the day to day owner of employee benefits, leave of absence administration, and workers' compensation for more than 450 employees across CWC LA's five schools and Regional Support Office. Reporting to the Senior Director of People and HR, you will administer the programs that determine whether an employee's health coverage stays active, whether their leave is properly protected, and whether their pay is accurate through a medical absence or a separation. This is a compliance heavy function with direct consequences for the people it serves, and it requires someone who works with precision and treats confidential information with care. You will work with the Senior Manager of People and HR through the full benefits cycle, from new hire enrollment and Qualifying Life Events through annual Open Enrollment and benefit terminations, working directly with our benefits broker on eligibility questions and enrollment troubleshooting. You will administer all employee leaves, including Family and Medical Leave, California Family Rights Act leave, Pregnancy Disability Leave, personal leaves of absence, and workers' compensation leave. In practice that means determining eligibility, issuing required documentation, meeting with employees to review timelines and premium obligations, coordinating return to work with supervisors, and maintaining confidential records throughout. You will also coordinate final pay and vacation payout with Payroll under California's strict final pay timing requirements, and manage workers' compensation claims from the initial injury report through resolution. This role is built for someone early in an HR career who is ready to own a function rather than support one. We do not expect deep expertise in California leave law on the first day. We do expect sound judgment about when to act and when to escalate, the discipline to track many concurrent deadlines without letting any lapse, and the ability to explain complex benefit and leave rules clearly to employees who may be navigating a difficult medical, family, or financial situation. You will have direct support from the Senior Manager of Payroll and Benefits and the Senior Director of People and HR on complex cases, and meaningful room to grow into deeper technical ownership over time.

Requirements

Passionate about CWC LA's mission and impact on its students and communities
Bachelor's degree, or two or more years of relevant professional experience in place of a degree
Bring some exposure to benefits administration, payroll, or leave of absence administration. We do not expect deep expertise. We expect curiosity, care, and the ability to learn quickly.
Handle confidential and medical information with absolute discretion at all times
Best in class attention to detail and the ability to track many deadlines at once
Communicate clearly and warmly with employees who may be navigating a stressful medical, family, or financial situation
Be comfortable with spreadsheets, HRIS platforms, and learning new systems
Enjoy working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment that promotes autonomy, flexibility, and accountability
Professionally mature, humble, reflective, solution-oriented, and hold the highest ethical standards
Demonstrate technical skills with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace and managing data

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with California leave law, including FMLA, CFRA, Pregnancy Disability Leave, ADA, and FEHA
Experience with Paycom or a comparable HRIS
Experience in a school, charter, or nonprofit setting
Proficient in Spanish, both orally and in writing

Responsibilities

Enroll benefits eligible employees in Ease and process ongoing benefit changes
Process Qualifying Life Events, including review of supporting documentation and communication of outcomes within the 30-day eligibility window
Serve as the primary contact for employee benefits questions and coordinate with the benefits broker on eligibility and enrollment issues
Maintain Ease as the system of record and reconcile enrollment data against Paycom
Administer annual Open Enrollment, including employee communications, enrollment tracking, and confirmation that elections flow correctly into payroll deductions
Process 403(b) enrollments, changes, and updates
Save supporting documentation in personnel folders and update the payroll tracker
Serve as the primary point of contact for employees and supervisors on all leave of absence matters
Determine leave eligibility, including the 1,250 hour threshold, and identify which leave programs apply
Administer Family and Medical Leave, California Family Rights Act leave, Pregnancy Disability Leave, personal leaves of absence, workers' compensation leave, military leave, and bereavement leave
Issue leave paperwork and AbsenceResource guidance, and meet with employees to review anticipated dates, benefit continuation, and premium obligations
Coordinate with supervisors on leave dates, coverage planning, and return to work
Track leave timelines, extensions, documentation deadlines, and return to work releases, updating Paycom and the payroll tracker throughout
Discuss repayment plans with employees who owe benefit premiums before their return
Maintain confidential leave records and complete the quarterly AbsenceResource roster upload
Escalate complex, contested, or accommodation adjacent cases to the Sr. Director of People and HR
Respond to reports of workplace injury and provide required forms and medical provider direction
Partner with School Operations Managers and ASP Managers, who submit claims through CharterSafe, and maintain claim documentation centrally
Coordinate with the claims adjuster, employee, supervisor, and medical provider through claim resolution, including paystub requests when wages are lost
Track work restrictions, modified duty, and return to work status, and communicate restrictions to supervisors without disclosing medical information
File all claim documentation in the employee personnel file
Order and distribute annual employment law posters through the CharterSafe member portal
Coordinate final pay and vacation payout with Payroll, meeting California final pay timing requirements
Process benefit terminations and coordinate continuation coverage notification with the broker
Verify that approved change requests and stipends are reflected accurately in payroll
Prepare and submit unemployment claim responses
Maintain the payroll tracker for leaves, benefit changes, and separations
Enter termination data in Paycom once payroll or a manual check has processed
Process Paycom record changes that affect pay, including part time to full time status changes
Complete employment and income verifications and student loan application forms
Support Marshall Teacher Residency payroll needs, including Direct Deposit enrollment and monthly follow up on uncashed checks