Extended Leave Benefits Manager

Music City Center•Nashville, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Manages the extended leave benefits function across all district employee groups, ensuring consistent policy interpretation, case escalation, and system integration. Supervises leave specialists and lead specialists and may supervise other team members. Serves as the district’s working authority on complex leave scenarios, including overlapping FMLA and other leave, intermittent leave abuse patterns, accommodation coordination, extended unpaid status, and job restoration disputes. Owns operational relationships with technology stakeholders and internal partners in Compensation, Time and Labor, Benefits, and Employee Relations. Develops and revises unit procedures in coordination with Human Resources leadership. The role is based at the Support Hub and is classified as exempt. The stated starting salary is $97,741.47; compensation is determined based on factors such as education, experience, and other qualifications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, Risk Management, or a closely related field.
At least 4 years of experience administering leave across multiple employee classifications governed by differing statutory and negotiated provisions.
At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in leave of absence administration, employee benefits, disability management, or a closely related HR function.
At least 3 years of direct supervisory experience.
Advanced working knowledge of FMLA, ADA/ADAAA, PWFA, USERRA, HIPAA, COBRA, ERISA, and FLSA as applied to public employers.
Knowledge of Tennessee leave statutes applicable to school districts, including T.C.A. § 49-5-710, the Tennessee Teachers’ Sick Leave Bank Act (T.C.A. §§ 49-5-801 et seq.), T.C.A. § 4-21-408, and the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Act as it interacts with protected leave.
Knowledge of Board policy, administrative procedure, and negotiated agreement provisions governing leave, job restoration, and benefits continuation.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS) preferred.

Responsibilities

Directs case administration across all employee groups, ensuring consistent treatment of certificated and classified employees under applicable statutory, Board policy, and negotiated agreement provisions.
Serves as the escalation authority for complex and contested cases, including intermittent leave pattern reviews, fitness-for-duty and return-to-work disputes not related to Injury on Duty (IOD), exhaustion of entitlement, and denied leave requests.
Develops, documents, and maintains standard operating procedures, decision trees, and case-handling standards aligned with current statutes and district policy.
Supervises the extended leave benefits team, establishes performance standards, and conducts formal evaluations.
Oversees leave-to-payroll integration, validating that leave-status changes flow accurately to pay, benefits deductions, service credit, and retirement reporting.
Coordinates the interactive process for accommodation requests arising from or following leave.
Manages the intersection of extended leave with IOD, short- and long-term disability, and the sick leave bank, ensuring entitlements run concurrently where permitted and are not duplicated.
Produces recurring and ad hoc leave reports for HR leadership, including entitlement utilization, case volume and aging, absence trends, and compliance exceptions.
May design and deliver training for school leaders, department heads, and HR staff on leave rights, supervisory obligations, and documentation requirements.
Prepares case documentation and factual summaries in support of grievances, appeals, and agency charges, and participates in fact-finding as directed.
Coordinates operational relationships with technology stakeholders and internal partners in Compensation, Time and Labor, Benefits, and Employee Relations.
Develops and revises unit procedures in coordination with Human Resources leadership.