Human Resource Consultant 4- Protected Leave & Accommodation Supervisor

State of Washington•Thurston County – Lacey, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is seeking an experienced Human Resource Consultant 4- Protected Leave & Accommodation Supervisor to join their human resources team. This senior-level role involves managing the agency’s reasonable accommodation and protected leave programs, facilitating interactive reasonable accommodation processes with employees and management, and supervising an HRC3 responsible for implementing protected leave programs and coordinating workers' compensation, return-to-work, and agency wellness initiatives. The position is located at Parks Headquarters in Lacey, WA. This role offers an opportunity to influence organizational culture, guide agency leaders through complex workplace issues, and help shape a respectful, legally compliant workplace. This position is eligible for a flexible schedule and/or hybrid telework, subject to supervisory approval. The default assigned work location is within the State of Washington.

Requirements

Seven (7) years of broad-based professional human resource experience advising and consulting on complex issues (e.g., labor relations, employee relations, performance management, classification and compensation, reasonable accommodation and protected leave).
At least two (2) years of this experience must explicitly include professional-level administration of leave of absence programs (FMLA, PFML, Shared Leave) and reasonable accommodation interactive processes.
High proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook).
Expert knowledge of employment, privacy, disability, and medical leave laws as they relate to employment; regarding protected leave, reasonable accommodation, worker's compensation claims; and when determining eligibility and evaluating medical documentation.
Experience considering and incorporating new information when interpreting Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), Federal laws, Washington Administrative Code (WAC), pertinent regulations; and when offering legally defensible courses of action.
Demonstrated ability to build trust and foster collaboration across internal teams and external oversight bodies (e.g., L&I, medical providers).
Ability to organize highly confidential case files and present HR data in a clear way for executive decision-making.
Experience independently composing precise, formal, and legally sound written communications tailored to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to coach, mentor, and motivate staff to support team effectiveness and individual career growth.
Experience considering and incorporating new information and different perspective; and practicing self-awareness by reflecting on personal strengths, growth areas, and biases.
Experience adapting communication and approaches to different communities and individuals, welcoming and valuing different identities and perspectives, and able to empathetically respond to the unique needs of co-workers and customers.

Nice To Haves

2 years of experience managing a protected leave program and reasonable accommodation cases in a state environment.
2 years of supervisory experience including writing expectations and evaluations.
Ability to research, evaluate and draw conclusions from data; support recommendations with facts and analysis; interpret and apply rules, laws, policies and procedures.
Experience training varying sized groups of adult learners in Human Resources related content.
Skilled in Microsoft Excel with the ability to manipulate complicated data and reports.
Knowledge of collective bargaining agreements and labor relations.
Ability to work with others who have a wide range of abilities, backgrounds, and experience.
Ability to effectively manage and respond to frequent and rapid changes in workload and priorities.

Responsibilities

Provide expert level consultation advice, guidance, and support to agency managers, supervisors, and staff regarding reasonable accommodations and a variety of complex leave programs to include protected leave (FMLA, PFML, Shared Leave, etc.).
Facilitate the interactive reasonable accommodation process from beginning to end, including drafting medical questionnaires, analyzing medical documentation, advising management on legally defensible courses of action, communicating decisions made by appointing authorities, and documenting the process.
Maintain an electronic information tracking system to follow up on cases and provide monthly reports.
Maintain confidential personnel and medical information.
Interpret and provide clarification of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), Federal laws, Washington Administrative Code (WAC), pertinent rules and regulations, policies, and procedures with sound judgement offering legally defensible courses of action.
Develop and deliver tools and resources, including training, to a wide variety of audiences, to promote knowledge and understanding of application of leave laws, related rules, reasonable accommodation process, and how to have professional and appropriate conversations with employees.
Supervise an HR Consultant assigned to implement protected leave programs and coordinate worker’s compensation claims, return to work efforts, and agency wellness program.