Leave Administration Lead

Oxy•Houston, TX

About The Position

As a supporting member of our centralized Employee Service Center, the Leave Administration Lead will manage the delivery of Oxy’s leave programs, provide support to field HR Practitioners by overseeing the consistent administration of Oxy’s leave programs, managing the centralized delivery and tracking of all leave paperwork, and supervising the Leave Administration Team and providing guidance and support to our Employee Service Center Representatives to assist them with answering tier one leave questions directed to the service center. Leave programs include the company paid Short Term Disability Program, the Paid Family Leave program, FMLA, State leaves and coordination with Workers Compensation. This position is accountable for the decision-making process for determining eligibility under federal, state laws and company policy. The Benefits Lead – Leave Administration will develop and apply appropriate claim and workflow management strategies, coordinating both disability and leave decisions while meeting timeliness requirements. The use of sound judgment is coupled with consistent results is expected. The ability to independently analyze, evaluate, manage and process all leave requests is critical in this role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in HR or equivalent; combination of work experience and education will be considered; three to five years of related benefits administration experience
Overall Related Experience; 5 to 10 years progressive experience in HR as Benefit/Leave Administration/401k Specialist.
Experience in leave of absence administration, benefits administration, 401k administration and HR consulting.
Professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
Strong reading, writing, and arithmetic skills required
Ability to interpret and administer policy/plan provisions
Ability to gather, analyze and organize data to make educated decisions
Ability to identify critical issues and exercise independent judgment
Strong organizational skills and attention to details
Excellent time management skills, with the ability to prioritize and multi-task, and work under shifting deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Spelling, grammar, proofreading and editing skills
Exceptional customer service skills with ability to receive and provide information with clarity, courtesy and tact
Willingness to take initiative and to follow through on projects
Thorough knowledge of MS-Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
HRIS data entry experience
Experience using web based programs
Knowledgeable as to full array of employee benefits (i.e., insurances, leave, retirement, worker's compensation, overtime pay, etc.)
Ability to work and communicate effectively with all levels of management and coworkers, as well as external contacts
Ability to project a professional image over the phone and in person
Commitment to “internal client” and customer service principles
Ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast paced environment
Basic knowledge of ERISA preferred
Knowledge of federal and state laws pertaining to leaves of absence

Responsibilities

Timely responds to leave requests submitted to the center by HR Practitioners and field medical professionals via phone and email.
Advises field HR Practitioners, employees, and managers on the terms of Oxy’s leave programs and applicable Federal and state law.
Use discretion to answer questions, interpret the program documents, approve and deny leave requests in compliance with program documents and applicable Federal and state law.
Provides required paperwork for all leave types to requesting employees in the most time efficient and cost-effective manner ensuring timely delivery to meet the individual applicant’s delivery needs.
Reviews submitted requests to the center to determine if sufficient information is available to determine eligibility under company paid STD, State Disability and FMLA.
Accurately calculated benefit entitlements always considering the benefit look back period.
Responds to customer service issues within required timeframes.
Pro-actively communicates issues within Best Practice guidelines, consistently meeting Performance goals.
Consults with field HR Representatives on: Eligibility and application of Oxy’s policies Interpretation of SPD’s Federal and state regulations related to Short-term Disability, Family Medical Leaves, Long-term Disability, Paid Pregnancy, Bonding and Family Care leaves Federal and applicable state paid leave regulations
Supervise and train the Senior Benefits Coordinator – Leave Administration to assist with communication, processing and tracking of leave requests.
Guarantee requirements to ensure the applicant receives leave paperwork in time to return to Occupational Health for review.
Manage leaves that are concurrent with Short Term Disability and Workers' Compensation.
Manages intermittent and continuous leaves of absences.
Accurately and thoroughly document claim file actions and conversations in company Customer Relations Management (CRM) system.
Responsible and accountable for maintaining and protecting personal health information. Must maintain a high level of confidentiality and abide by HIPPA rules and regulations.
Help to create supporting documents for all leave programs (STD, FMLA and New Paid Family Leave). Examples: rollout communications, HR presentations, leave request packets, FAQ’s, leave calculation forms and data transmittals.
Develops and presents training curriculum related to Leave Administration to new HR Staff members.