Leave and Benefits Specialist

Republic Services•Phoenix, AZ

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Leave and Benefits Specialist administers and supports employee leave of absence programs, working closely with third-party leave and disability vendors. The role monitors claims activity, processes and validates daily integrations between vendor systems, ensures accurate and timely records, and responds to employee and manager inquiries. It serves as a key contact among employees, HR partners, payroll, and external vendors, supporting operational execution, data accuracy, and issue resolution. The incumbent may also provide backup health and welfare benefits administration support, including eligibility updates, vendor coordination, and employee inquiries. This hybrid position is based at Republic Services’ headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, with four days onsite and one day remote per week. It is not eligible to be fully remote and is not sponsorship eligible.

Requirements

Prior experience in leave administration, benefits administration, HR operations, or working with a third-party leave or benefits vendor.
Experience supporting both leave administration and health and welfare benefits.
Experience in a vendor-managed or shared-services HR model.
Familiarity with HRIS, benefits administration platforms, and payroll systems.
Experience supporting Open Enrollment or vendor transitions.
Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accurate, timely processing.
Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, including identifying discrepancies, researching root causes, and managing issues through resolution.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including sorting, filtering, formulas, lookups, and reconciling data across files.
Experience using absence management systems or comparable case-management platforms.
Strong organizational skills and follow-through while managing high-volume, deadline-driven daily processes.
Strong communication skills and an employee-focused approach.
Two to four years of experience working in Microsoft Excel, including auditing data, reviewing file integrations, identifying discrepancies, and supporting accurate updates in Workday and related systems.

Responsibilities

Manage the end-to-end daily processing, monitoring, and validation of integration files exchanged between leave and disability third-party administrators; confirm transmission and receipt, reconcile results, research errors and missing data, coordinate corrections, and confirm resolution.
Serve as the primary internal liaison for the third-party leave and disability vendor; monitor cases, review reports and data, follow up on discrepancies or service gaps, coordinate escalations, and support vendor implementations, transitions, and process improvements.
Assist employees with benefits questions, enrollment navigation, life event changes, and eligibility issues.
Support benefit processes affected by leave, including benefit continuation, reinstatement, and payroll deductions; coordinate with vendors and carriers to resolve enrollment, eligibility, and coverage issues.
Manage and respond to employee and internal partner inquiries through shared email and the internal ticketing system; monitor, prioritize or assign queue work, and ensure timely and complete resolution.
Monitor incoming benefits mail and distribute documents promptly to the appropriate team member, vendor, or internal partner.
Ensure accurate data flow among leave vendors, benefits administrators, HRIS, and payroll systems; review and reconcile feeds, reports, and employee records, and resolve errors with internal teams.
Coordinate with payroll to support accurate pay status, deductions, and benefit premiums during and after leave.
Support Open Enrollment activities, including testing, audits, employee support, and issue resolution.
Assist with maintaining benefits documentation, FAQs, and employee communications; identify recurring issues and opportunities to simplify processes and improve employee understanding.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned or apparent.