Manager, Leave Administration

Brunswick Boat Group•Mettawa, IL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Leave Administration Manager leads Brunswick’s leave of absence program and team, overseeing compliant, efficient, and employee-focused administration of all leave processes. Programs include FMLA, ADA accommodations, state and provincial leave programs, short- and long-term disability, military leave, personal leaves, and other statutory and company-sponsored programs. The role drives operational excellence, regulatory compliance, accurate Workday transactions, and a consistent employee experience in partnership with HR Business Partners, Payroll, Benefits, Legal, and external leave vendors. The manager leads and develops Leave Administration specialists; establishes service levels, performance metrics, and quality standards; and manages workloads, escalations, and case prioritization. The role oversees leave reviews, approvals, tracking, and return-to-work processing, including complex cases. It maintains compliance, documentation, and audit readiness; monitors legislative changes; and partners with Legal and Employee Relations on sensitive matters. As the leave administration subject matter expert for Workday and related systems, the manager ensures accurate entries, tracking, reporting, and data integrity; maintains standard operating procedures; and leads process improvements. The position also coordinates with Payroll and Benefits, supports HR partners and managers, develops dashboards and trend analyses, and presents recommendations to HR leadership. The role is hybrid in Mettawa, Illinois, and reports to the Vice President, HR Systems and Processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
At least 5 years of progressive HR leadership experience.
At least 2 years of people leadership experience.
Strong knowledge of FMLA, ADA, disability management, and leave regulations.
Experience managing leave processes within Workday or a comparable HRIS.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a shared services environment.
Professional certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS).
Experience working with third-party leave administrators.
Advanced reporting and HR analytics experience.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop a team of Leave Administration specialists.
Establish service levels, performance metrics, and quality standards, and foster customer service, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Manage team workload, escalations, and case prioritization.
Oversee administration of employee leave programs, including FMLA, ADA accommodations, short- and long-term disability, military leave, paid family leave, personal leave, and company-sponsored programs.
Ensure timely leave review, approval, tracking, and return-to-work processing; manage complex and escalated leave cases.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, provincial, and local leave regulations and maintain accurate documentation and audit-ready records.
Monitor legislative changes and implement required process updates.
Partner with Legal and Employee Relations on sensitive or high-risk cases.
Serve as the subject matter expert for leave administration in Workday and related systems; ensure accurate leave entry, tracking, reporting, and data integrity.
Develop and maintain standardized operating procedures and lead process improvement initiatives.
Collaborate with Payroll on pay impacts and benefit deductions, and with Benefits on disability and leave vendor coordination.
Work with HR Business Partners and managers on employee leave situations.
Support workforce planning through leave reporting and trend analysis.
Develop dashboards and reporting on leave volume, trends, compliance, and service levels; identify improvement opportunities and present insights and recommendations to HR leadership.