Manager, Leaves & Accommodations (Remote)

Molina Healthcare•Long Beach, CA

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Manager, Leaves & Accommodations leads and manages a team of consultants responsible for employee leave and accommodation activities. The role oversees leaves of absence and reasonable accommodation interactive processes, ensuring alignment with applicable federal, state, and local laws and Molina policies and procedures. The manager maintains knowledge of relevant laws and regulations related to leaves, accommodations, and workers’ compensation, and applies that expertise and best practices to recommend changes in policy, practice, and resources. The position provides strategic consultation to leadership and HR stakeholders on absence management, handles high-risk or sensitive cases and escalations, analyzes data and prepares reports, and works to mitigate organizational risk and liability. It serves as a subject matter expert across HR centers of excellence and other stakeholder groups, manages the third-party administrator partnership, develops and delivers training, and hires, trains, develops, and manages the team. The role requires careful handling of confidential information, effective prioritization, and the ability to navigate complex HR data, laws, policies, and emotionally sensitive situations.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in human resources, counseling, social work, law, or a reasonably comparable field, and at least 3 years supporting employee leave and accommodation entitlement programs, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
At least 1 year of management or leadership experience.
In-depth understanding of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), state-specific leave laws, and reasonable accommodation requirements.
Experience managing, administering, or consulting on entitlement programs, including leaves of absence and reasonable accommodations.
Experience with HRIS databases and absence management software.
Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
Ability to communicate and provide professional service and work products across all levels of an organization.
Demonstrated ability to analyze, interpret, and apply rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Ability to navigate, maintain, and analyze employee data to support HR operations and compliance.
Ability to work independently while prioritizing competing deadlines and projects.
Ability to remain calm and de-escalate stressful, emotionally charged situations.
Concise, compassionate, and persuasive communication; strong listening, conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation skills.
Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to manage simultaneous projects and tasks in a fast-paced environment.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including experience providing coaching or training.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and applicable software programs.

Nice To Haves

Health care experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the team responsible for consultation on employee leaves and accommodations, ensuring alignment with applicable laws and company policies and procedures.
Provide high-level consultation to leadership and HR stakeholders on absence management strategy, business planning, documentation and processes, caseloads, eligibility, determinations, and legal requirements.
Handle high-risk, sensitive, and escalated issues; identify recurring or systemic problems and prepare data reports for leadership and stakeholders.
Mitigate organizational risk and liability and escalate issues as appropriate.
Provide counsel on state and federal laws and company policies and compliance strategies concerning reasonable accommodations and consistent, non-interfering FMLA application.
Facilitate the interactive process for employee reasonable accommodation requests in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Collaborate with HR centers of excellence and stakeholders as the subject matter expert in leaves and accommodations, and solicit feedback on team and consultant service quality.
Manage the third-party administrator partnership to ensure leave, disability, and workers’ compensation cases are handled according to applicable laws and organizational policies and processes.
Develop and deliver leave and accommodation training for HR business partners, leaders, and other stakeholders.
Provide expert guidance on leaves and accommodations to promote knowledge and alignment with best practices.
Maintain confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive information, and prioritize work to support legal compliance and responsive customer service.
Hire, train, develop, and manage the team; ensure accountability for team performance and department goals.