Senior/Lead Accommodation Specialist

Unum•Portland, ME

12d•$45,600 - $86,200

About The Position

The Senior/Lead Accommodation Specialist is the second step in Unum’s Accommodation Specialist career path and supports ongoing relationships with employees requesting leaves and their employer contacts. The role helps employees and employers understand Unum communications, processes, and benefits, and educates team members on stay-at-work, return-to-work, and workplace-adjustment considerations. The specialist serves as a technical resource, mentor, and coach for other Accommodation Specialists, including delivering training to new specialists. The role supports complex customer cases, advises employer HR representatives, addresses escalated questions, and collaborates with internal Unum partners, vendors, and third-party administrators. It reviews medical information and helps assess and document workplace modifications and accommodations while staying current on applicable legal, privacy, and insurance requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant business experience.
At least 12 months of experience as an Accommodation Specialist.
Knowledge applicable to moderate and complex cases in disability management, leave management, workers’ compensation administration, clinical or vocational rehabilitation, disability case management, or human resources.
Ability to apply FMLA, ADA, and state leave-law requirements across a broad range of cases.
Strong creativity and problem-solving skills, including analyzing impacts and implications, identifying alternative approaches, and piloting process improvements.
Ability to prioritize and manage workload independently and adapt to shifting priorities.
Ability to synthesize and present insights from reports and documents on related topics.
Ability to navigate ambiguity, recommend solutions, and mentor others through change.
Ability to coach peers on sensitive customer interactions with appropriate encouragement and discretion.
Ability to collaborate with employers, vendors, and third-party administrators to develop and evaluate return-to-work plans.
Ability to adopt and use tracking, documentation, or diary-system tools and train others in their use.

Responsibilities

Serve as a resource for designated HR representatives at complex customers on corporate leave policies, leave-management procedures, FMLA processes, and STD/LTD claims management.
Provide technical support to the team and less-experienced Accommodation Specialists.
Address escalated customer issues and leave-specific questions.
Mentor and coach new and existing specialists on workflows, processes, decision-making, and complex service issues.
Provide directors or managers with performance feedback for assigned mentees.
Act as a subject matter expert on business processes and systems, including Navilink, BAS, workers’ compensation interfaces, other third-party administrator interfaces, and state-specific websites.
Stay current on changes to the federal and statutory ADA landscape.
Review medical information to assess eligibility for worksite modifications, recommend accommodations, and partner with third-party administrators to support decisions.
Identify possible accommodations for employees whose medical conditions or functional limitations affect job performance, and determine when to recommend or coordinate independent medical evaluations.
Partner with appropriate Unum entities, including the Law Department and disability and leave organizations, to deliver services effectively.
Maintain current knowledge of state insurance privacy laws and HIPAA, and help customers identify issues when communicating about medical information.
Track modifications provided by customers and ensure interactions and customer modification decisions are properly documented.
Apply legal requirements for FMLA, ADA, and state leave laws to a broad range of cases, interpret guidance for less-defined scenarios, and provide recommendations to peers or managers on moderately complex issues.
Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and potentially lead small projects.
Analyze and present insights from reports and documents on related topics.
Manage workload independently, adapt to shifting priorities, and recommend solutions amid ambiguity and change.
Coach peers on sensitive, encouraging, and discreet customer interactions to support employees’ return to work or staying at work.
Lead collaboration with employers, vendors, and other third-party administrators to determine, implement, and evaluate return-to-work plans.
Adopt tools for tracking, documentation, or diary systems; train others and help optimize workflows.
Perform other duties as assigned.