Senior Leave Specialist

Rosendin•Sacramento, CA

4d•$86,000 - $112,800•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Leave Specialist is responsible for the administration and oversight of the Company's leave of absence and disability programs, including FMLA, CFRA, state paid leave programs, company-provided leaves, disability benefits, and related leave accommodations. Serving as the Company's subject matter expert for leave administration, this role manages complex and escalated leave cases, ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, and delivers a consistent, high-quality experience for employees throughout the leave lifecycle. Working closely with the Company's leave and disability administrators, employees, managers, Payroll, HR Operations, and Benefits, the Senior Leave Specialist oversees leave cases from intake through return to work, ensuring timely processing, accurate documentation, effective communication, and proper coordination of pay and benefits. The role is responsible for monitoring vendor performance, identifying and resolving case administration issues, interpreting leave-related policies and regulations, and recommending process improvements to support compliance and operational effectiveness. As an individual contributor within the Benefits team, the Senior Leave Specialist serves as the primary internal resource for leave administration, providing guidance on complex leave situations, supporting organizational compliance efforts, and partnering cross-functionally to ensure leave and disability programs are administered accurately, consistently, and in accordance with Company policy and applicable law. This role operates under the direction of the Sr. Manager, Benefits and provides functional guidance to HR Operations team members supporting leave-related processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field or equivalent experience required.
5-7 years of experience in leave administration.
Demonstrated experience with multi-state leave programs (including FMLA, CFRA, state-mandated leave, various local leaves, company leave policy) is required.
Experience with an HRIS platform is required (Workday preferred).
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and translate insights into clear recommendations.
High attention to detail and strong follow-through on case documentation and deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a customer-service orientation toward employees navigating a sensitive process.
Employee-focused, customer-service driven, and experienced in managing complex, high-impact employee situations, including escalated complaints and emotionally charged interactions. Demonstrates exceptional judgment, empathy, and communication skills to effectively de-escalate concerns, resolve issues, and influence positive outcomes.
Experience synthesizing federal and state laws, along with company policy to administer complex leave cases.
Ability to handle confidential employee information with discretion.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing integrated leave, disability, accommodation, and Workers' Compensation cases is preferred, including coordinating return-to-work activities and collaborating with third-party claims administrators.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary escalation point for complex leave and disability cases requiring policy interpretation, compliance review, or exception consideration.
Administer and resolve complex leave cases involving federal, state, and local leave laws, including FMLA, CFRA, and other statutory leave programs.
Serve as the primary liaison with the third-party leave and disability administrator, providing oversight and support on individual cases in accordance with established procedures.
Review, process, and manage leave requests while maintaining accurate and up-to-date records in compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements.
Monitor case status, documentation, and critical deadlines throughout the leave lifecycle, from intake through return-to-work and case closure.
Provide guidance to employees about leave status, process, and documentation requirements, ensuring compliance with documented policy and statutory requirements.
Provide guidance to HR staff regarding leaves of absence policies, practices, and processes.
Contribute to establishing training for managers to educate them about their role in the leave process.
Proactively manage leave and disability vendor to ensure accountability and service level expectations are met.
Identify, investigate, and resolve vendor performance concerns and service issues.
Produce and review reports; analyze information.
Manage time card adjustments related to leave, ensuring accurate and timely processing.
Resolve issues for Payroll when leave-related pay questions or discrepancies arise.
Reconcile information provided by the state, third-party leave and disability administrator, Payroll and HR Systems.
Recommend enhancements to leave policies, procedures, and administration practices.
Document operating procedures.
Make recommendations to improve leave process, employee experience, and compliance.
Identify process gaps or inconsistencies and recommend improvements to the Sr. Manager, Benefits.
Escalate cases that require a policy exception to the Sr. Manager, Benefits.