Senior Total Rewards Partner, Leave Management

Caterpillar•Irving, TX

8d•$112,710 - $169,060•Onsite

About The Position

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it. As a Senior Total Rewards Partner, Leave Management, you will serve as a functional expert responsible for strengthening employee leave of absence programs, processes, vendor partnerships, communications, and operational performance. You will provide Total Rewards consulting to HR leaders, business partners, managers, employees, and internal stakeholders while leading complex benefits and leave-management initiatives. This position will help shape a consistent, compliant, and employee-centered leave experience. You will use data, market research, process analysis, and stakeholder feedback to identify opportunities, improve leave administration, and support business and talent objectives. You will also partner with external vendors and internal teams to manage service delivery, resolve complex program challenges, and ensure that employee information is handled in accordance with company policies.

Requirements

Degree or equivalent experience desired
Leave of Absence Program Management: Ability to manage leave programs, policies, processes, vendors, service delivery, escalations, communications, and continuous improvement.
Benefits Programs: Extensive knowledge of employee benefits programs and the ability to evaluate, implement, administer, communicate, and improve programs within business and budget considerations.
Data Stewardship: Demonstrated ability to work with sensitive employee information using sound confidentiality, privacy, and data-management practices.
Analytical Thinking: Ability to define complex problems, evaluate alternatives, identify patterns and root causes, and develop practical recommendations.
Influencing: Ability to build persuasive, fact-based recommendations and influence decisions across functions and organizational levels.
Interpersonal Relationships: Ability to collaborate constructively with HR, Legal, Payroll, business leaders, employees, consultants, and vendors.
Employee Communication: Ability to translate complex benefits and leave information into clear, practical communications for employees and managers.
Knowledge of U.S. leave-management practices and the interaction among leave, disability, payroll, benefits, and return-to-work processes.
Knowledge of the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act-related coordination, military leave, state and local leave requirements, disability plans, parental leave, paid leave, and company-sponsored leave programs.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing enterprise or multi-state leave of absence programs.
Experience with insourced self-administered disability and leave programs
Experience with leave software solutions such as Majesco and Finneos
Experience developing leave governance, standard operating procedures, process maps, controls, escalation protocols, and service-level measures.
Experience coordinating leave data and processes across HR information systems, payroll, time and attendance, benefits, and case-management systems.
Ability to analyze case volumes, cycle times, approval trends, employee inquiries, escalations, service quality, and vendor performance.

Responsibilities

Lead the ongoing management and continuous improvement of leave programs, including process design, documentation, governance, administration, communications, and service-delivery standards.
Partner with HR, Legal, Payroll, Employee Relations, HR Operations, benefits teams, and business leaders to support coordinated leave administration.
Evaluate leave-management workflows to identify service gaps, handoff issues, compliance risks, recurring employee concerns, and opportunities for simplification or automation.
Establish and maintain clear leave processes, roles, escalation paths, service expectations, controls, and supporting documentation.
Monitor changes affecting leave programs and coordinate updates to policies, administrative practices, communications, and vendor requirements.
Help ensure consistent coordination among leaves, disability, payroll, benefits, return-to-work, and workplace accommodation processes.
Lead complex leave cases or escalations when broader program interpretation, vendor coordination, process correction, or cross-functional problem-solving is required.
Develop employee and manager communications that explain leave programs, responsibilities, available resources, and next steps in clear, accessible language.