Supervisor Absence and Time

FirstEnergy • Akron, OH

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisor, Absence and Time Management is responsible for leading the organization's leave administration, disability management, workers' compensation, and time and attendance programs. This role provides strategic and operational oversight of all employee absence programs, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations while delivering a positive employee experience. The Supervisor serves as the subject matter expert for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), caregiver leave, military leave, short-term disability (STD), long-term disability (LTD), workers' compensation, state leave programs, and company-sponsored absence programs. The position also serves as the functional lead for absence and time management systems, partnering closely with Human Resources, Payroll, Legal, Labor Relations, HR Technology, and business leaders to ensure program effectiveness, compliance, and operational excellence.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in leave administration, disability management, workers' compensation, benefits operations, HR operations, or related fields.
• Strong knowledge of FMLA, workers' compensation, disability programs, HIPAA, and applicable federal, state, and local employment regulations.
• Experience managing third-party administrators, insurance carriers, and external vendors.
• Experience working time and attendance, and workforce management systems.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, stakeholder management, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Teams, and SharePoint.

Nice To Haves

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR or similar professional certification.
• Experience supporting a large, multi-state workforce.
• Experience with SAP, Oracle or similar HR systems.
• Knowledge of absence management analytics, workforce planning, and process improvement methodologies.
• Experience leading organizational change and system implementations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the administration of all leave of absence programs, including FMLA, caregiver leave, military leave, STD, LTD, state leave programs, and company-sponsored leave programs.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local leave and disability regulations.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, plan documents, employee communications, and training materials.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex leave and disability matters.
• Partner with HR Business Partners, Employee Relations, managers, and Legal to support employee leave and return-to-work situations.
• Demonstrates empathy and understanding when supporting employees through leave and disability events while maintaining consistent application of policies and requirements.
• Monitor absence trends, identify process improvements, and recommend strategies that enhance operational effectiveness and employee support.
• Protect the confidentiality of medical and personal information in accordance with HIPAA and applicable privacy regulations.
• Oversee disability case management programs and relationships with third-party administrators and insurance carriers.
• Ensure timely and accurate administration of short-term and long-term disability claims.
• Monitor program performance, analyze trends, and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead the enterprise-wide workers' compensation program.
• Oversee workers’ compensation state reporting, claims management, nurse case management, return-to-work programs, and vendor performance.
• Partner with Risk Management, Safety, Legal, and business leaders to reduce organizational risk and improve claim outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with workers' compensation laws, reporting requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Balances employees care and support with consistent application of workers’ compensation requirements, polices and return to work practices.
• Serve as the functional lead for absence and time management within the HRIS and workforce management systems.
• Oversee system configuration, testing, enhancements, reporting, and ongoing optimization.
• Manage absence accrual programs, including vacation, sick time, personal time, and other paid time off plans.
• Ensure accurate timekeeping, leave integration, accrual calculations, and payroll support.
• Partner with HR Technology, Payroll, and IT teams to resolve system issues and improve data integrity.
• Develop and maintain controls, audits, and quality assurance processes to ensure system accuracy and compliance.
• Supervise and develop team members responsible for leave administration, disability management, workers' compensation, and time management processes.
• Establish service standards, performance metrics, and operational goals.
• Conduct performance management, coaching, talent development, succession planning, and career development activities.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, service-level agreements, and RFP processes as needed.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure timely completion of requests and corrective actions.
• Participate in department projects and strategic initiatives to improve employee experience and operational effectiveness.

Benefits

• competitive pay plus incentive compensation
• a company-sponsored pension plan
• 401(k) savings plan with matching employer contribution
• a choice of medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance programs
• skills development training with tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level