Workers Compensation & Leave Manager

Izzio Artisan Bakery•Louisville, CO

12d

About The Position

The Manager, Workers’ Compensation, Leave & Return-to-Work oversees the company’s workers’ compensation, leave of absence, workplace accommodation, and return-to-work programs across all facilities. The role focuses on reducing claim costs and duration, ensuring regulatory compliance, and facilitating safe, timely employee returns to work. The manager works with HR, Safety, Operations, Payroll, insurance carriers, medical providers, and legal counsel to manage cases, minimize organizational risk, and improve processes. The position is based in Louisville and reports to the Director of Human Resources. The listed compensation range is $75,000 to $115,000, with compensation based on experience and other relevant qualifications.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in workers’ compensation, leave administration, disability management, HR, or a related field.
Experience managing workers’ compensation claims and complex employee cases.
Strong knowledge of workers’ compensation, FMLA, ADA, and return-to-work requirements.
Experience working with insurance carriers, adjusters, medical providers, and legal counsel.
Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage confidential information and collaborate across departments.
Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Nice To Haves

Experience in manufacturing, distribution, or a high-volume hourly workforce.
Experience supporting multiple facilities and developing return-to-work programs.
Professional certification such as SHRM-CP, PHR, ARM, CPDM, or CDMS.

Responsibilities

Oversee workers’ compensation claims from initial injury through resolution and closure.
Coordinate with insurance carriers, adjusters, medical providers, and legal counsel to ensure timely claim progression.
Monitor claim costs, reserves, lost-time cases, litigation, and high-risk claims.
Conduct regular claim reviews and develop strategies to reduce claim duration and costs.
Partner with Safety to identify injury trends, prevention opportunities, and areas of concern.
Maintain accurate and confidential claim records.
Manage and improve the company’s return-to-work and transitional-duty programs.
Coordinate with Operations, Safety, HR, and medical providers to identify appropriate modified-duty assignments.
Monitor employee restrictions, lost workdays, and return-to-work progress.
Facilitate safe and timely employee returns to work while minimizing lost time.
Oversee FMLA, state-mandated leave programs, medical leaves, parental leave, and other applicable leaves of absence.
Ensure timely completion of required documentation, notices, and employee communications.
Manage the ADA interactive process and coordinate reasonable workplace accommodations.
Partner with HR, Payroll, and Operations to ensure accurate leave tracking, employee status, and benefits coordination.
Escalate complex leave and accommodation cases to HR leadership or legal counsel as appropriate.
Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and processes related to workers’ compensation, leave, accommodations, and return-to-work.
Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state regulations.
Provide guidance and training to managers on injury reporting, employee restrictions, leave, and return-to-work procedures.
Identify opportunities to improve program efficiency and reduce organizational risk.
Track and report metrics including claim frequency, costs, reserves, claim duration, lost workdays, return-to-work outcomes, and leave trends.
Analyze data to identify trends and recommend cost-saving and injury-prevention initiatives.
Collaborate with HR, Safety, Operations, and leadership to resolve complex cases and improve employee outcomes.
Provide regular updates on significant claims, program performance, and potential risks.