Leaves & HR Compliance Manager

Leaves & HR Compliance Manager

Addison, TX;
Montpelier, VT

Come join one of America's fastest-growing insurance companies. Since 1848, National Life Group has aimed to keep our promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. Throughout that history, we have provided peace of mind to those families as they plan their futures.

Our mission extends beyond the insurance and annuities policies that we offer. We strive to make the world a better place through our grants from our charitable foundation, paid volunteer time for our employees, environmentally sustainable and healthy workplaces, and events that promote the work of nonprofits in our own backyard.

We foster a collaborative environment with opportunities for growth and encourage our associates to live our values:
Do good. Be good. Make good.

Role Summary

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

The Manager, Leaves & HR Compliance owns the enterprise leave of absence, workplace accommodation, and HR compliance programs, establishing operational standards, governance, and continuous improvement initiatives that support business objectives at National Life.

This role is responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local employment and benefits laws, while delivering a consistent, compliant, and compassionate associate experience. The role also provides oversight of HR policy governance and regulatory readiness.

Reporting to the Head of Benefits, this position partners closely with HR, payroll, legal, and business leaders to align leave and accommodation practices with National Life's values, operational goals, and employee experience priorities. In addition, this role provides broader HR compliance oversight to support adherence to employment laws/regulations, internal policies, and audit readiness.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Leave & Accommodation Programs

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of leave of absence and accommodation programs, including FMLA, ADA, PWFA, USERRA, state leave programs, parental leave, and company-sponsored leaves
• Establish and maintain scalable processes that balance compliance, efficiency, and employee experience
• Oversee the end-to-end administration of leave and accommodation cases, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and consistency
• Guide complex and escalated cases, including ADA accommodations and intermittent leave scenarios, serving as escalation point
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively update policies, procedures, and practices
• Define service level expectations and operational metrics.
• Monitor operational performance and implement process improvements.

HR Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all applicable employment regulations and internal policies
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively recommend updates to policies, practices, and procedures
• Partner with legal and HR leadership to interpret laws and implement compliant, practical solutions

Payroll & Benefits Coordination

• Partner with Payroll to ensure accurate pay, deductions, and benefit continuation during leave events
• Validate payroll impacts related to benefits, leave, and accommodations
• Collaborate with Benefits and vendors to ensure seamless administration and communication

Benefits Compliance & Regulatory Support

• Support compliance activities related to health and welfare benefit plans in partnership with Benefits, legal, and external vendors
• Coordinate and support preparation and timely filing of Form 5500 and associated schedules for applicable benefit plans
• Support nondiscrimination testing (e.g., Section 125, 105(h), 410(b), 410(k)(3), 401(m)(2), 416, and other applicable testing) to ensure plan compliance and equity
• Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and other applicable benefits regulations
• Support delivery of required associate notices and audit documentation

Policy Governance & Handbook Management

• Maintenance and governance of HR policies and procedures, including the Associate Handbook
• Ensure policies are updated in response to regulatory changes and aligned with company practices
• Manage communication of policy updates in partnership with Communications

Data, Reporting & Insights

• Establish key performance indicators for leave administration and compliance.
• Analyze trends and implement operational improvements based on data.
• Develop and maintain reporting on compliance activities
• Partner with HR analytics teams to align reporting with broader workforce insights

Leadership & Development

• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer-centric service
• Set performance standards and ensure delivery of high-quality, timely outcomes
• Support HR Business Partners and business leaders on compliance, policy, and associate-related matters

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with HR Business Partners, managers, and associates to provide guidance on leave, accommodations, and compliance processes
• Collaborate with legal, compensation, talent, IT, and external…