Leave and Disability Specialist

Qualifications:
Benefits administration, HR operations, project management, or a related field required.
Progressive experience in leave administration, disability administration, benefits operations, payroll administration, HR operations or a related function required.
Experience supporting leave programs including FMLA, ADA, Employment Insurance (EI), State Paid Family and Medical Leave Programs, and company leave policies required.
Experience supporting complex benefits programs and enterprise processes within a multi-vendor, cross-functional environment.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to partner effectively across HR, Payroll, HRIS, vendors, and external partners required.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop documentation required.
Workday Absence Management experience preferred.
Strong knowledge of health and welfare benefits administration, enterprise benefits processes, and applicable U.S. and Canadian compliance requirements preferred.

Responsibilities:
The Leave Operations Analyst supports the day-to-day administration, governance, and operational delivery of leave of absence, disability, and time-off programs across the United States and Canada. This role serves as the primary operational resource for leave processes, audits, payroll reconciliation, HR support, and Workday Absence Management administration. The position ensures accurate execution of leave-related processes, adherence to standard operating procedures, data integrity, regulatory compliance, and a consistent employee experience while partnering closely with HR, Payroll, Benefits, Total Rewards, third-party administrators, and external vendors.

This role does not own policy, plan design, vendor strategy, or program governance decisions; however, it is responsible for executing established processes, identifying risks, escalating issues, and supporting continuous operational improvements.

Leave Operations Administration & HR Support (30%)
Serve as the primary operational resource for HR inquiries related to leave of absence, disability, and time-off programs.
Provide guidance to HR partners, managers, and internal stakeholders on established leave processes, timelines, documentation requirements, and standard operating procedures.
Support day-to-day administration of U.S. and Canadian leave programs in partnership with third-party administrators (TPAs).
Monitor leave activity, pending actions, and service delivery metrics to ensure timely completion of administrative processes.
Assist with leave-related transactions and data maintenance within Workday Absence Management.
Escalate complex claim issues, accommodation requests, legal questions, employee relations matters, and policy exceptions to senior team members.

Compliance, Audit and Data Integrity (25%)
Conduct weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual audits to validate leave administration accuracy and data integrity.
Audit eligibility, leave transactions, payroll integrations, benefit deductions, and vendor-generated files.
Support compliance activities related to federal, state, provincial, and local leave requirements.
Prepare and submit required documentation and reporting associated with state Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) programs and private plan obligations.
Identify operational risks, discrepancies, and process gaps and coordinate corrective actions with key stakeholders.
Maintain audit documentation and support internal and external compliance reviews.

Workday Absence Management & Operational Process Support (20%)
Support ongoing administration, stabilization, and enhancement of the Workday Absence Management module.
Troubleshoot transactional and process-related issues in partnership with HR, Payroll, and HRIS teams.
Participate in testing activities, validation exercises, and system change initiatives.
Maintain standard operating procedures, process documentation, job aids, and training materials.
Provide operational guidance to HR users based on approved Workday processes and workflows.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, data quality, and user experience within leave and absence processes.

Compliance, Reporting & Team Support (15%)
Reconcile payroll, leave, disability, and vendor files to ensure accurate processing and payment administration.
Audit integrations between Workday, Payroll, TPAs, disability carriers, and state agencies.
Partner with Payroll to validate leave-related earnings, deductions, statutory…