Director, Absence, Disability & Accommodations

DESCRIPTION

Acosta Group fuses storied expertise, unmatched connectivity and advanced insight to accelerate brand growth – everywhere you sell. Our collective of the most trusted retail, marketing and food service agencies is reimagining how people connect with brands at every point in the consumer journey.

As we continue our path for growth, we are looking for a Director, Total Absence, Disability and Accommodation Management to join our team!

We prefer roles to be hybrid, because we believe it is easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture when we’re in the office, at one of our corporate locations in Irving, TX, Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, Bloomfield, NJ, Jacksonville, FL, Oak Brook, IL, or Bentonville, AR, however we are open to remote locations for the right individuals. This role reports to the SVP, HR

Director of Total Absence, Disability and Accommodation Management is a key role in the organization in building, managing, managing and continually improving the disability, leave, absence, and accommodations experience for our 60,000+ associates across North America.

This role is responsible for leading and managing the operations, policies, and activities of the Disability, Leaves & Accommodations claims team and vendors as we ensure that our offerings maintain legal compliance, high levels of associate satisfaction and alignment with our Ways of Working ("WoW"). This role will partner with various internal stakeholders including the Workers’ Compensation, Human Resources, and Legal teams to ensure these policies and programs and all associated third‑party vendors provide a great experience for Acosta associates in the United States and Canada.

• Design, develop & implement, with senior leadership and key internal partners, an evolved roadmap for total absence and claims management, disability and accommodation programs that is legally compliant and aligned with our Ways of Working and business goals.
• Establish strong partnerships within the Human Resource team, Legal, Payroll, Finance, IT and other colleagues to lead cross‑functional absence, leave & accommodation initiatives.
• Lead the team that owns the administration of the absence, disability, and accommodations policies broadly across the organization.
• Coordinate and implement policies, processes, training, and initiatives to support Absence, Disability Leaves & Accommodations operations and compliance, internal coordination and visibility and enhance the associate experience.
• Manage vendor relationships to ensure high service levels are met.
• Keep current knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in leaves & accommodations law and practices and apply that knowledge to communicate changes in policy, practice, and resources to senior leadership.
• Have a deep understanding of compliance and ensure the organization’s compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, and recommended best practices; review and modify policies, communications, and practices to maintain compliance.
• Prepare and develop communication materials and information about leave programs, procedures, and changes.

• Bachelor’s degree with 7+ years’ experience in Leave Administration in large organization (experience with multi‑state employee population preferred), or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience with in a centralized LOA/ADA department a plus.
• Considerable knowledge and demonstrated work experience in compliance and administration of leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act and leaves and accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and comparable state and local leave laws, and other applicable laws and statutes ( HIPAA).
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to coach and develop direct reports, as well as influence business partners at all levels across the enterprise.
• Progressive case management and return to work experience with a proven ability to assess and produce process improvements and efficiencies that have reduced expense, improved associate experience, and increased…