Leave Specialist

Olson Kundig is a design practice founded on the ideas that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture and people, and that inspiring surroundings have a positive effect on people’s lives. The firm’s work can be found across the globe, with projects as wide-ranging as huts to high rises, homes—often for art collectors—to academic, cultural and civic projects, museums and exhibition design, places of worship, creative production, urban design, and interior design.

The Benefits and Leave Specialist is responsible for managing and administering benefit programs inclusive of health & wellness, 401(k), and time off and leave of absence, ensuring compliance with policies and regulations. To succeed in this role, you should be an adaptable self-starter who can prioritize and complete multiple projects and tasks with little guidance in a creative and dynamic environment.

This role will collaborate within internal teams to deliver exceptional results within specified deadlines.

• Health and
  
  Financial Benefits:
  
  
  • Manage day-to-day benefits administration, ensuring accurate employee data and vendor service delivery. Serve as an escalation point for complex employee benefits inquiries
  • Oversee annual compliance requirements, including ACA reporting and required filings
  • Administer the 401(k) program, including vendor coordination and employee education
  • Lead the annual open enrollment process, including planning, system updates, employee communications, and vendor coordination
  • Partner with benefits consultants on renewals, vendor changes, audits, and compliance across all benefit programs
  • Reconcile benefit invoices and enrollment records monthly
  • Develop, maintain, and update benefits procedures and related HR policies to ensure consistent administration
  • Analyze benefits utilization, costs, and trends to identify cost savings and improvement opportunities
  • Communicate benefits programs through presentations, written materials, and employee communication
• Leave of Absence and Alternative Work Arrangements:
  • Responsible for processing leave requests and determining eligibility for FMLA and state leaves
  • Track leave usage, and coordinate with payroll to ensure accurate coding
  • Assist with employee accommodations and employee relations
• People Operations:
  • Partner with HR and Payroll to manage the employee lifecycle data
  • Ensure necessary information and ensure timely audits of all data entered in the HRIS systems
  • Creates, runs, and distributes HRIS reports
  • Attends and takes notes in annual reviews
• Additional duties and projects:
  • Support the development and maintenance of company HR policies. Assist leadership with communicating HR policies, procedures, programs, and applicable laws
  • Evaluate and implement improvements to HR processes, administrative efficiency, and policy development
  • Participate in cross-functional or organizational committees as needed
  • Perform other duties as assigned

• Must Have:
  • Education:
    
    Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or closely related field OR equivalent experience.
  • Experience:
    
    Minimum five (5) years of demonstrated experience administering complex benefits and leave processes accurately and independently
  • Demonstrated competency in understanding of relevant employment laws and regulations, including FMLA, ADA, HIPAA, COBRA
  • Experience working with benefits and leave data, enrollment and invoice audits, and system integrations
• Digital Literacy:
  • Intermediate to advanced proficiency in understanding and skills with MS 365 Office Suite and tools
  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other data analysis tools, preferred
  • Experience working with an HRIS or benefits administration platform, with the ability to navigate, maintain, and troubleshoot employee data and workflows
• Nice to Have:
  • SHRM, PHR, GPHR, and/or CLMS certification
  • Experience managing or supporting 401(k) plans, including the annual audit process
  • Experience using Paylocity HRIS or Bswift Benefits

• Environment type:
  Office
• Ability to work under tight deadlines for completion of projects
• Ability to sit/stand for long periods working at a computer

In addition to a dynamic and creative culture, Olson Kundig provides a generous benefits package that includes 16 days of paid time off, paid holidays, a health plan, a 401(k) match, bonuses, profit‑sharing plans for qualified positions, a monthly travel subsidy for public transportation, and more. As a firm, we are committed to pay practices that are fair, competitive, and reflect internal pay equity.

At the time of posting this job, the hiring range for this position in Seattle is between $75,000–$85,000 annually. Final salary decisions are based on the extent and relevance of the candidate’s education and experience, considering internal equity and external market factors.

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship and must already possess long‑term work authorization.