Leave of Absence Administrator

Job Title: Leave of Absence Administrator

Location: Woodlands or Las Colinas

Reports To: Senior Director, Benefits

Position Summary

The Leave of Absence Administrator will lead and manage the organization's leave programs, including the implementation of an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accommodation program. This role is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, overseeing leave administration for a workforce of approximately 25,000 employees, and developing training tools and resources to support managers and employees.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Leadership & Compliance

• Design, implement, and manage the ADA accommodation program in alignment with legal requirements and company policies.

• Ensure compliance with FMLA, ADA, state-specific leave laws, and internal policies.

• Monitor regulatory changes and update processes accordingly.

Leave Administration

• Oversee end-to-end leave of absence processes for 25,000 employees, including medical, personal, and disability leaves.

• Partner with HR, Payroll, and Benefits teams to ensure accurate and timely leave administration.

• Manage vendor relationships for leave administration services, ensuring service-level agreements are met.

Training & Education

• Develop and deliver training tools, guides, and resources for HR teams, managers, and employees on ADA and leave policies.

• Conduct workshops and webinars to promote understanding and compliance.

• Data & Reporting

• Track and analyze leave metrics to identify trends and opportunities for process improvement

• Prepare regular reports for leadership on leave utilization, compliance, and program effectiveness.

Employee Experience & Technology Enablement

• Serve as a subject matter expert and escalation point for complex leave and accommodation cases.

• Ensure positive and supportive experience for employees navigating leave and ADA processes.

• Partner with external leave administration vendors, HRIS, and internal technology teams to enable seamless, technology driven leave and accommodation experiences for employees and managers.

• Support automated, self service, and AI enabled processes that simplify leave requests, claims intake, status updates, and documentation management.

• Advocate for system enhancements that streamline interactions, improve clarity of employee communications, and reduce administrative complexity across the leave lifecycle.

• Ensure technology solutions balance ease of use with compliance, accuracy, and data integrity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field.

• 7+ years of experience in leave administration and ADA compliance, preferably in a large organization with multi-state presence.

• Strong knowledge of FMLA, ADA, and state leave laws.

• Experience managing large-scale programs and vendor relationships.

• Excellent communication, training, and stakeholder management skills.

• Proficiency in HRIS and leave management systems.

Preferred Skills

• Certification in HR or leave management (e.g., PHR, SPHR, CPDM).

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Core Competencies

• Leadership & Influence: Ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive program adoption across the organization.

• Compliance Expertise: Deep understanding of ADA, FMLA, and state leave regulations with a commitment to ethical practices.

• Strategic Thinking: Skilled at designing scalable processes and aligning leave programs with organizational goals.

• Communication & Training: Exceptional ability to convey complex information clearly and develop effective training materials.

• Problem Solving: Strong analytical skills to resolve complex leave and accommodation cases efficiently.

• Collaboration: Proven ability to build partnerships with HR, Payroll, Benefits, and external vendors.

• Change Management: Ability to manage organizational change and implement new programs smoothly.