Job Description
Sr. HR Generalist – Leave of Absence Case Management
Location: Remote / Offsite
Schedule: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST (some flexibility)
Type: Contract
Overview
We’re seeking an experienced Sr. HR Generalist with deep Leave of Absence expertise to join a collaborative, service-oriented leave management team. This role owns a full leave caseload — managing requests from intake through return-to-work — for a primarily U.S.-based employee population, with occasional Canadian cases.
This is a specialized position. The team supports a high volume of active leave cases, and the successful candidate will bring hands-on LOA case management experience rather than general HR background.
What You’ll Do
- Manage an assigned leave of absence caseload through the full case lifecycle
- Review assigned cases in the case management system and determine leave eligibility based on established workflows
- Communicate directly with employees throughout the leave process, often during difficult personal circumstances
- Collect, review, and track required documentation
- Monitor leave status and coordinate return-to-work activities
- Identify, escalate, and resolve complex leave-related issues
- Partner with third-party leave and disability administrators to drive cases to resolution
- Navigate state-specific leave requirements and unique case scenarios
- Maintain recurring daily, biweekly, and monthly reports (approximately one hour per week)
- Common leave types include: parental, military, caregiver, disability, and medical leave.
- Examples of complex scenarios: employees on leave who miss a paycheck, determining whether an issue originated internally or with a third-party vendor, and responding to escalations from employees or HR partners.
- Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of Leave of Absence administration experience
- Direct LOA case management experience with ownership of cases through the full lifecycle
- Prior experience working within a leave management system
- Experience managing complex employee leave and disability cases
- In-depth knowledge of Leave of Absence and disability programs, including:
- ? Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- ? Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and ADAAA
- ? State-specific leave laws and regulations
- ? Disability leave programs and administration
- Experience communicating directly with employees on sensitive leave matters
- Strong ability to prioritize in a high-volume environment and shift priorities as business needs change
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong relationship-building skills with internal stakeholders and business partners
- Strong understanding of core HR practices
- Strong Microsoft Excel skills — filtering, sorting, analyzing, and organizing large data sets
- Ability to navigate multiple web-based systems while managing a high-volume caseload
- Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field — or equivalent HR experience
- Professional HR certification: PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP
- Experience working with third-party leave and disability administrators (MetLife, The Hartford, or similar)
- Experience with PeopleSoft, Oracle, ServiceNow, or similar HR technology platforms
- Experience within integrated HRIS and case management environments
- Experience supporting both U.S. and Canadian employee populations
Who Thrives Here
The ideal candidate has already mastered core leave administration concepts and can step into a caseload comparable to experienced team members after onboarding. You bring a strong customer service orientation, comfort navigating complex employee situations, and the judgment to know when to escalate. Candidates with broad general HR experience but limited hands-on LOA administration will find the ramp-up challenging given the specialized nature of the work.
Onboarding
Independent case management is not expected on day one. New team members go through a structured onboarding program including process training, shadowing and rotation with existing team members, dedicated support resources, and a gradual transition of work over approximately six weeks.