HR Leave Administrator (LOA)

Case Western Reserve University is committed to providing a transparent estimate of the salary range for this position. The salary range is between $60,000 and $66,000 depending on qualifications, experience, department budgets, and industry data.

About the Role

Working with limited supervision, the Leaves Administrator and Analyst serves as the primary subject matter expert and analytical resource for the end-to-end administration, compliance, and data integration of all university leaves of absence. This role manages the leave lifecycle for all university employees—including faculty, staff, and postdocs—ensuring flawless execution of Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), short-term disability (STD), long-term disability (LTD), workers' compensation, and university-specific leave policies. A primary focus of this position is bridging the technical gaps between siloed databases (HCM/PeopleSoft and Faculty systems) by developing robust manual tracking workflows, custom spreadsheets, and digital forms to eliminate pay errors and ensure complete data integrity.

Responsibilities

• Provide leave case management, compliance, and support (55%):
  • Independently manage all continuous and intermittent leave of absence (LOA) cases of varying types, including personal, family, paid parental, military, short-term disability, long-term disability, and unpaid leaves.
  • Serve as the empathetic, primary point of contact for employees (faculty, staff, and postdocs), human resources administrators, and supervisors, guiding them transparently through leave timelines, pay, benefits expectations, and return-to-work protocols.
  • Review, verify, and audit all medical certifications and compliance documentation; proactively issue follow-ups when documentation does not meet federal or university regulatory standards.
  • Partner closely with third-party vendors and administrators to monitor leave durations, coordinate extensions, and streamline return-to-work transitions.
• Provide data integrity, workflow design, and systems synchronization (10%):
  • Manage, update, and audit leave statuses across multiple siloed platforms (HCM/PeopleSoft and Faculty databases) to proactively ensure accurate, timely payments.
  • Maintain advanced spreadsheets, tracking tools, and digital intake forms outside of HCM to streamline manual data collection and preserve absolute data accuracy.
  • Compile, clean, and analyze complex leave data to generate meaningful monthly, quarterly, and annual reports for HR leadership regarding leave trends, utilization statistics, and operational impacts.
• Provide cross-functional stakeholder collaboration and consultation (25%):
  • Serve as the key systems connector, coordinating heavily with Employee Relations, Compensation, HR Records, Payroll, the Office of Equity, Risk Management (for Workers’ Compensation), the Provost’s Office, and departmental HR Administrators (HRAs).
  • Provide high-level consultation and interpretation of federal/state regulations and university leave policies to deans, supervisors, and department heads.
  • Develop and facilitate targeted HR training sessions, informational briefing toolkits, and digital resources regarding FMLA and leave processes for managers and faculty leaders.
• Provide policy optimization, auditing, and website management (8%):
  • Monitor ongoing updates to federal, state, and local leave laws; benchmark university guidelines against peer institutions and propose progressive, equitable policy enhancements.
  • Maintain and update all Leave of Absence resources, forms, and policy language on the HR website.
  • Escalate highly complex or high-risk cases to the supervisor, to the Benefits Director and/or to the Office of General Counsel as appropriate.
  • Have a comprehensive understanding of all time-off policies and procedures applicable to faculty, staff, and postdocs.
• Nonessential Functions (2%):
  • Participate in HR department staff meetings, cross-functional projects, and university-wide committees as required.
  • Support the HR event planning committee during large-scale engagement initiatives (e.g., Benefits Fair, Employee Appreciation events).
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Contacts

• Department: Frequent contact with HR staff (employee relations, benefits administration, records, and HR service center) to audit and adjust employee statuses in the HCM database to eliminate payroll errors, ensure benefit continuity, and to synchronize employee records.
• University:
  • Continuous contact with university employees (faculty, staff, postdocs) to provide direct leave consultation intake assistance, policy interpretation, empathic guidance, and timeline coordination.
  • Frequent contact with HR administrators and supervisors to provide leaves training, interpret FMLA/university guidelines, and to coordinate employee return to work timelines.
  • Contact with Payroll Office as necessary to address pay and time reporting issues.
  • Moderate contact with deans, department heads, and the Office of the Provost to advise on faculty leave cases.
  • Occasional contact with the offices of General Counsel and Equity to escalate high-risk cases, resolve complex accommodation requests under ADA/FMLA/Worker’s Compensation, and review sensitive documentation.
  • Occasional contact with the Office of Risk Management (workers’ compensation) to coordinate and align overlapping leaves where an employee has concurrent FMLA and workers’ compensation claims.
  • Occasional contact with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to address and resolve specialized leave benefits, funding source rules, and timeline questions unique to postdoctoral researchers.
  • Infrequent contact with the President’s Office to provide information and facilitate executive processing for exceptional, specialized leaves of absence requiring university president sign-off.
  • Infrequent contact with Student Affairs to coordinate, verify, and resolve employee or dependent tuition benefit statuses during active or transitional leave periods.
• External: Regular contact with disability and health insurance vendors, along with healthcare providers to manage end-to-end short-term and/or long-term disability claims processing, monitor case durations, and coordinate leave extensions. Occasional contact with workers’ compensation vendor.
• Students: Little to no contact with students.

Qualifications

• Experience: 1 to 3 years of progressive, professional experience in Human Resources—specifically centered within Leave Administration, Benefits processing, or HR Data/Systems Analytics. Experience in a higher education setting, navigating faculty and staff archetypes, is highly desirable.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree required. A degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Information Systems, Data Analytics, or a related field is preferred.

Skills

• Data and spreadsheet literacy: Demonstrated capability in Microsoft Excel (including VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, conditional formatting, and data modeling) and Google Sheets to seamlessly manage complex, manual datasets.
• Tech-Savviness and Workflow Creation: Demonstrated capability or willingness to learn how to create digital workflows via tools like digital forms, project management platforms, or automated tracking software. Proficiency with core HRIS databases (e.g., PeopleSoft HCM, OnBase) is highly preferred.
• Regulatory command: Strong foundational knowledge of FMLA, ADA, Worker’s Compensation, Short-Term/Long-Term Disability structures, and state/federal labor standards.
• High Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Exceptional communication skills with the explicit ability to convey sensitive, confidential, and stressful news with empathy, care, professionalism, and absolute discretion.
• Problem resolution and adaptability: Advanced analytical skills to independently research complex anomalies, troubleshoot system misalignments, and establish logical courses of action where no clear precedent exists.
• Ability to demonstrate successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest.
• Ability to meet consistent attendance.
• Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face.
• Willingness to learn and work with artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies.

Working Conditions

General office or hybrid environment characterized by a high volume of requests, rapid pacing, and frequent multi-system cross-referencing. Position requires frequent computer use, management of multiple competing priorities, and regular work across HR, Payroll, Records, and Leave Administration systems. Work involves extended periods in a stationary position, a detailed review of electronic records and spreadsheets, and occasional movement of files or materials. Essential functions may be performed with or without reasonable accommodation. This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement up to two remote days per week at the discretion of the department.

Benefits

University employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare, retirement plans, tuition assistance, paid time off, and a winter recess.

Pay

The salary range for this position is between $60,000 and $66,000 depending on qualifications, experience, department budgets, and industry data.

Schedule

This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement up to two remote days per week at the discretion of the department. New employees may begin a hybrid schedule upon approval from the supervisor, successful completion of an orientation period, and signing the remote work checklist certification form.