Leave & Employee Relations Senior Consultant

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Serve as an escalation point for the strategic resolution of complex, sensitive, or lengthy leave and accommodation matters where legal and/or compliance risk exists.
• Provide guidance on the interpretation and application of federal, state, and local regulations (FMLA, ADA, USERRA, PDA) and company policies.
• Apply deep knowledge of the leaves and accommodations landscape to develop defensible, compliant case strategies.
• Act as a trusted advisor to HR Business Partners and business leaders on complex leave and accommodation issues.
• Provide consultative guidance that supports business continuity while ensuring compliant and equitable outcomes.
• Influence decision-making by translating regulatory requirements into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Provide coaching, mentorship, and guidance to Leave Specialists to support development and consistency.
• Identify trends, risks, and process gaps in order to recommend and lead the execution of improvements to the leave and accommodation process in collaboration with the HR Shared Services team.
• Develop SLAs, support files reviews, and conduct audits to leaves and accommodations matters to ensure compliance with internal standards and regulatory requirements.
• Lead, in collaboration with HR Shared Services, the implementation, upgrades, and maintenance of the leave management platform and other systems of record.
• Liaison strategically between the company and leave related third party vendors.
• Foster partnership, resolve disputes, develop KPIs, and conduct regular audits to ensure suppliers deliver on SLA.
• Serve as a flexible resource for the Employee Relations team to support team capacity on select ER matters based on business needs and priorities.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of leave administration programs (STD, FMLA, PFL, LOA, LTD).
• Deep understanding of federal and state leave laws and ADA requirements.
• Working knowledge of employee relations principles, with the ability to contribute to the assessment and resolution of sensitive employment matters.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence and build trust with leadership, HR partners, and employees at all levels.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and make sound decisions quickly and reliably, including in ambiguous, complex, and high-sensitivity situations.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to manage and resolve complex, sensitive situations while providing balanced, practical solutions.
• Strong time management and organizational skills with keen attention to detail.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline or equivalent experience.
• Typically 5+ years of experience in leave administration or employee relations.
• Experience handling complex leave and accommodation cases required.
• Experience working within or closely partnering with Employee Relations or similar employee support functions preferred.

Benefits

CNA offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to help our employees – and their family members – achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals. For a detailed look at CNA’s benefits, please visit cnabenefits.com.