Return to Work Coordinator

This is currently a temporary opportunity with the potential to become a full-time role.

About the role

The Return-to-Work Coordinator is responsible for processing and coordinating overall return-to-work administration, from the notification that an injured employee is able to return to work until the employee is released to full duty. The coordinator administers and implements established and recognized principles of disability case management.

Responsibilities

• Analyzes medical work restrictions, makes recommendations to return injured employees back to gainful employment, and maintains best practices by facilitating interactive processes.
• Creates, analyzes, and evaluates statistical data, developing monthly and annual metrics on accommodation processes.
• Serves as university liaison on all matters related to workers’ compensation and return-to-work eligibility and/or certification, as well as point of contact for internal/external stakeholders — including the injured employee requiring accommodations.
• Provides ongoing consultation and problem-solving assistance to employees on the return-to-work process and temporary transitional assignments within and outside the university, all while maintaining transparency with their home department.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations (e.g., workers’ compensation, Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Employment and Housing Act) and university policies and procedures.
• Stays current with latest return-to-work program knowledge, best practices, and initiatives.
• Supports continuous performance improvements with guidelines, policy development, workflows, training, and quality standards.
• Develops strong, credible relationships from demonstrated ethical judgment, behavior, and practiced confidentiality.
• Encourages a workplace culture where all employees are valued, value others, and have the opportunity to contribute through their ideas, words, and actions, in accordance with the USC Code of Ethics.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and 1 year of working experience.
• Certified Professional Disability Management and/or California Workers’ Compensation Claims Administration certifications.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of FMLA, CFRA, ADA, FEHA requirements, and workers’ compensation laws.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain confidentiality.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to maintain a consistently positive attitude and courteous phone/email tone.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills, able to think strategically and creatively.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, human resources, law, communication, or related field(s).
• 3 years in HR, workers’ compensation claims, or return-to-work coordination.
• Experience in higher education and/or health care.
• Experience reconciling discrepancies across documentation and driving resolutions of differences.
• Ability to provide clear and concise instructions to employees, simplifying the policies and procedures needed to complete processes.
• Ability to provide a high-level overview of return-to-work strategies and coordinate across multiple teams.
• Experience partnering with external providers.
• Ability to translate meaning, identify issues, and make process improvement recommendations.
• Experience reporting and presenting findings after analyzing data.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building abilities.

Pay

The hourly rate range for this position is $32.39 - $36.52. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.