Manager of Leave Administration/ADA Compliance

Title: Manager of Leave Administration/ADA Compliance

Pay Grade: Management

Starting Pay: $88,695.37 - $130,866.23

Departmental Mission Statement: The Human Resources (HR) Department partners with Trial Court management to create and maintain a talented, qualified workforce by recruiting a diverse applicant pool, by facilitating the fair merit-based selection for appointment of the most qualified candidates, by developing appropriate workforce training (in consultation with the Trial Court's Judicial Institute), by fostering positive management-employee relations, by promptly addressing workplace issues, and by developing performance based measures to ensure the continued excellence of the workforce. The HR Department will use best practices to ensure that this collaborative effort advances the mission of the Trial Court. The HR Department also provides information and assistance to all Trial Court employees on a variety of workplace issues.


ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/trial-court-human-resources-department

Notes: This position is designated as management position and is covered by the Trial Court Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual

This position will remain open until filled. Preference will be given to candidates that apply within the first 14 days.

Salary will be commensurate with experience

This position is currently a hybrid position (subject to change).

Position Summary: Working within the Human Resources Department of the Office of Court Management, the Manager of Leave Administration/ADA Compliance supervises the administration and guidance of Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requests, Paid Family Medical Leave Act (PFML) requests, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accommodations, medical, parental, military, Workers’ Compensation (WC) claims and leaves, and all other related employee requests. This position is primarily responsible for engaging in discussions with employees, managers, and the Labor Relations Team in identifying reasonable accommodations in compliance with state and federal law, including oversight of a tracking system for all the accommodations provided. The Manager of Leave Administration/ADA Compliance assists the ACHRO for Benefits & On-Boarding with the ongoing development and communication of policy and compliance, ensuring best practices are applied as outlined in Human Resources policies and procedures, and collective bargaining agreements. The Manager of Leave Administration/ADA Compliance requires developed understanding, knowledge, and experience applying state and federal disability law, and the ability to exercise independent judgment.

Supervision Received: Reports to the ACHRO for Benefits & Onboarding, receiving work assignments and supervision within established guidelines.

Duties:

• Manages all matters regarding FMLA, PFML, medical, parental, military, Workers’ Compensation (WC) claims and leaves, ADA and other accommodation requests, and all other Trial Court employee leaves, reviewing eligibility factors, and receiving and issuing written communications on employee requests;
• Serves as subject matter expert for all Trial Court leave issues for employees and supervisors;
• Manages the processing of workers compensation “Notice of Injury” forms;
• Supervises the work of Leave & Benefit Administrator;
• Confers with Trial Court department Heads on Leave issues, accommodation issues and absenteeism disciplinary actions as needed;
• Reviews and evaluates employee accommodation requests, engaging employees and managers in an interactive dialogue to discuss and evaluate requests and identifying reasonable accommodations in compliance with state and federal law;
• Administers a system for tracking the various employee accommodations;
• Notifies and collaborates with the Trial Court Labor Relations team, providing updates throughout the leave and accommodation process;
• Serves as resource to ADA coordinators throughout the Trial Court to provide guidance on requests for accommodations at court locations;
• Collaborates in the development of curriculum for the ADA trainings for coordinators and may serve as faculty for statewide training;
• Issues required notices, physician certifications and fitness for duty forms;
• Schedules fitness for duty examinations to determine prognosis for employee’s return to work;
• Reviews fitness for duty to determine whether accommodations are necessary and feasible;
• Provides interpretation of personnel policies and procedures to managers and employees with regard to leaves and Trial Court benefits;
• Administers the Trial Court and Statutory Paid Leave Banks, managing issues related to these benefit programs for all participating employees;
• Ensures that employees comply with conditions set forth for approved leaves such as periodic medical documentation and fitness for duty prior to returning to work;
• Assists the ACHRO for Benefits and Onboarding in the Trial Court's ongoing efforts to expand and administer a comprehensive Wellness Initiative, including employer support and marketing for the confidential employee assistance program;
• Works with the workers' compensation unit of the Commonwealth's Human Resources Department to manage workers compensation claims to provide better outcomes for our injured employees and effectively manage costs;
• Serves as Trial Court liaison with the MA State Ethics Commission for the filing of the Commonwealth of MA Statement of Financial Interest (SFI) for Trial Court employees;
• Engages is ongoing communication regarding claims with adjusters at the Workers' Compensation Division for the Commonwealth of MA (HRD), including managing the dates regarding eligibility and termination of benefits in collaboration with HRD.
• Completes annual OSHA surveys of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for the Bureau of Labor Statistics;
• Maintains yearly Statement of Financial Interest for OCM/Executive Office employees;
• Demonstrated ability to perform human resources related activities of the most complex and non-routine nature, including researching issues and recommending feasible solutions; and
• Performs other related duties as required.

Job Competencies: All applicants must be able, through the interview process, to prove efficiency in the following areas:

Ethics and Values: Communicates and demonstrates the ethics and values of the Human Resources Department and the Trial Court.

Mission: Understands, upholds, and communicates the Trial Court and Human Resources Department missions.

Applied Knowledge: Demonstrates past experience and ability understanding and properly administering leave and accommodation requests, preferably in a unionized environment.

Problem Solving: Accurately assesses workplace problems in the Trial Court and recommends and facilitates appropriate solutions with tact.

Customer Service: Conducts oneself in a courteous and professional manner towards both Trial Court employees and the public.

Collaboration: Works with others cooperatively, demonstrating a willingness to be a team player, helping to develop a work environment that focuses on shared departmental goals.

Commitment to Diversity: Promotes an environment of diversity through understanding, respect, and positive communication with persons of varied racial, ethnic, economic, and cultural backgrounds.

Continuous Learning: Demonstrates a commitment to continuously improving himself or herself through professional development.

Minimum Requirements: These are the minimum requirements necessary to apply for a position of Manager of Leave Administration:

A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university and (5) years of professional work experience in one or more of the following areas of human resources: leave and accommodation requests, workers’ compensation, EAP, and Wellness programs; or an equivalent combination of education and experience;

Demonstrated knowledge of state and federal leave and disability law and the accommodation process;

Demonstrated experience using business software such as MS Office, particularly MS Excel is required.

Experience with Commonwealth of Massachusetts benefits and leave policy is a plus.

Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work professionally with persons at all levels, including judges, and to maintain effective working relationships;

Ability to understand and administer policies and procedures of the Human Resources Department and the Massachusetts Trial Court;

Well-developed writing skills to regularly draft business correspondence and to present project information clearly and concisely;

An ability and commitment to observing the strict confidentiality of sensitive information maintained by the Human Resources Department;

Ability to multi-task and manage a variety of assignments at once;


Ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and develop workarounds for issues that require timely resolution;

Ability to maintain accurate records;

Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in oral and written form;

Ability to generate and analyze data reports and maintain tracking systems and activity logs;

Ability to work independently and with an attention to detail;

Ability to travel within the Commonwealth as necessary.