HR Leave Administration Manager

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We are currently seeking an HR Leave Administration Manager in the Human Resources department, reporting to the Director of Benefits.

The role will reside in the Washington, DC office with hybrid work capabilities and will be responsible for the administration and maintenance of the firm’s U.S. leave of absence programs, policies, and procedures, as well as related federal and state employment- statutes; advising and providing assistance to office Human Resources on matters related to leave administration. The HR Leave Administration Manager is expected to serve as a positive role model and mentor, and to perform all responsibilities with a commitment to providing superior service to the firm’s attorneys, advisors and staff, efficient and effective departmental operations, and an atmosphere of teamwork and continuous improvement.

• Oversee and administer all U.S. employee leave of absence programs, including FMLA, short/long-term disability, parental leave, family leave, Workers’ Compensation, and other statutory or firm-sponsored leaves, ensuring compliance with firm policy and all federal, state and local leave regulations.
• Advise and provide guidance to employees and managers regarding leaves of absence, leave entitlements, policies, available benefit resources and procedures. Monitor leave balances and communicate timely updates to employees, managers and practice group leadership.
• With the Director of Benefits, oversee relationship management with Unum, the firm’s third-party medical disability, FMLA and long-term disability insurance administrator, and the firm’s external benefits brokers that manage the Unum relationship.
• Oversee compliance with and coordination of state disability and family leave paid benefits programs with FMLA, state and local leave protections and firm leave policies.
• Supervise the HR Policy and Leave Specialist, overseeing day-to-day work, prioritizing workload, setting expectations, delivering performance evaluation and feedback, supporting professional growth, and mentoring.
• In collaboration with the Director of Benefits and the Office of the General Counsel, ensure regulatory compliance with federal, state and local laws and statutes, update Human Resources related policies as necessary and disseminate updates to local office Human Resources teams.
• Assist in recommending and developing new and/or revised human resources policies, procedures, projects and initiatives related to leaves of absence.
• With guidance from the Office of the General Counsel, as needed, provide direction on the application of the ADA, FMLA, and other federal, state, and local statutory employment regulations to local office Human Resources teams, people managers and employees.
• Provide guidance to the Human Resources department, people managers and employees on the application of employee leave policies and procedures; assist in resolving complex leave issues.
• Manage leave of absence benefit communications, campaigns and resources, including identifying educational opportunities for firm personnel regarding leave of absence benefits and policies.
• Serve as a primary resource with the Human Resources Policy and Leave Specialist for local office Human Resources queries and issues related to the firm’s leave of absence tracking modules in Workday.
• Serve as backup to Human Resources Policy and Leave Specialist for oversight of records set‑up, tracking and maintenance.
• Serve as backup to Human Resources Policy Leave Specialist for daily Workday leave entries and updates.
• Liaise with Workers’ compensation carrier on matters related to escalated workers’ compensation claims.
• Organize and lead, as appropriate, status meetings with the Director of Benefits, as well as with benefit vendors regarding open cases and current projects or initiatives.
• Remain current in industry trends in Human Resources and the legal profession as they relate to leaves of absence and related topics.
• Ensure expertise in…