Leave of Absence Specialist

Leave Of Absence Specialist

Copeland has an exciting opportunity for a Leave Of Absence Specialist. As the Leave Of Absence Specialist, you will play a critical role in optimizing our organization's total rewards by overseeing a complex portfolio of employee leave programs and ensuring a seamless, compliant, and compassionate experience during key life events. Reporting to the Manager of Global Health & Welfare, this role blends operational excellence, regulatory expertise, and cross-functional partnership to safeguard the organization's compliance while strengthening colleague trust and engagement.

As the Leave Of Absence Specialist, you will:

• Serve as a subject-matter expert for all leave programs, ensuring policies, workflows, and communications reflect current legal requirements and organizational priorities.
• Coordinate with GBS Tier 1 teams on case management, process improvement, and escalations
• Act as a trusted partner for GBS Tier 1 support, leaders, and colleagues navigating medical, parental, military, and other leaves, delivering clear, empathetic communication that reduces friction and uncertainty.
• Monitor and interpret federal, state, and local leave laws (FMLA, ADA, state PFML, etc.), ensuring organizational compliance and escalating risk appropriately.
• Partner with GBS, HR Business Partners, Payroll, Legal, Employee Relations, and external vendors to ensure alignment across systems, pay practices, and operational processes.
• Partner with Employee Relations team on return-to-work processes, including accommodation pathways, transitional duty, and leader coaching.
• Produce actionable reporting on leave trends, compliance risks, and operational performance; identify opportunities to optimize program design and colleague experience.
• Manage leave vendor(s) to drive optimized service levels and colleague experience.
• Provide expert guidance to leaders and colleagues on policy interpretation, ensuring consistency and fairness across the organization.

Location: Ideally, this role will be based in St. Louis, MO or Sidney, OH. However, the role can be hybrid/flexible with candidates willing to travel on a regular basis to company locations.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills:

• Strong command of FMLA, ADA, HIPAA, state leave laws, and disability programs; ability to interpret and apply complex regulations.
• Ability to translate complex policies into clear, actionable guidance for employees and leaders.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret market data
• Excellent communication and negotiation abilities

• Outstanding organizational skills
• Ability to produce quality results in a highly matrixed, fast-paced environment
• Maintains composure and efficiency in stressful situations
• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite
• Legal Authorization to work in the United States - sponsorship will not be provided for this role.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills:

• Five (5) years in leave administration, benefits operations, or HR compliance within a multi-state or enterprise environment
• Prior experience in a large global company
• Experience with Workday HCM and ServiceNow
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (Master's degree preferred)