Sr. Leave & Benefits Specialist

We're a family-owned company with a 90+ year legacy, that's consistently recognized as a Glassdoor "Best Places to Work." We have 130+ brands in our total alcohol beverage portfolio including wine, malt, spirits, and ready-to-drink beverages. We're home to the #1 wine and spirits brands in the U.S. - Barefoot Wine & High Noon and are the official sponsors of the NFL, NHL, UFC, and PGA of America. View our Corporate Values and Mission Statement here. A Taste of What You'll Do In this role, you'll play a critical part in delivering a seamless, compliant, and employee-centered leave experience across the organization. You'll administer a wide range of leave programs and partner closely with third‑party administrators, state agencies, and internal teams to ensure leaves of absence, disability, and workers' compensation are coordinated effectively and accurately. Your work will directly support employees during some of their most important moments, balancing empathy with precision and regulatory rigor. You'll serve as a trusted subject matter expert, applying deep knowledge of federal, state, and local leave laws while ensuring company policies are followed consistently. From intake and eligibility determination through return‑to‑work coordination, you'll manage complex cases with discretion, sound judgment, and a service‑focused mindset. Clear communication with employees and managers will be central to your success, as will your ability to meet deadlines, maintain confidentiality, and ensure data integrity across systems. Collaboration will be at the heart of your day‑to‑day work. You'll partner with HR, Legal, Payroll, Benefits, Disability Management, Workers' Compensation, and operational leaders to review cases, support return‑to‑work planning, and transition employees into the interactive process when additional accommodations are needed. You'll also contribute to continuous improvement by identifying trends, developing training, and supporting strategic leave management initiatives that strengthen the employee experience and business outcomes. What You'll Need Bachelor's degree plus 5 years of experience in leave, absence, disability, benefits or case management reflecting increasing levels of responsibility; OR High School diploma or State‑issued equivalency certificate plus 9 years of experience in leave, absence, disability, benefits or case management reflecting increasing levels of responsibility. Knowledge of leave administration practices using applicable federal, state, municipal regulations and Company policies and collective bargaining agreements, as applicable. Demonstrates strong customer service, excellent written/verbal communication, and organizational skills. Ability to manage deadlines, and maintain strict confidentiality. Experience with HRIS/leave management systems and Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel), as demonstrated in work product and employment experience. Required to travel to company offices, sites, and/or meeting locations for onboarding, training, meetings, and events for development, department needs, and business delivery up to 5% of the time, with or without reasonable accommodation. This may be in addition to travel requirements, if applicable, as listed in this job description. Required to be 18 years or older. This may be in addition to other age requirements, if applicable, as listed in this job description. How You'll Stand Out Deep, hands‑on expertise administering complex leave programs, including FMLA, CFRA/PDL, ADA/FEHA, PWFA, USERRA, and state and local leave programs, with the ability to identify and elevate high‑risk or sensitive cases. Proven ability to partner cross‑functionally with HR, Legal, Payroll, Benefits, Disability, and Workers' Compensation teams to deliver an integrated absence, accommodations, and return‑to‑work experience. Strong analytical mindset with experience using data and reporting to identify trends, support compliance, and drive continuous improvement in leave management processes. To view the full job description, please click here. We are committed to providing competitive compensation, perks, and a culture that supports your well‑being. Benefits depend on your work category and may include medical and dental coverage, 401k plans, profit sharing, pet insurance, company holidays, access to an employee wine shop, and more! Additional information will be provided before your first interview. The Fine Print The Company does not sponsor for employment‑based visas for this position now or in the future. Actual compensation paid within the range will be determined by factors such as the education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data. In addition to the salary, this position may be eligible for bonuses, incentive plans, or participate in tasting room tip pools, as applicable. This position will be based in the location(s) specified in the job posting and requires working on‑site with no telecommuting option. You will be expected to live within a commutable distance. It is the Company's policy for job postings to be open to internal candidates for a minimum of 5 days and to external candidates, if applicable, for a minimum of 3 days. Gallo's policy is to afford equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and not to discriminate on the basis of race, traits associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles (such as braids, locks, and twists), color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law (including cancer and predisposing genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, familial status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation (actual or perceived), transgender status, sex stereotyping, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, reproductive health decision making, age, military or veteran status, domestic violence or sexual assault victim status, or any other basis protected by applicable law. Nor will Gallo discriminate based on a perception that an individual has any of the foregoing characteristics or is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics. Gallo will comply with state and local laws prohibiting discrimination for lawful out‑of‑work behavior, such as off‑duty use of cannabis away from the workplace (subject to federal and state law exceptions), the existence of non‑psychoactive cannabis metabolites in hair, blood, urine, or other bodily fluids as determined by a drug screening test (subject to federal and state law exceptions). We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Gallo is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please let us know at View phone number on click.appcast.io. Gallo is enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security's E‑Verify program and will use the program to verify the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees as required. Helping all candidates find great careers is our goal. The information you provide here is secure and confidential. We are now directing you to the original job posting. Please apply directly for this job at the employer’s website. #J-18808-Ljbffr GALLO