Benefits & Leave Administrator
Our agency represents a well-established organization to identify a skilled Benefits & Leave Administrator to join their People & Culture team. This role is ideal for an HR professional who thrives in a service-oriented environment and enjoys supporting employees through key moments of their work and life journey. You’ll oversee core benefit programs and manage leave of absence cases with care, accuracy, and full regulatory compliance.
This position offers the opportunity to support a large, multi-state workforce and play a meaningful role in enhancing the employee experience through responsive communication, reliable execution, and process improvement.
Role Overview
The Benefits & Leave Administrator will manage day-to-day leave of absence processes and employee benefits programs for a diverse employee population, including a significant hourly workforce. Acting as a subject matter resource, this individual partners closely with an external leave administration provider, benefits carriers, and internal People & Culture and Payroll colleagues. Success in this role requires strong organization, discretion, empathy, and the ability to navigate sensitive situations with professionalism.
Key Responsibilities
Leave of Absence Management
- Coordinate the full lifecycle of employee leaves, including FMLA, state family and medical leaves (e.g., CFRA), short- and long-term disability, personal leaves, military leave, workers’ compensation overlaps, and parental leave.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for employees and managers regarding leave policies, eligibility, required documentation, timelines, and return-to-work expectations.
- Partner with the external leave administration provider to ensure timely case updates, documentation accuracy, and issue resolution.
- Maintain detailed records of all leave activity, track job-protected time usage, and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
- Work with leaders on workplace accommodations, restricted duty cases, and complex leave scenarios to help guide compliant and consistent decision-making.
- Support continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to streamline leave processes, enhance communication tools, or refine documentation.
Benefits Administration
- Administer employee benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability plans, retirement plans (401k), and wellness offerings across multiple states.
- Process enrollments, qualifying life event changes, and separations in the HRIS system, ensuring alignment with payroll deductions and carrier data.
- Serve as a resource for employee questions and provide clear, supportive guidance on plan options, eligibility, and enrollment steps.
- Assist with benefit-related events such as new hire orientation, open enrollment, and employee education initiatives.
- Coordinate with external vendors and carriers to troubleshoot escalated issues, confirm accurate file feeds, and maintain strong working relationships.
Additional Responsibilities
- Stay informed of evolving benefits and leave legislation (e.g., FMLA, ADA, CFRA, PFL, USERRA, ACA, COBRA) and assist in keeping internal practices compliant.
- Support required reporting, audits, notices, and recordkeeping responsibilities.
- Partner with cross-functional teams on projects that advance the People & Culture experience and improve self-service tools and employee understanding.
- Maintain a high degree of confidentiality and professionalism when handling sensitive information.
Qualifications & Experience
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or a related field — or equivalent work experience.
- 4+ years of hands-on experience administering employee benefits and/or leave programs, including California leave requirements.
- Experience supporting a multi-state employee population; previous exposure to organizations with 2,000+ employees is helpful.
- Proficiency with Workday or a similar HRIS is strongly preferred; experience working with external leave administration vendors is beneficial.
- Strong communication and service mindset, with the ability to handle sensitive and emotional situations with empathy and clarity.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple cases and deadlines simultaneously.
- Professional HR certifications (PHR, SHRM-CP) are a plus.
Work Environment
- Role requires extended periods of computer work and the ability to move throughout the workday as needed.
- Occasional travel may be required.
If you are a dedicated HR professional who enjoys supporting employees through important life events and ensuring they feel informed, cared for, and guided, we encourage you to apply. Our team looks forward to connecting with qualified candidates and sharing more about this opportunity and the company behind it.
The Benefits and Leave Administrator will be based onsite in the Orange County office.
This is a full time / salary position: $80-87k w/ benefits