Director, EDR

University of Wisconsin Madison; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Generous paid time off

Tax-advantaged savings accounts

Job summary

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is seeking a Director of Employee Disability Resources to lead accommodation processes and ensure equitable access within the workplace. This role involves developing strategies that align with legal requirements, overseeing a team, and implementing programs that enhance inclusion and service delivery.

Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this position requires leadership, effective communication, and extensive knowledge in disability services. The successful candidate will be instrumental in fostering a workplace culture that promotes access and inclusivity.

Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in disability services or related fields.
• Proven success in leading teams and managing projects.
• Experience with compliance and legal requirements for accommodations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee case management services for employees.
• Develop and implement accessibility programs.
• Ensure data integrity and manage the EDR team.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Case management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling

Job description

Job Summary

The Employee Disability Resources (EDR) Office, housed within the Office of Human Resources, serves as the university wide resource for employee and job applicant workplace accommodation processes. EDR provides guidance, consultation, education, and referral services to support access and inclusion in compliance with employment‑related federal and state reasonable accommodation laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA‑Title I), Rehabilitation Act, Wisconsin Fair Employment Act, and Pregnant Worker's Fairness Act (PWFA). Through this work, EDR helps identify and remove barriers to employment while promoting equitable participation in the workplace.

The Director is responsible for leading and advancing strategies and operational excellence related to staffing, service delivery, compliance, budgeting, policy interpretation, and case management frameworks. This role ensures institutional practices align with legal requirements, best practices and UW‑Madison's commitment to access, equity, and inclusion. The Director leads efforts to build and maintain strategic partnerships across the university to support reasonable accommodations and multi‑unit collaborations to address accessibility priorities. The EDR Director supervises the EDR team including two Disability Program Coordinator/Employee Accommodation Specialists, four Employee Accommodation Specialists and student help. This leadership role requires developing and maintaining strong partnerships with campus stakeholders to support inclusion across the institution.

This position is housed within the Office of Human Resources and reports to the Executive Director for Total Rewards.

The primary work location for this position is the UW‑Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin. While the role includes an onsite work requirement, there is some flexibility to work remotely from within the state for a portion of the time.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Oversees the full case management of services provided by the EDR office. Consults with employees, disability representatives, managers, supervisors, and campus partners on complex disability and pregnancy‑related employment matters; disseminating rights, responsibilities, and resources (including PWFA); and drafting and analyzing documentation to ensure compliance, demonstrate good faith efforts, and recommend solutions aligned with laws, policies, and best practices.
• Lead and oversees the development and implementation of coordinated programs, initiatives, and projects that support the accommodation process and creates solutions for navigating processes, workflows, internal office projects for operational efficiencies, and institution‑wide projects to address access barriers and operational challenges to support access and inclusion.
• Plans, implements, and monitors disability service eligibility, advising, and delivery of accommodation services.
• Develops and oversees the strategic planning, analysis, and expenditures of the accessibility services program budget.
• Ensures data integrity over the data created and organized through EDR services, and supervises the EDR team to ensure data management and procedures and policies are aligned with institutional responsibilities.
• Develops, interprets, and implements university policy in compliance with federal and state law to ensure equal access to university accessibility programs and services.
• Lead and oversees training strategy and implementation of resources, and develops, delivers and promotes training programs and materials for various stakeholder groups to disseminate accurate information and provide guidance with regards to disability services and pregnancy related accommodations.
• Advocates and collaborates for the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of campus life and promotes a campus philosophy that adheres to universal design principles.
• Serves as the unit liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing organizational information and representing the interests of the unit.
• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full‑time equivalent (FTE) employees.

Department

Located within the Office of Human Resources, the EDR Director is a leader within the Total Rewards portfolio and leads the Employee Disability Resources (EDR) office. The Employee Disability Resources (EDR) office serves as the university‑wide hub for information on disability and pregnancy‑related accommodation processes for employees and job applicants. The EDR office provides essential information, consultation, education, and referral services to help minimize disability‑related barriers in the workplace. The office also offers the same services to employees and job applicants covered under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, including those with limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

Compensation

• Depending on the experience of a successful candidate, the position will pay according to the salary administration guidelines with an absolute maximum pay of $150,000. (The upper level is not negotiable)
• This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax‑advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf.

Required Qualifications

• 5 years of work experience providing case management, vocational rehabilitation, or disability services to individuals with an array of disabilities.
• 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in one or more of the following areas: workplace accommodations, disability services, and vocational rehabilitation for individuals with an array of disabilities.
• Demonstrated success leading teams, including setting strategic direction, and developing staff.
• 5 years of professional work experience managing large‑scale projects related to disability, access, and inclusion.
• 5 years of professional work experience leading or contributing to cross‑functional initiatives in large or complex organizations including collaboration across multiple departments, and stakeholders to build institution‑wide education, awareness, process, and solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals at all organizational levels, including colleagues across the organization, employees across all types of employment, executive leadership, and external partners.
• Demonstrated record as a thoughtful problem‑solver, innovator, and facilitator who works collaboratively to advance accessibility.
• High ethical standards, professional integrity, and commitment to confidentiality with proven success of exercising diplomacy and sound judgment in managing sensitive and confidential information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience providing workplace accommodations for employees and job applicants in higher education, consistent with applicable disability and employment laws.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in multiple languages.
• Experience providing workplace accommodations in complex employment settings with substantially different work environments across the organization and a wide spectrum of roles, including academic, research, clinical, manual labor, administrative, and operational positions.

Education

• Required: Bachelor’s Degree in preferred concentration in Rehabilitation Counseling, Vocational Rehabilitation, Social Work, Counseling or related field.
• Preferred: Master’s degree in preferred concentration in Rehabilitation Counseling, Vocational Rehabilitation, Social Work, Counseling or related field.

EEO Statement

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW‑Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy‑related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre‑employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on‑campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW‑Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.