Senior/Lead Leave Specialist

C3035 Unum Group; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 40,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Vision

Dental

Disability insurance

Generous PTO

401(k) match

Mental health support

Career advancement

Student loan repayment

Tuition reimbursement

Flexible work environment

Job summary

Unum in Chattanooga, TN seeks a Senior Leave Specialist to manage FMLA and 100+ state regulations across multiple customers and systems. The role requires independent judgment, strong regulatory knowledge, and relationship management with employees and Employer contacts.

You will mentor newer staff, contribute to special projects, and collaborate with Benefits Center and other teams to ensure accurate leave processing and compliance.

Qualifications

• 4-year degree or equivalent or related experience preferred.
• Minimum 1 year of FMLA/State leave administration experience required.
• Strong interpersonal and customer relationship skills.
• Proficiency with Windows, Word, and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Complete processing of new leaves and all daily follow-ups.
• Determine eligibility and availability of leave time for each employee.
• Determine and generate communications to comply with FMLA and state regulations.
• Review medical certifications and other documentation; consult with Nurse Case Manager as needed.
• Independently determine appropriate status of leave under FMLA and applicable rules.
• Communicate medical/absence information with other internal units.
• Manage leave through duration, reporting status to Employer and employees.
• Develop relationships with Employer contacts and HR administrators.
• Respond to leave questions and issues from employees or Employer contacts.
• Mentor new employees and assist team on complex issues.

Skills

FMLA/State leave administration

Customer relationship skills

Navilink

Education

4-year degree or similar experience

Tools

Navilink

Job description

Job Posting End Date: November 30 When you join the team at Unum, you become part of an organization committed to helping you thrive. Here, we work to provide the employee benefits and service solutions that enable employees at our client companies to thrive throughout life’s moments. And this starts with ensuring that every one of our team members enjoys opportunities to succeed both professionally and personally.

To enable this, we provide:

• Award-winning culture
• Inclusion and diversity as a priority
• Performance Based Incentive Plans
• Competitive benefits package that includes:
• Health
• Vision
• Dental
• Short & Long-Term Disability
• Generous PTO (including paid time to volunteer!)
• Up to 9.5% 401(k) employer contribution
• Mental health support
• Career advancement opportunities
• Student loan repayment options
• Tuition reimbursement
• Flexible work environments

With 10,000 employees helping more than 39 million people worldwide, every role at Unum is meaningful and impacts the lives of our customers. Whether you’re directly supporting a growing family, or developing online tools to help navigate a difficult loss, customers are counting on the combined talents of our entire team. Help us help others,

General Summary:

Senior Representatives are responsible for technical expertise (FMLA and 100+ state regulations), complex processing of leaves and reporting for multiple customers on multiple systems. The leave specialist must exercise a high level of independent judgment and critical thinking in decision making, and be fully versed on the FMLA, applicable state leave laws as well customer specific processing requirements. They play a key role in the ongoing relationship management with employees requesting leaves and their Employer contacts and as a mentor to newer employees. They must demonstrate a partnership with other business areas (Benefits Center, Contact Center, Intake, etc.).

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Complete processing of new leaves and complete all daily follow-ups assigned
• Determine eligibility and availability of leave time for each employee requesting leave
• Determine and generate appropriate communications to comply with FMLA and State regulations and customer procedures
• Review medical certifications and other documentation submitted; consult with Nurse Case Manager and IME unit if needed
• Independently determine appropriate status of leave under FMLA, state, and applicable Corporate protections taking into consideration regulatory requirements, company-specific requirements, and analysis of documentation received (medical, legal, etc.)
• Communicate medical or absence information with other internal units (STD, Intake)
• Manage leave through duration, reporting status to Employer, employee and other internal units
• Develop relationships with Employer contacts, including HR administrators
• Respond to leave questions and issues from employees or Employer contacts
• Contributes as a subject matter expert in business and systems (Navilink)
• Acts as a mentor to new employees and is able to assist team when needed on complex service issues
• Ability to represent the LMC on special projects as needed
• Performs system demonstrations to prospective/current customers as needed
• Participates in new business implementation issues
• May perform other duties as assigned

Job Specifications

• 4-year degree or similar experience preferred
• Minimum 1 year of experience with FMLA/State leave administration required
• Mastery of the key accountabilities of the FMLA Rep. position
• Strong interpersonal skills and customer relationship skills
• Strong business communication skills (telephone, e-mail, written)
• Knowledge of Windows; general keyboard and computer skills (Word, Excel)
• Attention to detail and organizational skills; Decision making and analytical skills
• Consistently demonstrates a high level of professionalism and excellent performance
• Completion of at least two industry-related courses leading to professional designation
• Successful completion of the mentorship certification program as available ~IN1 #LI-TS2

Unum and Colonial Life are part of Unum Group, a Fortune 500 company and leading provider of employee benefits to companies worldwide. Headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, with international offices in Ireland, Poland and the UK, Unum also has significant operations in Portland, ME - plus over 35 US field offices. Colonial Life is headquartered in Columbia, SC, with over 40 field offices nationwide.

Unum is an equal opportunity employer, considering all qualified applicants and employees for hiring, placement, and advancement, without regard to a person's race, color, religion, national origin, age, genetic information, military status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or protected veteran status.

The base salary range for applicants for this position is listed below. Unless actual salary is indicated above in the job description, actual pay will be based on skill, geographical location and experience. $40,000.00-$75,600.00

Additionally, Unum offers a portfolio of benefits and rewards that are competitive and comprehensive including healthcare benefits (health, vision, dental), insurance benefits (short & long-term disability), performance-based incentive plans, paid time off, and a 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match up to 5% and an additional 4.5% contribution whether you contribute to the plan or not. All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of individual Plans.

Company: Unum

At Unum Group, we’re a Fortune 500 company and leading international provider of workplace benefits and services, helping workers and their families thrive for more than 175 years. Through our Unum and Colonial Life brands, our company offers disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision insurance; leave and absence management support; and behavioral health services. Our 10,000+ employees work across operations in the US, UK and Poland, as well as our dedicated Technology Centre in Ireland. Unum Group is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for any applicant with a disability. If you are disabled and need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or hiring process,