Senior/Lead Leave Specialist

Unum; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision benefits

Dental coverage

PTO

401(k) plan

Tuition reimbursement

Volunteer time off

Job summary

Unum, headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, seeks a Senior Leave Representative to manage FMLA and state leave processing for multiple clients. The role requires independent judgment and mentoring of newer staff, while maintaining strong relationships with employer contacts.

You will handle complex leave determinations, communicate regulatory requirements, and collaborate with Benefits Center, Contact Center, and Intake teams to deliver compliant, timely service.

Qualifications

• 4-year degree or equivalent 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.
• Completion of at least two industry-related courses leading to professional designation.
• Successful completion of the mentorship certification program as available.

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.
• 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.

Skills

FMLA knowledge

Customer service

Communication skills

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Navilink

Job description

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

And that's just the beginning...

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, and join Team Unum today!

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

Company Information

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.

Equal Opportunity Statement

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.

Salary

The base salary range for applica