Specialist, Accommodation, ADA, and Leave Senior

University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB); Baltimore (MD); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Paid time off

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Tuition remission

Professional development

Job summary

UMB’s Office of Human Resources – Employee and Labor Relations seeks a Senior Accommodations, ADA, and Leave Specialist (Contractual, CII) to manage ADA accommodations, PWFA, and leave programs for faculty and staff. This role leads interactive dialogue, reviews documentation, and ensures compliant resolutions while coordinating with Leave Management and HR partners.

The position offers hybrid work at 620 W.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, industrial/organizational psychology, rehabilitation counseling, public administration, disability studies, law, or a related field.
• Four (4) years of experience administering workplace accommodation with interactive process in a complex employer setting.
• Experience in higher education, academic medical center, healthcare, or government is preferred.
• Substitution rules: 30 undergraduate credits equal one year of experience; specific education/experience substitutions allowed.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary confidential case manager for workplace accommodation requests (ADA/PWFA/Title VII).
• Lead interactive dialogue with employees, supervisors, and leadership to identify and implement accommodations.
• Coordinate and conduct periodic accommodation reassessments with updated medical documentation.
• Manage leave as a reasonable accommodation, coordinating PFML and FMLA, sick leave, and related benefits.
• Maintain audit-ready confidential case files per EEOC requirements.

Skills

ADA accommodations

Leave management

Case management

HR policies

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field

Tools

Microsoft 365

Oracle HRIS

Job description

Job Description

Position Title

Contractual (CII) – Senior Accommodations, ADA, and Leave Specialist

Department

Office of Human Resources – Employee and Labor Relations

Reports To

Leave Management and Employee Relations Administrator

Location

620 W. Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD (hybrid eligible per UMB Telework Policy)

BENEFITS: CONTRACTUAL (CONTINGENT CATEGORY II)

UMB offers a competitive benefits package for Contingent Employment that includes Healthcare Assistance for CII employees. In addition, CII employees receive a generous leave package that includes ten (10) days of annual leave, five (5) days of sick leave, three (3) days of personal leave, and ten (10) holidays, subsidized comprehensive health insurance and supplemental retirement options; professional learning and development programs; limited tuition remission for employees enrolled at UMB; life insurance and long-term disability. Leave balances are awarded at the beginning of the contract year and can be used only during the duration of the contract period.

Responsibilities

ADA & ACCOMMODATIONS — 50%

• Serve as primary confidential case manager for workplace accommodation requests from UMB faculty, staff, and applicants, including ADA/ADAAA disability accommodations, PWFA pregnancy-related accommodations, and Title VII religious accommodations, as well as escalated and high-complexity matters.
• Conduct individualized assessments by reviewing accommodation request forms, supporting documentation (medical, religious, or other as applicable), and essential job functions; engage health care providers or other relevant sources for clarification when appropriate and within the bounds of permissible inquiry.
• Correctly interpret and apply appropriate legal and compliance standards when evaluating requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
• Lead the interactive dialogue with employees, supervisors, deans, department chairs, Faculty Affairs, and HR Representatives to identify and implement reasonable accommodations. Advise supervisors, HR representatives, and School/Unit leadership on accommodation strategy, performance management of employees with disabilities or other accommodation needs, return-to-work planning, and fitness-for-duty considerations. Serves as a liaison regarding the intake of leave-related ADA accommodation requests for faculty and staff.
• Draft and issue timely, accurate, and legally compliant accommodation resolutions and reassessment determinations based on the facts, documentation reviewed, interactive process discussions, and applicable legal requirements.
• Coordinate and conduct periodic and as-needed accommodation reassessments, including the review of updated medical documentation, operational impacts, and accommodation effectiveness and communicate outcomes in a timely manner.
• Manage cases in which leave functions as a reasonable accommodation, coordinating closely with Leave Management on PFML and/or FMLA, sick and safe leave, supplemental leave programs, workers’ compensation, and disability benefits.
• Maintain confidential, audit-ready case files in accordance with EEOC recordkeeping requirements and UMB data governance policies; ensure medical and other sensitive supporting documentation is stored separately from personnel records.
• Monitor implemented accommodations, schedule periodic reviews, and reopen the interactive process when circumstances change.

LEAVE MANAGEMENT — 35%

• Coordinates the intake, record keeping, and timely communication of all leave-related requests and/or relevant modified work schedules for faculty and staff; serves as a liaison regarding the intake of leave; independently approves or denies leave requests based on documentation and policy. Assists Campus end users with leave inquiries and leave reconciliations.
• Provides effective guidance to management and employees in response to questions regarding the interface between accrued paid leave, leaves of absence, workplace accommodations and relevant policies and procedures. Responsible for gathering and ensuring correct completion of required paperwork, determining paid/unpaid leave eligibility, designating leave as PFML and/or FMLA-qualifying and designating other appropriate leave categories as needed, requesting medical certification as needed and identifying any impact of leave usage.
• Coordinates the return-to-work process for employees returning from extended PFML and/or FMLA, workers compensation, or other leave requiring return-to-work documentation.
• Reviews leave payout and leave adjustments, ensures accuracy and that transactions are processed in accordance with system and applicable authority. Administers and maintains leave accounts to verify accuracy of transactions and uniform application of payroll policies, procedures, and acceptable standards.
• Collaborates with Payroll and Benefits teams to ensure accurate coordination of leave-related pay and benefits when applicable, and works with colleagues in HRS, Risk Management and Office of the Controller to address inquiries related to employee health and welfare benefits, leave usage and timesheet issues.

INTEGRATED ADA/ACCOMMODATIONS & LEAVE PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES — 15%

• Maintain accurate accommodation, ADA, and Leave Management case data in UMB systems; recommend and help implement enhancements to intake forms, tracking, and reporting across all accommodation types.
• Interpret and apply applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and University System of Maryland (USM) policies governing employee accommodations, ADA, and Leave Management, including medical and non-medical leaves of absence, and related employment matters.
• Recommend updates to UMB accommodation policies, standard operating procedures, forms, and request workflows for ADA, PWFA, religious accommodations, Leave Management; support implementation of changes HR systems based on regulatory developments, EEOC guidance, OCR letters of finding, and relevant case law across all accommodation frameworks, and new and/or changing legislation related to all forms of leave.
• Provide training and resource materials for managers, HR representatives, and faculty leadership on the full range of accommodation obligations — ADA, PWFA, religious, and related — and on the interactive process and inclusion practices; assist with the development and delivery of training to educate faculty, staff, HR representatives, and payroll representatives on leave policies, procedures, and processes.
• Generates, analyzes, and maintains data metrics and reports on leave management programs, performs audits, and makes recommendations for process improvements, and assists with coordinating and implementing appropriate actions; produces regular on case volume, time-to-resolution, accommodation types and outcomes, and trends.
• Participate in cross-campus and USM working groups on disability, leave, religious accommodation, and accessibility matters; contribute to special projects.
• Performs other duties and/or projects as assigned.

Qualifications

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in human resources, industrial/organizational psychology, rehabilitation counseling, public administration, disability studies, law, or a related field.

EXPERIENCE: Four (4) years of experience in administering workplace accommodation and involving an interactive process in a complex employer setting. Prior experience in higher education, academic medical center, healthcare, or government experience is strongly preferred.

OTHER: Except for qualifications established by law, additional related experience and formal education in which one has gained the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for full performance of the work of the job class may be substituted for the education or experience requirement on a year-for-year basis with 30 undergraduate college credits being equivalent to one year of related experience. In instances where specific education and/or experience is required only directly related education and/or experience may be substituted.

Preferred Qualifications

• Progressively responsible experience in leave program administration, leave management functions, processing, or interpretation is preferred.
• Experience drafting legally compliant accommodation determinations, analyses, and supporting documentation across multiple accommodation frameworks.
• Demonstrated case management experience administering leaves of absence and ADA accommodation requests, and proven ability to manage a substantial active caseload independently while maintaining quality, timeliness, and confidentiality, including the ability to deal with confidential information.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, particularly MS Excel; experience with HRIS platforms (Oracle preferred), case management tools, and leave tracking software, and the ability to learn HRIS and case management systems.
• Master’s degree, or equivalent advanced credential, preferred.
• Professional certification such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR, ADA Coordinator Certification (ADACC), or Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).
• Experience supporting both faculty and staff populations, including in a unionized environment with collective bargaining considerations preferred.
• Experience supporting accommodations in clinical, laboratory, or research-intensive settings.
• Experience handling religious accommodation requests, including dress and grooming, scheduling, and observance-related matters.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Working knowledge of, and experience applying, Title I of the ADA, ADAAA, Section 504, PWFA, Title VII religious accommodation obligations, FMLA, regulatory and legislative requirements of employee leave programs, and the interplay between leave and accommodation programs.
• Working knowledge of Maryland state employment, leave management, and disability law and how to apply applicable policies.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including strong public speaking skills and the ability to translate legal, medical, and religious-belief considerations for non-specialist audiences with sensitivity.
• Sophisticated judgment and a high level of discretion in ambiguous, high-stakes situations involving competing regulatory, legal, operational, and human considerations.
• Skill in conducting individualized assessments, including medical inquiry analysis, essential function review, sincerely-held belief considerations, and identification of effective alternatives.
• Ability to build trust quickly with employees in distress, with managers under pressure, and with senior leaders; ability to work collaboratively and foster effective relationships with a broad range of constituents to include administrators, faculty, staff, employees, and union leaders.
• Ability to engage respectfully with employees across a wide range of religions, beliefs, and lived experiences.
• Demonstrated strong analytical, problem solving, organizational, priority setting, and time management skills with the ability to identify and evaluate problems, balance and achieve multiple priorities, manage multiple active cases without compromising quality or timeliness, and devise timely and effective solutions in a fast-paced work environment.
• Ability to identify basic problems and procedural irregularities, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to demonstrate, understand, apply, and adhere to the UMB Core Values of Respect and Integrity, Well-being and Sustainability, Equity and Justice, and Innovation and Discovery.

Working Conditions

This position operates in a professional office environment with the possibility of a hybrid remote work flexibility consistent with the UMB Telework Policy. The role involves regular review of sensitive medical and personnel information and frequent interaction with employees, supervisors, and senior leaders. Reasonable accommodation is available to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.

About Us

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is Maryland’s public health, law, and human services university. Six professional schools and the interdisciplinary Graduate School confer the majority of health care, human services, and law professional degrees in Maryland each year.

Our goal is to support the University’s mission of education, research, clinical care, and public service by amplifying UMB’s voice as a thought and action leader, and to enhance goodwill in the communities and people with whom we engage. UMB is a public university and constituent institution of the University System of Maryland. All employees are expected to work primarily physically within the State of Maryland.

UMB is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce and is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, ancestry or national origin, sex, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, protected veteran's status, or any other legally protected classification.

If you anticipate needing a reasonable accommodation for a disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), during any part of the employment process, please submit a UMB Job Applicant Accommodation Request . You may also contact [e-mail]. Please note that only inquiries concerning an ADA request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator. Read the UMB Notice of Non-Discrimination for more information.

Regular and contractual employee are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package