Leaves & Accommodation Specialist

About Wright Service Corp:

Wright Service Corp. is a prominent leader in several environmental services industries, providing integrated vegetation management, forest management and reforestation, technology solutions, environmental and agricultural sustainability consulting, commercial environmental services, residential and commercial landscaping, tree care, interior plantscaping, and other outdoor and indoor services.

The Wright family of companies includes Wright Tree Service®, Wright Outdoor Solutions®, Eocene Environmental Group℠, Eocene Environmental Group of the West, Wright Tree Service of the West, Wright Tree Service of Puerto Rico, Wright Canada Holdings, and commonly seen brands, such as Spectrum Resource Group, ArborCare and Verdure Elements.

Wright Service Corp. has been employee-owned since 2002 and headquartered in Central Iowa since 1933, when Wright Tree Service was founded by John L. Wright.

Job Summary: The Leaves & Accommodation Specialist is responsible for the administration and coordination of employee leaves of absence, workplace accommodation, and return-to-work cases. This position serves as a subject matter expert for federal, state, and local leave requirements and provides advanced guidance regarding leaves and the interactive accommodation process, including other Company leave policies.

The Leaves and Accommodation Specialist partners closely with employees, managers, Human Resources, Benefits, Legal, Payroll, third-party leave administrators, and other internal stakeholders to ensure leaves and accommodations are administered consistently, timely, and in accordance with applicable laws and Company policies. This position manages complex and escalated cases involving overlapping leave laws, return-to-work restrictions, extended and intermittent leaves, workplace accommodations, disability benefits, and state or local leave requirements.

Leaves Administration:

• Administer and oversee employee leave programs, including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), state and local family and medical leaves, military leave, parental leave, short-term disability, long-term disability, and other Company leave programs.
• Serve as the primary contact for complex or sensitive leave cases and provide guidance to employees, managers, HR Business Partners, and Benefits team members.
• Coordinate leave administration with third-party administrators and insurance carriers, monitoring cases and resolving discrepancies, delays, and escalations.
• Evaluate interactions among federal, state, local, and Company leave programs to ensure leaves are properly coordinated.
• Review leave documentation and employee eligibility to ensure appropriate application of Company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor employees approaching exhaustion of FMLA, disability, or other protected leave and coordinate appropriate next steps.
• Coordinate return-to-work activities, including review of work restrictions, fitness-for-duty documentation, transitional work considerations, and potential accommodations.
• Partner with Payroll and Benefits to ensure appropriate benefit deductions, payroll treatment, paid time off usage, and benefit continuation during leaves.
• Maintain accurate leave and accommodation records in Workday and applicable vendor systems.
• Conduct routine audits of leave cases and vendor administration to promote accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
• Support, actively participate, and act in accordance with Wright’s culture of safety and employee ownership.
• Comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations; maintains knowledge of and follows all company policies and procedures.
• Maintain regular and punctual attendance at work and meetings.

ADA, Workplace Accommodation, and Return-to-Work Administration:

• Serve as a subject matter expert on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), reasonable accommodations, and the interactive process.
• Independently manage complex ADA accommodation cases from initial request through determination, implementation, monitoring, and closure.
• Lead the interactive process with employees and management, including identification of essential job functions, functional limitations, potential accommodations, and alternative accommodations.
• Evaluate medical documentation and determine when additional information or clarification is appropriate and legally permissible.
• Partner with managers and HR to determine whether proposed accommodations are reasonable and effective and whether they present operational or undue-hardship concerns.
• Manage accommodation considerations involving temporary or permanent work restrictions, modified duties, modified schedules, remote work, reassignment, assistive equipment, intermittent absences, and extended leave.
• Provide guidance concerning medical inquiries, return-to-work documentation, fitness-for-duty requirements, and confidentiality of employee medical information.
• Maintain detailed documentation of the interactive process, accommodation decisions, and supporting rationale.

Compliance & Program Support:

• Maintain advanced working knowledge of the ADA/ADAAA, FMLA, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), applicable state and local leave laws, and related employment requirements.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting leaves and workplace accommodations and recommend updates to policies and procedures.
• Assist with the development and maintenance of leave and accommodation policies, standard operating procedures, forms, templates, and employee and manager communications.
• Identify opportunities to improve leave administration, employee experience, compliance controls, and vendor performance.
• Support training for managers and internal stakeholders regarding leave administration, ADA accommodations, and return-to-work requirements.
• Maintain the confidentiality of medical and employee information.

Other Duties:

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Ability Requirements:

• Advanced knowledge of the ADA/ADAAA and demonstrated experience independently managing the ADA interactive process and complex workplace accommodations.
• Advanced knowledge of FMLA and its interaction with the ADA, disability programs, workers' compensation, paid time off, and state and local leave laws.
• Advanced working knowledge of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and all other applicable state and local leave laws
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex leave and accommodation situations involving overlapping legal and policy requirements.
• Ability to interpret medical restrictions and translate functional limitations into discussions regarding essential job functions and potential accommodations.
• Strong judgment and ability to recognize situations requiring escalation to HR leadership or Legal.
• Experience working with third-party leave administrators, disability carriers, and other leave vendors.
• Strong case-management, organizational, analytical, documentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage a high-volume caseload while meeting regulatory and internal deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex leave and accommodation requirements to employees and managers.
• Ability to handle confidential medical and employee information with discretion.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and enterprise HRIS or leave-management systems.

Education, Certification & Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Minimum of three years of progressive experience administering employee leaves, disability programs, workplace accommodations, including experience independently handling complex cases.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience administering FMLA and ADA accommodation cases required.

Other Preferred Requirements:

• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish preferred, with the ability to communicate effectively with employees regarding leave, disability, and accommodation matters.
• Experience administering leave programs across multiple states strongly preferred.
• Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS) or similar designation preferred.
• Experience working with a third-party leave administrator or disability carrier strongly preferred.
• Workday experience preferred.

Benefit Summary:

Full-Time employees within Wright Service Corp are eligible for the following:

• Medical (HDHP & PPO), Dental, and Vision
• 401k and 401k match
• ESOP (Employee Ownership Program)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick, Floating Holidays)
• Paid Parental & Family Care Leave
• Company Paid STD, LTD, and Life Insurance
• Paid Volunteer Time
• And More...

Learn more at www.thewrightbenefits.com

Wright Service Corp. employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

https://wrightservicecorp.com/privacy-policy