GDI - Benefits & Leave Specialist

Great Day Improvements - Benefits & Leave Specialist - Twinsburg, OH

Location: Twinsburg, OH

Job-Type: Hybrid, 3 days on-site 
Salary Range: $70,000–$75,000 annually
FLSA Status: Exempt

Great Day Improvements is seeking an experienced Benefits & Leave Specialist to join our Human Resources team. This role will serve as the day-to-day owner and subject matter resource for employee leave administration while also supporting the broader benefits function.

You will independently manage employee leave cases from initial intake through return to work and case closure, ensuring leaves are administered accurately, consistently, and in compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. This role is ideal for someone who understands the complexity of leave administration, can confidently navigate overlapping leave and disability programs, and brings both strong attention to detail and a thoughtful employee-service mindset.

Leave Administration

• Independently manage the full lifecycle of employee leaves, including FMLA, ADA/reasonable accommodations, state and local paid and unpaid leave, paid sick leave, personal and military leave, disability-related leave, and other protected leaves from initial intake through return to work and case closure.
• Determine eligibility, qualifying reasons, applicable protections, concurrent leave requirements, notices, certifications, recertifications, designation, intermittent or reduced-schedule leave, entitlement exhaustion, extensions, and return-to-work requirements.
• Coordinate complex and overlapping leave programs, including FMLA, ADA, state/local leave, STD/LTD, workers' compensation, company leave, and PTO/FTO, while tracking leave balances, documentation deadlines, extensions, and return-to-work dates.
• Partner with HR, managers, payroll, disability carriers, workers' compensation partners, and other stakeholders to ensure leave entitlement, pay, benefits continuation, job protection, work restrictions, light duty, transitional work, and accommodation requirements are administered correctly.
• Manage the return-to-work process, including fitness-for-duty documentation, restrictions, accommodations, transitional work, leave extensions, and final case closure.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employees throughout the leave process, providing clear, timely, empathetic communication regarding rights, responsibilities, documentation, deadlines, pay, benefits, and return-to-work expectations.
• Maintain accurate, confidential, and audit-ready records within the HRIS and leave management systems; independently resolve routine and complex cases and escalate high-risk or legally complex matters as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain leave procedures, forms, employee communications, manager guidance, and standard operating procedures.

Benefits, Systems & Open Enrollment

• Support day-to-day benefits administration, including enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, eligibility changes, benefit records, deductions, invoices, carrier files, and employee inquiries.
• Partner with payroll to ensure benefit deductions, elections, and leave-related pay are accurate and appropriately coordinated.
• Maintain benefit and leave plans, eligibility rules, and event processing within ADP Workforce Now or a comparable HRIS; audit system data and troubleshoot enrollment, eligibility, file-feed, and integration issues.
• Support integrations and file feeds between the HRIS and benefit carriers, COBRA, FSA/HSA, disability, leave, retirement, and other third-party vendors.
• Assist with system testing, validation, configuration changes, and implementation of system updates.
• Support annual open enrollment, including system setup and testing, employee communications and FAQs, enrollment monitoring, issue resolution, election validation, and carrier transmission files.

Compliance, Reporting & Employee Support

• Support compliance with federal, state, and local benefits and leave requirements, including FMLA, ADA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA, and applicable state and local leave laws.
• Prepare benefits and leave reports, audits, annual filings, required notices, and data for internal stakeholders and external vendors.
• Maintain process documentation and standard operating procedures to support consistent, compliant administration.
• Educate employees and managers on benefit options, leave rights and responsibilities, enrollment processes, and system navigation while providing professional, confidential, and empathetic support.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field strong preferred.
• 2–5+ years of benefits administration experience, including hands-on leave of absence case management.
• Working knowledge of FMLA, ADA/reasonable accommodation requirements, and state and local leave laws, including experience administering leave across multiple states.
• Hands-on experience administering benefits and leave within ADP Workforce Now or a comparable HRIS platform.
• Strong understanding of benefits and leave compliance requirements, including FMLA, ADA, ERISA, ACA, COBRA, and HIPAA.
• Experience working with benefit carriers, disability vendors, leave administrators, workers' compensation partners, and other third-party vendors.
• Knowledge of payroll processes related to benefit deductions and leave pay, along with experience with file feeds, EDI transmissions, integrations, or system testing.
• Familiarity with ACA reporting and compliance processes.
• Strong Excel, reporting, data-analysis, organizational, and time-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the judgment, empathy, discretion, and attention to detail required to manage sensitive employee situations.
• Ability to independently manage multiple active cases and deadlines while collaborating effectively across HR and the broader organization.

Preferred

• Professional certification such as CLMS, CEBS, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP.
• Strong hands-on experience with ADP Workforce Now.
• Experience managing complex or overlapping leave, disability, workers' compensation, and accommodation cases.

GDI is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

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