Director, Leave Management (Full time, Hybrid)

Job Title: Director of Leave Management (Full time, Hybrid)

Department: Human Resources- Benefits, Leave and Retirement

Location: 100 Kings Highway South Rochester, NY 14617  

This is a hybrid position with approximately 3 days on site dependent upon the meetings scheduled weekly.

Hours Per Week: 40 hours per week

Schedule: 08:30am-5:00pm

Position Summary:

The position is a senior leader within Total Rewards responsible for the enterprise strategy and performance of workers’ compensation, leave administration, disability coordination, workplace accommodations, and injury prevention. This role integrates occupational and non-occupational absence p

rograms into a unified Total Cost of Absence framework focused on reducing cost volatility, strengthening return-to-work outcomes, and improving workforce productivity.
The position provides strategic oversight to operational leaders, drives data-informed decision making, and is accountable for measurable reduction in absence-related cost and sustained improvement in return-to-work performance.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Enterprise Strategy & Cost Management
• Develop and execute a comprehensive enterprise absence strategy aligned with financial and workforce objectives.
• Identify cost drivers and systemic trends; design targeted interventions to reduce lost time and claim duration.
• Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to Benefits leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Establish multi-year roadmaps for prevention, return-to-work optimization, and cost stabilization.

Workers’ Compensation & Injury Prevention
• Provide strategic oversight of the enterprise workers’ compensation program, including claim performance, reserve trends, litigation exposure, and vendor effectiveness.
• Lead and develop the Injury Prevention Manager and team, establishing priorities aligned with injury reduction and lost-time prevention.
• Drive enterprise injury prevention strategy in partnership with Safety and Operations.
• Partner with Finance and Risk Management on budgeting, forecasting, and insurance strategy.
• Oversee return-to-work and transitional duty programs to reduce indemnity duration and recurrence.
• Govern third-party administrators and vendors through performance standards and financial accountability.

Leave, Disability & Policy Governance
• Oversee enterprise administration and strategy for FMLA, ADA accommodations, short- and long-term disability, and statutory leave programs.
• Provide strategic oversight of sick leave and attendance policy design and utilization trends.
• Ensure consistent policy application and regulatory compliance across multi-state operations.
• Coordinate with Workforce Technology, Payroll, and Benefits to ensure seamless benefit integration and pay accuracy.

Analytics & Performance Management
• Establish enterprise dashboards and KPIs measuring absence rates, claim duration, recurrence, and financial impact.
• Translate data into measurable operational improvements and ROI outcomes.
• Conduct periodic performance reviews of programs and vendors.

Operational Leadership & Governance
• Provide strategic direction to operational leaders overseeing workers’ compensation and leave administration.
• Establish enterprise standards and service expectations.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration across HR, Legal, Finance, Safety, and Operations.
• Champion a culture of early intervention, injury prevention, and safe return-to-work practices. Ensure regulatory compliance with ADA, FMLA, workers’ compensation, and applicable state and federal leave laws.
• Promote accountability across business units for injury trends and return-to-work outcomes.

PEOPLE Leadership:
• Effectively recruits and retains talent for continuous support of aligned business areas.
• Fosters a team-based environment that collaborates across multiple disciplines to focus on continuous improvement and engagement.
• Monitors and recognizes performance of people and supports people in professional development.
• Supports workplace well-being and workplace safety.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Master’s degree (MBA, MHA, or related field).
• Healthcare or complex multi-site employer experience.
• Experience integrating safety and HR absence strategies.
• Proficiency with HRIS and analytics platforms.
• Professional certifications such as SPHR, SHRM-SCP, ARM, or WCP.
• Demonstrated leadership of multi-site or enterprise-wide programs with measurable cost improvement strongly needed.
• Strong analytical background and experience translating data into operational change.
• Deep knowledge of workers’ compensation, FMLA, ADA, disability coordination, and multi-state compliance requirements.
• Experience managing third-party administrators and vendor relationships.

MINIMAL QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Risk Management, Healthcare Administration, or a related field required.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in workers’ compensation, leave administration, disability management, or enterprise absence programs required.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in workers’ compensation analytics required.

EDUCATION:

LICENSES / CERTIFICATIONS: 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

S - Sedentary Work - Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

For disease specific care programs refer to the program specific requirements of the department for further specifications on experience and educational expectations, including continuing education requirements.

Any physical requirements reported by a prospective employee and/or employee’s physician or delegate will be considered for accommodations.

PAY RANGE:

$100,000.00 - $140,000.00Rochester14617

The listed base pay range is a good faith representation of current potential base pay for a successful full time applicant. It may be modified in the future and eligible for additional pay components. Pay is determined by factors including experience, relevant qualifications, specialty, internal equity, location, and contracts.

Rochester Regional Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital or familial status, military or veteran status, citizenship or immigration status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.