Senior Benefits Program Manager, Absence Management

📋 Description

• • As a Senior Benefits Program Manager, Absence Management at Zillow Group, you will be at the forefront of designing, implementing, and optimizing our comprehensive leave of absence (LOA) and disability programs. This pivotal role is instrumental in ensuring a world-class employee experience while maintaining rigorous compliance and effective vendor management across our global operations.
• • You will take ownership of key programs including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Short Term Disability (STD), Long Term Disability (LTD), and Parental Leave (Bonding), acting as the central point of contact and subject matter expert.
• • A significant aspect of your role will involve leading and managing our LOA vendors. This includes overseeing their implementation, ensuring day-to-day performance meets our high standards, and driving continuous optimization to deliver exceptional case management and support services to our employees.
• • You will collaborate closely with our Technology teams to configure, maintain, and enhance Workday leave modules. This includes managing critical integrations with third-party vendors, such as file feeds, return files, status automation, and pay triggers, ensuring seamless data flow and operational efficiency.
• • Data analysis and reporting are central to this position. You will be responsible for developing and tracking key metrics related to leave incidence, denial rates, average leave duration, claim types, and accommodation trends. This data will be crucial for identifying areas of improvement and informing strategic decisions.
• • To facilitate data-driven insights, you will build and implement dashboards that provide up-to-date, self-service resources for stakeholders. This empowers teams with timely information to understand program performance and employee needs.
• • You will regularly present reports and actionable insights to senior leadership, making data-driven recommendations to pinpoint patterns, address pain points, and propose strategic enhancements to our LOA programs.
• • A key responsibility is translating complex leave regulations, including state-specific programs, company top-ups, and concurrency rules with FMLA/ADA, into clear system logic and robust testing scenarios to ensure accurate administration.
• • You will manage the self-insured disability pay process, proactively troubleshooting systemic issues that may lead to pay errors or inaccurate leave statuses, and implementing sustainable, long-term solutions. This also involves directly supporting employee inquiries related to disability pay.
• • Ensuring compliance and robust policy governance for all global LOA programs is paramount. You will stay abreast of evolving federal, state, country, and local leave regulations to guarantee ongoing adherence and mitigate risk.
• • Through continuous feedback loops with stakeholders, you will design and prioritize improvements to features, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and process workflows, focusing on enhancing compliance, scalability, and the overall employee-friendliness of our programs.
• • You will work cross-functionally to develop and scale policies and update employee handbooks, ensuring clarity and consistency across the organization.
• • Leading change management and communication strategies for LOA-related initiatives will be essential to ensure smooth transitions and effective adoption of new processes or policies.
• • You will play a vital role in educating managers and employees about LOA program resources, their responsibilities, and how to navigate the leave process effectively.
• • In addition to managing escalated issues, you will provide back-up support to LOA specialists, assisting with day-to-day claims management and resolution, ensuring business continuity and consistent support.
• • This role offers a unique opportunity to shape Zillow's approach to employee wellbeing during critical life events, contributing directly to our company values of wellbeing, belonging, and financial security.