Manager, Leave Programs
Job Description
Overview
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is one of the world’s leading international law firms. The Firm was established in 1884 and has approximately 2,000 lawyers. Headquartered in New York with offices in Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Dallas, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Palo Alto, San Francisco, São Paulo, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., the Firm provides coordinated legal advice and transactional capability to clients around the globe.
The Human Resources Team partners with Firm and functional leaders to attract, develop, support, and retain exceptional talent across the Firm. The team plays a critical role in shaping a collaborative, high-performing organization where employees are empowered to grow, make meaningful contributions, and build long-term, rewarding careers.
Within Human Resources, the Benefits function is responsible for delivering programs that support lawyers and professional staff throughout their careers. The Manager, Leave Programs, leads the strategy, administration, and compliance of the Firm’s leave programs and workplace accommodation processes. In this role, the Manager works closely with the Director of Global Benefits & Wellness, Human Resources Business Partners, Legal Talent and Office of the General Counsel to interpret policy, ensure legal and regulatory compliance, and address complex leave-related matters.
The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in federal, state, and local leave laws and regulations, along with strong program and vendor management capabilities, and a demonstrated ability to balance rigorous compliance with exceptional client experience.
Essential Job Duties & Responsibilities
Leave and Accommodation Management
Oversee and administer all U.S. employee leave of absence programs, including short/long-term disability, parental leave, family leave, workers’ compensation, and other statutory or firm-sponsored leaves, ensuring compliance with firm policy and all federal, state, and local laws.
Oversee compliance with, and coordination of, state disability and paid family leave benefit programs in conjunction with FMLA, state and local leave protections and Firm leave policies.
Monitor regulatory developments and proactively update programs, policies, and practices to maintain full compliance.
Develop and maintain scalable processes, policies, and documentation to ensure consistent application across the Firm.
Advise employees and managers on leaves of absence, leave entitlements, Firm policies, available benefit resources, and related procedures.
Maintain and update end-to-end leave of absence communications, including tailored communications for employees and managers throughout the leave process.
Conduct recurring leave status meetings with vendors regarding open cases, projects, and/or initiatives.
Manage the end-to-end process for employees requesting workplace accommodations under the ADA and similar state/local laws.
Partners with employees, managers, and HR to implement reasonable accommodations.
Maintains accurate and complete documentation of accommodation requests, determinations, discussions, and follow-up actions.
Manage one direct report responsible for day-to-day administration of leave programs.
Vendor Management
Serve as primary relationship manager for third-party leave administrator and related vendors. Work directly with vendors to ensure accurate documentation, communication, and timely resolution of cases.
Establish performance metrics, conduct regular audits, and oversee service-level agreements (SLAs).
Lead issue resolution, escalations, and continuous improvement initiatives with vendors.
Data, Reporting & Insights
Conduct audits and analysis of leave and accommodation data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for process improvement.
Provide regular reporting and insights to HR leadership to support decision-making and program enhancements.
Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, cost management, and employee outcomes.
Education
Required
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
Preferred
HR certification (PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP/SCP) or similar.
Familiarity with Workday, ADP Payroll, and leave administration and reporting platforms.
Skills and Experience
Required
7+ years of experience managing multi-state leave and accommodations programs.
Experience operating in large, matrixed, and/or global organizations; law firm or professional services experience is desirable.
Extensive knowledge of FMLA, ADA, STD, LTD, and state paid leave laws, and workers’ compensation regulations.
Demonstrated experience managing third-party leave administrators.
Strong analytical, project management, and problem-solving capabilities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels across the Firm.
Proficiency in data analysis tools, methodologies, and reporting techniques.
Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize, plan, and manage multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to handle sensitive matters with sound judgment, discretion, and confidentiality, while driving issues to effective resolution.
Salary Information
NY Only: The estimated base salary range for this position is $160,000 to $190,000 at the time of posting.
The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. This role is exempt meaning it is not overtime pay eligible.
Simpson Thacher will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.
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Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is committed to a collegial work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. The Firm prohibits discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, marital or partnership status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status or any other legally protected status. This Policy pertains to every aspect of an individual’s relationship with the Firm, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, training and development, promotion, transfer, discipline, termination, and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment.
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