Absence and Accommodations Business Partner

Cox Automotive is currently seeking an Absence & Accommodations Business Partner to join our team. Candidates must reside within the Eastern or Central time zones of the United States. Atlanta, GA is the preferred location and operates under a hybrid work arrangement. Candidates located elsewhere within the Eastern or Central time zones will be considered for remote employment.
Please note: We are hiring two individuals for this position.
The Role:
The Absence & Accommodations team provides compliant, consistent, and employee-centered leave, accommodation, and workers' compensation support across Cox Automotive (CAI) and its subsidiaries throughout North America.
The Absence & Accommodations Business Partner partners with HR Business Partners, leaders, Legal, and cross-functional stakeholders to support the consistent and compliant administration of CAI's leave and accommodation programs. This role serves as a trusted resource for resolving complex absence and accommodation matters. The Business Partner provides guidance on policy interpretation and application, supports escalated case resolution, mitigates risk, and promotes compliance with applicable regulations and programs, including FMLA, ADA, PWFA, FMCSA, and Workers' Compensation requirements across the U.S. and Canada.
The Business Partner also supports stakeholder education, reporting, process improvement, and training initiatives designed to enhance operational effectiveness, ensure a consistent employee experience, and strengthen compliance across absence and accommodation programs.
Primary Responsibilities:

• Act as a liaison to Legal and Risk Management to identify risks, develop mitigation strategies for complex leave and accommodation matters, and document audit-ready decisions and supporting rationale.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and business leaders on Absence & Accommodations policy interpretation, complex scenarios, and manager coaching; ensure timely, accurate guidance and clear next steps.
• Promote and support the consistent application of Absence & Accommodations policies, practices, and standards through consultation, education, and compliance support.
• Serve as an employee advocate for sensitive and complex absences and accommodation requests.
• Participate in Governance Committee reviews of complex absence and accommodation matters and support implementation of approved outcomes.
• Create and deliver Absence & Accommodations updates, policy changes, and compliance guidance to multiple audiences, including leaders, HR, shared services, and Centers of Excellence (COEs); develop playbooks, job aids, and FAQs.
• Act as a champion for compliance by interpreting company policies and processes, promoting consistent application and alignment with company priorities, and educating employees and stakeholders as needed.
• Serve as a project consultant on cross-functional teams, providing subject matter expertise and recommendations to support compliant program administration.
• Support the development and maintenance of Absence & Accommodations knowledge base content.
• Identify and communicate trends and themes arising from stakeholder consultations, risk assessments, operational analyses, and employee interactions; share insights with leadership to support enhancements to the employee and manager experience.

Quality Assurance, Compliance and Process

• Review quality, compliance, and operational trends across assigned regions and partner with stakeholders to address identified risks and opportunities.
• Ensure adherence to federal and state leave laws (e.g., FMLA, ADA), company policies, and internal service standards to mitigate risk.
• Partner with the COE, Employee Relations, and Legal teams on escalated or sensitive matters requiring additional review and resolution.
• Administer program-related surveys to designated Solutions Group contacts; collect, analyze, and interpret data to assess program health and identify opportunities for improvement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Support

• Support cross-functional initiatives aimed at improving process efficiency, communication, and employee experience.
• Support the implementation of approved policy updates, documentation enhancements, and workflow improvements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional operations teams and vendor partners to resolve issues and promote consistent employee experience across functional areas.
• Assist in the implementation and adoption of new systems, tools, and AI-enabled enhancements designed to improve workflow efficiency, accuracy, and overall effectiveness.
• Participate in operational projects, process improvement initiatives, and other duties as assigned.

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Deliver claims activity trends, metrics, and analysis to HR Business Partners across all Solutions Groups on a regular basis.
• Maintain and manage HR Business Partner and manager access requests for vendor portals and claims management systems.
• Partner with the Senior Advocate team to ensure the accuracy and integrity of access request data across applicable systems.
• Provide operational insights and performance metrics to leadership through regional and territory-based scorecards on a regular basis.
• Contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of Absence & Accommodations dashboards and reporting tools supporting U.S. and Canadian populations for both internal and external reporting needs.
• Support the development and execution of OFCCP Affirmative Action reporting requirements, as applicable.
• Serve as a delegate and provide cross-functional support as needed.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, healthcare administration, business management, or related discipline and 4 years of related experience in absence management, leave administration, or accommodations. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 2 years' experience; a Ph.D. and up to 1 year of experience; or 8 years' experience in a related field.
• Strong knowledge of both self-funded and fully insured disability benefit programs, ERISA guidelines and intersections with adjacent leave, and accommodations regulations.
• Demonstrated working knowledge and practical application of core leave and accommodation programs, including but not limited to FMLA regulations and lifecycle administration; ADA accommodation fundamentals, the interactive process, and proper documentation; and PWFA accommodation support related to pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Strong working knowledge of state and federal employment laws relevant to leave/accommodations; ability to apply policies consistently and escalate when appropriate.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex leave and accommodation matters, compliance requirements, trends, and recommendations to stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive and complex employee cases while balancing business needs, compliance requirements, and employee experience.
• Ability to collect, analyze, interpret, and communicate data.
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time, as needed, for project-based work.
• If outside of Atlanta, ability to work successfully 100% remotely other than periodic required travel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP certification.
• Experience with ServiceNow or other web-based case management systems.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish).

USD 74,000.00 - 111,000.00 per year
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $74,000.00 - $111,000.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
EOE, including disability/vets