HR Coordinator – Leaves, ADA & Workers’ Compensation

If you enjoy the detail and problem-solving involved in leave administration—and want a role where you can work directly with employees rather than simply routing cases to a third-party administrator—this could be a strong next step.

Our client is a stable, well-established nonprofit organization with a meaningful community mission and an experienced HR team. They are also a repeat Merit HR client where we have successfully placed several people over the years.

They are looking for an HR Coordinator - Leaves, ADA & Workers’ Compensation to take a hands-on role supporting employees through leaves, workplace accommodations and workers’ compensation matters. Leaves are administered in-house, so this person will be directly involved in the process from initial employee communication and eligibility review through tracking, coordination and return to work.

This is a particularly good opportunity for someone who has begun building experience in leave administration and wants to deepen that expertise while gaining broader exposure to HR operations.

What you’ll be doing:

• Coordinate leaves of absence, including FMLA, disability, parental, personal and workers’ compensation leaves
• Manage leave cases internally rather than handing the process off to a third-party leave administrator
• Determine FMLA eligibility, prepare required correspondence and track leave timelines
• Serve as a resource for employees navigating the leave process and answer questions throughout their leave
• Coordinate closely with employees, managers, payroll and benefits around restrictions, pay, benefits and return-to-work matters
• Support the interactive process and workplace accommodation requests
• Process disability claims and workers’ compensation claims and maintain accurate documentation
• Track paid and unpaid leave to help ensure payroll accuracy
• Maintain leave records, reporting and data; investigate and resolve discrepancies
• Help maintain leave procedures and support the implementation of new processes and training
• Provide additional HR operations and administrative support to the broader team

What we’re looking for:

You don’t need to have spent your entire career specializing in leaves. The strongest candidates will bring at least one year of hands-on leave processing experience, or approximately three years of related HR experience, along with an interest in continuing to build expertise in this area.

Importantly, we are looking for someone who has had direct, in-house responsibility for processing and administering leaves, rather than experience that has primarily involved referring employees to or coordinating with a third-party leave vendor.

Knowledge of California and federal leave requirements and workers’ compensation is important. Just as important are strong follow-through, organization and communication skills. Leave administration often means helping someone through an unfamiliar or stressful process, so the ability to explain requirements clearly, stay on top of the details and provide responsive service matters.

Bilingual English/Spanish skills are a plus.

For an HR Coordinator who wants to develop deeper expertise in leaves, accommodations and workers’ compensation while working within an established HR function and mission-driven organization, this is an opportunity worth exploring.

Interested—or know someone who might be? We’d welcome the conversation.

Location: Hybrid -2x a week onsite in Hayward, CA

Compensation: $24 - $34/hour, plus bonus