& Leaves
About the Opportunity
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Associate Vice-President, Total Rewards, Global
Mobility and Compliance, the Manager, Accommodations & Leaves
(Canada) leads Northeastern University's accommodations and leave
programs across its U.S. and Canadian locations. For the Canadian
campuses in Toronto and Vancouver, the Manager directly manages
both workplace accommodations and leaves of absence, ensuring
compliance with the Ontario and British Columbia Human Rights
Codes, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
(AODA), provincial employment standards legislation, and university
policy. For the U.S., the Manager oversees the accommodations
program delivered through a direct report (ADA Specialist) in
adherence to the ADAAA, the PWFA, Massachusetts Chapter 151B, and
other applicable state and local law.
Leaves of absence in both countries are administered by the
university's third-party vendor; U.S. leave administration is fully
outsourced. The Manager, Accommodations & Leaves serves as the
university's primary point of accountability for that vendor,
overseeing service quality, the internal administrative work that
supports each leave, and the accuracy of leave-related payments.
The Manager partners closely with HR Business Partners, Payroll,
Benefits, Talent Acquisition, and the Office of General
Counsel.
Responsibilities:
Accommodations Program Management (U.S. & Canada):
- Directly manages the disability and pregnancy-related
accommodations process for Canadian faculty, staff, and applicants,
engaging in the interactive process, reviewing medical
documentation, and issuing written determinations and individual
accommodation plans to the point of undue hardship.
Oversees the U.S. accommodations program delivered by the ADA
Specialist, serving as the escalation point for complex, high-risk,
or precedent-setting cases. Ensures decisions are individualized,
consistent across both countries, and fully documented in the
system of record. Partners with Talent Acquisition to support
applicants who require accommodations during recruitment.
Leave Administration & Vendor Oversight (U.S. &
Canada):
- Serves as the primary internal liaison with the university's
third-party leave administrator for U.S. and Canadian leaves,
monitoring performance against contractual SLAs, auditing claim
decisions and data, and escalating and resolving
discrepancies.
- For the fully outsourced U.S. program, oversees the internal
administrative entries in Workday and the accuracy of leave-related
payments, partnering with Payroll and Benefits on reconciliation,
corrections, and overpayment recovery.
- For Canada, manages leaves end to end, including job-protected
statutory leaves under the Ontario and BC Employment Standards
Acts, short- and long-term disability claims, Records of
Employment, and any salary top-up or benefit continuation.
Compliance, Policy & Training:
- Monitors U.S. federal and state and Canadian federal and
provincial legislation, regulatory changes, and case law affecting
accommodations and leave, and recommends updates to university
policies, procedures, and communications.
- Supports AODA employment-standard obligations, including
individual accommodation plans, individualized workplace emergency
response information, and documented return-to-work processes.
- Delivers training to managers, HR Business Partners, and
university partners in both countries.
- Produces reporting on case volume, vendor performance, and
payment accuracy to identify process improvements.
Return to Work & Case Coordination:
- Coordinates return-to-work and graduated return plans for
Canadian employees, aligning leave, disability claim, and
accommodations outcomes, and ensures U.S. accommodations and leave
outcomes are coordinated at return to work.
- Manages the intersection of accommodations with workplace
injury claims under WSIB and WorkSafeBC and refers U.S. workers'
compensation matters to the appropriate office.
- Tracks leave exhaustion and LTD transitions, escalating complex
cases to the AP, Total Rewards, Global Mobility and Compliance and
the Office of General Counsel.
People Leadership:
- Supervises the ADA Specialist, including caseload management,
quality review of determinations, coaching, and performance and
development planning.
- Sets consistent standards, templates, and workflows for the
accommodation and leave programs.
- Serves as backup for U.S. accommodation casework as
needed.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Education & Experience
- Knowledge and skills typically acquired through a Bachelor's
degree in human resources, disability management, psychology,
social work, or a related field, plus 5-7 years of progressive
experience in workplace accommodations, disability management,
and/or leave administration, including casework in both the U.S.
and Canada.
- At least two years of experience supervising or leading
staff.
- Experience overseeing a third-party leave or disability claims
administrator, including SLA monitoring, auditing, payment
reconciliation, and escalation management.
Required Knowledge & Skills
- Working knowledge of U.S. accommodations and leave law,
including the ADAAA, the PWFA, the FMLA, Massachusetts Chapter
151B, Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave, and other
applicable state and local requirements.
- Working knowledge of the duty to accommodate under the Ontario
and British Columbia Human Rights Codes; the AODA and its
Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR); the Ontario
and BC Employment Standards Acts; Employment Insurance special
benefits; and WSIB / WorkSafeBC.
- Ability to interpret medical and functional-abilities
documentation and communicate clearly with treating providers,
employees, and managers.
- Strong understanding of how leave status drives pay, benefits,
and payroll processing, with the analytical skills to identify and
resolve payment discrepancies.
- Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive and
confidential information.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the
ability to manage competing priorities across two countries.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including
drafting determination letters and training content.
- Ability to build collaborative relationships and influence
stakeholders at all levels across U.S. and Canadian teams.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel); Workday
experience a plus.
Preferred
- CHRP/CHRL, Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP),
Certified Return to Work Coordinator (CRTWC), or ADA Coordinator
certification
- Experience in higher education or a multi-state / multi-country
organization.
Position Type
Human Resources
Additional Information
Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work
experience, education and skills when extending an offer.
Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit
eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid
time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as
well as commuting & transportation. Visit
https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for
more information.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive
consideration for employment without regard to race, religion,
color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability
status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable
law.
Compensation Grade/Pay Type:
110S
Expected Hiring Range:
$76,335.00 - $107,823.75
With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend
on several factors, which may include your education, experience,
location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay
comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role.
Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to
change.
To apply, visit https://northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/careers/job/Boston-MA-Main-Campus/Manager--Accommodations---Leaves_R143074-1
je-ed9790d77ed84050b71f6064708906d7
