Senior HR Operations Specialist (Shelton, CT)

The Senior HR Specialist is responsible for delivering a high-quality employee experience through efficient HR administration, employee support, and leave management. Serving as a primary point of contact for employees, this role provides guidance on payroll, benefits, HR policies, and employee lifecycle processes while ensuring accuracy, compliance, and exceptional customer service. In additions, this role will manage, alongside the organizations leave management vendor, the organization's employee leave programs, including Family and Medical Leave (FMLA), Short-Term Disability (STD), Long-Term Disability (LTD), Workers' Compensation, state-mandated leave programs, and other statutory or company-sponsored leave benefits. The Specialist acts as the internal leave program administrator, partnering closely with employees, managers, HR Business Partners, Payroll, Benefits, and the organization's third-party leave management vendor to ensure a seamless leave experience and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

Serve as a first point of contact for employee inquiries related to pay, payroll, benefits, HR policies, time-off programs, and employee records; Support onboarding activities including new hire documentation, pre-employment requirements, and orientation; Maintain employee data within HRIS; Coordinate immigration-related processes with external immigration counsel and vendors; Review, process, and monitor invoices from immigration and other HR-related vendors; Serve as the internal administrator and primary HR contact for all employee leave programs; Manage FMLA, STD, LTD, Workers' Compensation, Paid Family and Medical Leave, state and local leave requirements, and other company-sponsored leaves; Partner with the third-party leave administrator to ensure timely and accurate case management; Coordinate accommodations, return-to-work activities, and fitness-for-duty requirements; Analyze leave trends and provide reporting and recommendations

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience; Approximately 5 years of experience in Human Resources, HR Operations, Employee Services, Benefits Administration, or a related HR function; At least 1 years experience supporting leave administration, including FMLA, disability programs, workers' compensation, and state leave laws

Nice to have

Experience supporting employee inquiries and HR transactions in a fast-paced environment; Experience working with HRIS systems and Microsoft Office applications; Strong attention to detail, organization, and follow-through; Excellent customer service, communication, and problem-solving skills; Ability to manage sensitive and confidential employee information; Experience working with a third-party leave administration vendor; Knowledge of multi-state leave laws and compliance requirements; Experience with Workday or other HRIS platforms; HR certification (PHR, SHRM-CP) or progress toward certification