{"id":2527203,"url":"https://alion.io/job/sidley-leave-administration-and-accommodations-manager","title":"Leave Administration and Accommodations Manager","company":{"id":15213,"name":"Sidley","domain":"sidley.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/sidley","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":null},"role":"HR","role_family":"HR","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Chicago, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":107000,"max":147200,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":147200},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-31T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-31","last_verified_at":"2026-10-14T12:24:39Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":44,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":44},"description":"The Leave Administration and Accommodations Manager is responsible for the oversight and management of the Firm’s leave of absence and accommodation programs, including FMLA, CFRA, ADA/ADAA, PWFA, state and local leave laws, short- and long-term disability, parental leave, and other firm-sponsored policies. This role leads the administration and ongoing enhancement of firmwide leave and accommodation practices, serving as a central resource to ensure a consistent, compliant, and well-coordinated approach across all U.S. offices.\nThe Manager serves as a trusted advisor to Human Resources, management, and employees, providing guidance on complex leave and accommodation matters while balancing regulatory requirements with business needs. The role oversees day-to-day operations, vendor performance, and team execution, and contributes to process improvements and data-informed decision-making related to leave and accommodations.\nDuties and Responsibilities:\nServe as the Firm’s center of excellence and subject matter expert for leave and accommodations, ensuring consistent application of policies, high-quality service delivery, and full regulatory compliance with all federal, state, and city-specific laws across all U.S. offices.\nManage the full lifecycle of leave cases including intake, eligibility, notification, documentation, tracking, and return to work.\nCentralize and manage the end-to-end interactive process for disability and religious workplace accommodation requests, in coordination with HR, Compliance and Legal.\nLeverage understanding of return to work strategies and accommodation expertise related to regulatory laws and requirements.\nProvide guidance on complex, sensitive, and high-risk matters, and serving as an escalation point for issues requiring advanced judgment, legal coordination, or policy interpretation.\nManage and develop the Leave & Accommodation Specialist, including overseeing day-to-day work, setting performance expectations, monitoring service standards, identifying leave and accommodation training, and supporting ongoing professional development.\nDrive operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives by establishing workflows, service levels, and best practices that enhance efficiency, ensure timely case resolution, and deliver a high-quality employee experience.\nLead the Firm’s approach to leave- and accommodation-related risk management, including supporting audits, investigations, and responses to complex or sensitive matters, in coordination with Legal and Human Resources leadership.\nPartner closely with HR Business Partners, Legal, Payroll, and Benefits to ensure seamless coordination of leave, disability, and accommodation matters, and to support consistent decision-making across the Firm.\nLeverage data and reporting to monitor trends, identify risks, and develop actionable insights and recommendations to mitigate risk and improve programs, processes, and employee experience.\nOwn and optimize leave and accommodation administration systems and processes, partnering with HRIS and vendors to enhance functionality, reporting capabilities, and operational efficiency.\nManage the Firm’s relationship with its third-party leave administrator, including:\nOverseeing day-to-day vendor performance and service delivery.\nEnsuring the vendor administers leaves in compliance with applicable laws and in alignment with Firm policies and practices.\nConducting regular audits and reviews of vendor determinations, communications, and processes for accuracy and consistency.\nResolving escalations and discrepancies between vendor determinations and Firm policies.\nPartnering with the vendor on process improvements, reporting, and service enhancements.\nEnsure accurate and timely communication with employees.\nDevelop, maintain, and update leave and accommodation policies, procedures, and internal guidance materials to reflect evolving legal requirements and Firm practices.\nDevelop and deliver trainings, SOPs, templates, educational tools and communications for managers and employees to drive awareness, compliance, and effective application of leave and accommodation policies and practices.\nContinually monitor the effectiveness of approved workplace accommodations, recommending improvements or updates as needed.\nEnsure accurate recordkeeping and confidentiality of all leave- and accommodation-related documentation in accordance with legal and Firm standards.\nLead or support HR projects related to leave and accommodation systems, process improvements, and policy enhancements.\nStay current on legislative and regulatory developments impacting leave, absence management and accommodations.\nRequired:\nBachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience\nMinimum of 5-7 years of progressive experience in leave of absence administration, benefits, or human resources, including direct experience managing complex, multi-state leave programs\nStrong working knowledge of federal, state, and local leave and accommodation laws and regulations (including FMLA, CFRA, ADA/ADAA, PWFA, and applicable state/local leave laws)\nDemonstrated experience managing complex or sensitive leave and accommodation cases, including exercising sound judgment in ambiguous situations\nExperience working with and overseeing third-party leave administrators or vendors\nProven ability to partner effectively with cross-functional stakeholders, including HR, Legal, Payroll, and management\nStrong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and develop actionable insights\nExcellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively to a variety of audiences\nPreferred:\nExperience managing direct reports\nHR certification (e.g., SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR)\nExperience in a law firm or professional services environment\nExperience supporting multi-office or national organizations\nExperience with HRIS and leave management systems (e.g., Workday, AbsenceSoft, or similar platforms)\nExperience working with MetLife or similar third-party leave administrator\nExperience supporting ADA accommodations and the interactive process\nExperience in process improvement, developing or enhancing leave policies, procedures, or programs\nOther Skills and Abilities:\nThe following will also be required of the successful candidate:\nStrong organizational skills and attention to detail\nSound judgment and discretion when handling highly sensitive and confidential matters\nAbility to manage multiple priorities and navigate competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment\nStrong problem-solving skills and a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset\nAbility to influence and advise stakeholders at all levels of the organization\nDemonstrated client-service orientation and commitment to delivering a high-quality employee experience\nAdditionally:\nHigh level of discretion when handling sensitive employee matters.\nAbility to navigate complex, ambiguous situations with sound judgment.\nStrong client-service orientation with a proactive, solutions-focused mindset.\nAbility to influence and advise stakeholders at all levels of the organization.\n#LI-GK1\nThe target salary range for this role is:\n$107,000-$147,200 if located in IllinoisSalaries vary by location and are based on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, the relevant market, skills, experience, and education of the selected candidate. Our compensation package also includes bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program. Benefits information can be found at Sidley.com/Benefits.\nTo perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the Duties and Responsibilities above satisfactorily and meet the requirements. The requirements listed above are representative of the minimum knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. If you need such an accommodation, please email  (current employees should contact Human Resources).\nSidley Austin LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.","description_format":"text","description_chars":8257,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Parental leave","Professional development"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Legal Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-14T12:24:39Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":26,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.577,"p_room":0.45,"age_days":44,"expected_fill_days":23,"reasons":["conf:4","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-14T16:45:39Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":147200,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/sidley-leave-administration-and-accommodations-manager","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/sidley-leave-administration-and-accommodations-manager.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-14T16:45:39Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":21335,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-15T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":15213},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=15213"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fsidley-leave-administration-and-accommodations-manager"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fsidley-leave-administration-and-accommodations-manager"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fsidley-leave-administration-and-accommodations-manager"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/sidley-leave-administration-and-accommodations-manager\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fsidley-leave-administration-and-accommodations-manager"}]}