Senior Reasonable Accommodation & Protected Leave Consultant (HRC 4) DOH8999

Description
This is a non-permanent (temporary) position with a six-month duration.
This home-based (remote) position is open to Washington residents and those living in Oregon and Idaho only.
The Opportunity
The Washington State Department of Health is hiring a Senior Reasonable Accommodation and Protected Leave Consultant (HRC4) to join the Reasonable Accommodation and Protected Leave (RAPL) team within the Office of People Services. In this role, you'll serve as an agency expert on reasonable accommodation and protected leave, guiding employees, managers, and supervisors through some of the most sensitive and legally complex processes in HR.
In this role you will provide human-centered, responsive, and consistent service while balancing employee needs, operational considerations, and applicable laws, rules, policies, and collective bargaining agreements. You will help employees and supervisors understand their rights, responsibilities, and available options, and will work collaboratively to identify effective and sustainable solutions.
You'll manage a caseload of accommodation requests from intake through resolution, working directly with employees, health care providers, and department leadership to find workable solutions under the ADA, FMLA, PFML, and Washington's civil service rules and collective bargaining agreements. You will also provide consultation and timely responses to employees and supervisors through the RAPL team's centralized leave inbox, helping ensure questions are addressed consistently, accurately, and with a focus on a positive employee experience.
Key Responsibilities Include
Reasonable Accommodation Case Management
Manage a caseload of reasonable accommodation requests from intake through resolution, including accommodating employees in their current role, reassignment, placement in an alternate position, or, when appropriate, disability separation.
Apply a human-centered approach to accommodation case management by listening to employee concerns, clearly communicating processes and expectations, identifying barriers, and helping employees and supervisors navigate complex or sensitive situations.
Compose case-related correspondence, including requests for medical information, approvals, denials, and disability separation letters.
Contact health care providers to help determine eligibility and the scope of needed accommodations.
Perform vacancy searches and assess whether employees being reassigned meet qualifications for open positions.
Maintain confidential accommodation and medical files, tracking systems, and documentation of every step in the process.
Protected Leave Administration
Serve as subject matter expert on the agency's protected leave programs, including FMLA, PFML, shared leave, parental leave, domestic violence leave, and pregnancy disability leave.
Provide timely, accurate, and employee-centered consultation to employees and supervisors regarding protected leave, shared leave, and related RAPL programs.
Monitor and respond to questions submitted through the RAPL team's centralized leave inbox, providing clear guidance, identifying when additional information is needed, and referring complex matters for further consultation as appropriate.
Help ensure responses to employee and supervisor questions are consistent with applicable laws, rules, policies, collective bargaining agreements, and agency practices.
Workers' Compensation and Stay at Work Support
Support the LNI component of the RAPL team, processing workers' compensation documents and coordinating with employees and supervisors on workplace injury claims.
Retrieve and upload documentation through the LNI portal in accordance with records retention requirements.
Required Qualifications
There are multiple pathways to qualify for this position. You must meet one of the options provided and any additional criteria listed. Experience may have been gained through paid or unpaid activities. Please ensure any relevant experience defined below is outlined in your cover letter, resume, and/or applicant profile.
Option 1 : Six (6) or more years of professional human resource experience, including assessing and facilitating solutions for human resource problems and issues.
Option 2 : An Associate’s degree; AND five (5) or more years of professional human resource experience, including assessing and facilitating solutions for human resource problems and issues.
Option 3 : A Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Human Resources, Social or Organizational Science, or a closely allied field; AND four (4) or more years of professional human resource experience, including assessing and facilitating solutions for human resource problems and issues
AND
Demonstrated Experience In The Following Areas
Managing reasonable accommodations and protected leave as part of a human resources function, including case consultation, eligibility determinations, and interactive process facilitation
Working with state and federal employment laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), FMLA, etc.
Working with state civil service rules and collective bargaining agreements.
Conducting research and analyzing policies, laws, rules, or regulations.
Effectively organizing, prioritizing and completing multiple assignments or bodies of work, sometimes of a complex nature.
Working collaboratively with a wide variety of partners at all levels.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience providing human-centered HR consultation and service, including communicating complex or sensitive information clearly, respectfully, and in a manner that supports employees and supervisors in understanding their options and responsibilities.
Experience providing HR consultation through a centralized service model, shared inbox, help desk, or similar customer-service function.
Experience administering protected leave requests and answering employee questions about protected leave.
Experience coordinating work-related injuries and LNI claims.
PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or CLRP certification.
Ability to extract report information from various HR databases; experience extracting and analyzing data.
Knowledge of SAP Business Intelligence or similar HR information system.
Employee Benefits
We offer a solid benefits package that supports you and your family’s health, financial security, and work-life balance. You’ll have access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and long-term disability insurance, flexible spending and health savings accounts, and retirement plans that help you plan for tomorrow while you’re living today. Paid holidays, vacation and sick leave help you recharge, and additional programs like dependent care assistance and professional development opportunities add value beyond basic coverage. Join us and enjoy benefits designed to care for you as much as you care about public health. Learn more about DOH benefits and see how we support your life at work and beyond by visiting Work@Health .
About The Washington State Department Of Health
We're nearly 2,700 professionals across Washington working together to protect and improve community health. Guided by our values of Equity, Innovation, and Engagement, we address health disparities, respond to emerging challenges, and strengthen systems that support resilience.
At DOH, we help reduce barriers, collaborate with diverse communities, and champion equitable health outcomes. We're passionate people who are driven to make a difference in public health . Our work depends on people who take action to learn and grow and who take action to meet the needs of others every day, in service of a healthier Washington. Explore more about the Department of Health, our programs, and our impact by visiting our website .
Working Conditions
The following describes the working conditions of this position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Work Setting: This position may work from home, a DOH facility, or remotely from an alternate location. The official duty station for this position is home-based. If onsite work is requested by the supervisor, the request will be planned and communicated in advance. Exposure to hazards is limited to those commonly found in indoor at home or office environments. This position is sedentary, working at a computer for extended periods.
Schedule: This position has a work schedule of 40 hours per week; however, the position may be expected to work longer hours to complete projects or assignment, and/or meeting business demands and deadlines. An alternative or flexible work schedule may be considered at the incumbent's request, subject to supervisory approval.
Travel Requirements: Travel is not required to perform the duties of this position; however infrequent travel may be expected to trainings or conferences. When driving for state business, the employee must be able to legally operate a state or privately-owned vehicle; OR provide alternate transportation while on state business.
Tools & Equipment: This position uses standard office furniture and equipment, such as a desk, office chai

Work arrangement
Yes