Leave and Benefits Specialist

POSITION SUMMARY: The Leave and Benefits Specialist is primarily responsible for the day-to-day administration and support of employee leave of absence programs. The incumbent coordinates closely with third-party leave vendors, monitoring claims activity, ensuring accurate and timely processing, managing critical daily file integrations between leave and disability third-party administrators , and responding to employee and manager inquiries related to leave. The Leave and Benefits Specialist supports operational execution, data accuracy, and issue resolution across leave processes and serves as a key point of contact between employees, HR partners, payroll, and external vendors. In addition, the incumbent may provide backup support for health and welfare benefit administration as needed, including assisting with eligibility updates, vendor coordination, and employee inquiries, to ensure continuity of service and operational coverage. PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Daily Leave & Disability File Integration Processing Manage the end-to-end daily processing, monitoring, and validation of critical integration files exchanged between leave and disability third-party administrators, including confirming timely transmission and receipt; reconciling file results; researching errors, rejected records, and missing data; coordinating corrections with vendors and internal partners; and confirming issues are resolved to protect the accuracy and timeliness of employee leave, disability, payroll, and benefit records. Leave of Absence & Vendor Coordination Serve as the primary internal liaison for the third-party leave and disability vendor. Monitor leave cases to ensure timely intake, accurate status updates, and appropriate employee communications from the vendor. Review vendor reports and case data for accuracy and completeness; follow up on discrepancies or service gaps. Coordinate escalations, complex cases, and service issues with the vendor to support employee experience and timely resolution. Support leave vendor implementations, transitions, and ongoing process improvements. Benefits Administration Support Assist employees with benefits questions, enrollment navigation, life event changes, and eligibility issues. Support benefit processes impacted by leave events, including benefit continuation, reinstatement, and payroll deductions. Partner with benefits vendors and carriers to resolve enrollment, eligibility, and coverage issues. Manage and respond to employee and internal partner inquiries received through shared email and the internal ticketing system while monitoring the overall queue, prioritizing or assigning work as appropriate, and ensuring timely, accurate, and complete resolution in accordance with service expectations . Monitor incoming benefits mail and distribute documents promptly to the appropriate team member, vendor, or internal partner for review and action. Data, Systems & Payroll Coordination Ensure accurate data flow between leave vendors, benefits administrators, HRIS, and payroll systems. Review and reconcile vendor feeds, reports, and employee records; identify and resolve errors in partnership with internal teams. Coordinate with payroll to support accurate pay status, deductions, and benefit premiums during and after leave. Open Enrollment & Ongoing Operations Support Open Enrollment activities, including testing, audits, employee support, and issue resolution. Assist with maintenance of benefit documentation, FAQs, and employee communications. Identify recurring issues and opportunities to simplify processes or improve employee understanding. Performs other job-related duties as assigned or apparent. QUALIFICATIONS: Prior experience in leave administration, benefits administration, HR operations, or working with a third-party leave or benefits vendor. Experience supporting both leave administration and health & welfare benefits Experience in a vendor-managed or shared-services HR model Familiarity with HRIS, benefits administration platforms, and payroll systems Experience supporting Open Enrollment or vendor transitions MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: 2–4 years of experience in leave administration or benefits administration with experience working with third-party leave and/or benefits vendors Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accurate, timely processing Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify discrepancies, research root causes, and manage issues through resolution Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including sorting, filtering, formulas, lookups, and reconciling data across files Experience using absence management systems or comparable case-management platforms Strong organizational skills and follow-through while managing high-volume, deadline-driven daily processes Strong communication skills with an employee-focused approach This position is a hybrid role based at Republic Service's headquarters in Phoenix, AZ. Hybrid is 4-days per week onsite, and 1-day remote. This position will not be eligible to be fully remote. Please note, our Leave and Benefits Specialist position is not sponsorship eligible. Rewarding Compensation and Benefits Eligible employees can elect to participate in: • Comprehensive medical benefits coverage, dental plans and vision coverage. • Health care and dependent care spending accounts. • Short- and long-term disability. • Life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment insurance. • Employee and Family Assistance Program (EAP). • Employee discount programs. • Retirement plan with a generous company match. • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). • Paid Time Off (PTO) • Benefits: The statements used herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by an employee in this position, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required by an incumbent so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the Company. EEO STATEMENT:Republic Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, relationship or association with a protected veteran (spouses or other family members), genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. For any concerns relating to Republic Services’ commitment to equal opportunity employment, you may contact the AWARE Line at 1-866-3-AWARE-4. ABOUT THE COMPANY Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) is a leader in the environmental services industry. We provide customers with the most complete set of products and services, including recycling, waste, special waste, hazardous waste and field services. Our industry-leading commitments to advance circularity and support decarbonization are helping deliver on our vision to partner with customers to create a more sustainable world. In 2025, Republic’s total company revenue was $16.6 billion, and adjusted EBITDA was $5.3 billion. We serve 13 million customers and operate more than 1,000 locations, including collection and transfer stations, recycling and polymer centers, treatment facilities, and landfills. Although we operate across North America, the collection, recycling, treatment, or disposal of materials is a local business, and the dynamics and opportunities differ in each market we serve. By combining local operational management with standardized business practices, we drive greater operating efficiencies across the company while maintaining day-to-day operational decisions at the local level, closest to the customer. Our customers, including small businesses, major corporations and municipalities, want a partner with the expertise and capabilities to effectively manage their multiple recycling and waste streams. They choose Republic Services because we are committed to exceeding their expectations and helping them achieve their sustainability goals. Our 42,000 team members understand that it's not just what we do that matters, but how we do it. Our company values guide our daily actions: Safe : We protect the livelihoods of our colleagues and communities. Committed to Serve : We go above and beyond to exceed our customers’ expectations. Environmentally Responsible: We take action to improve our environment. Driven : We deliver results in the right way. Human-Centered: We respect the dignity and unique potential of every person. We are proud of our high employee engagement score of 86. We have an inclusive and diverse culture where every voice counts. In addition, our team positively impacted 5.1 million people in 2024 through the Republic Services Charitable Foundation and local community grants. These projects are designed to meet the specific needs of the communities we serve, with a focus on building sustainable neighborhoods. STRATEGY Republic Services’ strategy is designed to generate profitable growth. Through acquisitions and industry advancements, we safely and sustainably manage our customers’ multiple waste streams through a North American footprint of vertically integrated assets. We focus on three areas of growth to meet the increasing needs of our customers: recycling and waste, environmental solutions and sustainability innovation. With our integrated approach, strengthening our position in one area advances other areas of our business. For example, as we grow volume in recycling and waste, we collect additional material to bolster our circularity capabilities. And as we expand environmental solutions, we drive additional opportunities to provide these services to our existing recycling and waste customers. Recycling and Waste We continue to expand our recycling and waste business footprint throughout North America through organic growth and targeted acquisitions. The 13 million customers we serve and our more than 5 million pick-ups per day provide us with a distinct advantage. We aggregate materials at scale, unlocking new opportunities for advanced recycling. In addition, we are cross-selling new products and services to better meet our customers’ specific needs. Environmental Solutions Our comprehensive environmental solutions capabilities help customers safely manage their most technical waste streams. We are expanding both our capabilities and our geographic footprint. We see strong growth opportunities for our offerings, including PFAS remediation, an increasing customer need. Sustainability Innovation Republic’s recent innovations to advance circularity and decarbonization demonstrate our unique ability to leverage sustainability as a platform for growth. The Republic Services Polymer Center is the nation’s first integrated plastics recycling facility. These innovative sites process rigid plastics from our recycling centers, producing recycled materials that promote true bottle-to-bottle circularity. We also formed Blue Polymers, a joint venture with Ravago, to develop facilities that will further process plastic material from our Polymer Centers to help meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging. We are building a network of Polymer Centers and Blue Polymer facilities across North America. Our customers are increasingly looking for decarbonization solutions, and we are leveraging our network of landfills to meet that need. Republic is committed to harnessing landfill gas, a natural byproduct of decomposing waste, and converting it to energy. Republic has partnered with renewable gas developers to construct Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) plants at our landfills, expanding beyond the 77 projects we currently have to make progress towards our goal to beneficially reuse 50% more biogas by 2030 (2017 baseline year). RECENT RECOGNITION Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies CDP Discloser Dow Jones Best-In-Class Indices Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies Great Place to Work Sustainability Yearbook S&P Global