Absence Management Practice Leader

The next part of your journey is right around the corner — with The Standard.

A genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others is the foundation for everything we do. With a customer-first mindset and an intentional focus on building strong teams across the nation, we’ve been able to uphold our legacy of financial stability while investing in new, innovative technologies that support the needs of our customers. Our high-performance culture focused on operational excellence thrives thanks to remarkable people united by compassion and a customer-first commitment. Are you ready to make a difference?

Job Summary

Our Employee Benefits Division is growing!  The Absence Management Practice Leader will provide leadership, analysis, and consultative insight into Standard’s absence management product line, including Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML), Americans with Disabilities (ADA) and Waiver of Premium for Purchaser (WPP) services.  You will serve as an internal and external advocate and to ensure that Standard successfully meets its absence management product’s mission and goals while being recognized in the marketplace as the absence management subject matter expert and spokesperson for The Standard’s leave offerings. In addition, you will support PFML as a total leave solution for customers.

• Support Sales effort to contribute to the sale and retention of business through the development and executing of a leave/absence management sales strategy.   Work effectively with Product and Sales Enablement to develop and promote products and services. 

• Work and negotiate with Underwriting, Legal, QA, and other departments and state regulators to contribute to the sale and retention of business, product development and the company’s competitive position and reputation in the absence management and disability marketplace.

• Engage in the consulting / broker community in conjunction with sales and client management to communicate and improve our leave offering in the marketplace. 

• Assist with the responses to RFP’s, preparation and execution of finalist presentations.

• Act as the central contact and spokesperson for the Absence product line. 

• Develop industry contacts and enhance industry knowledge and understanding of all internal and external factors that impact the product line.  Provide benchmarking data upon request.

• Actively participate in industry conferences to help position the company as a leader in Absence Management. 

• Create, foster field utilization and present Continuing Education Courses targeted at Absence and Disability. 

• Actively support the RFP process by answering inquiries from internal teams (i.e. Product, Sales Reps, Marketing, Proposals, Enrollment, and Claims) and acting as SME for proposal question answers.

* Prior experience working with disability and leave management products and programs is a requirement of this role *

* Residence within the US and the ability to work remotely is a requirement of this role *

* Ability to travel up to 50% annually throughout the United States is a requirement of the role *

Skills and Background You’ll Need

• EDUCATION: Preferred BA/BS in Business, Human Resources, Health Services or related discipline, but not required.

• EXPERIENCE: Minimum 7 – 10 years of disability product exposure and at least 2 years of FMLA and application of broader leave management programs.

• Requires Advanced knowledge of Absence management programs that have been implemented by employers of various sizes including short term disability, statutory disability, long term disability, federal and statutory leaves including those related to the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), paid family leave plans, statutory leaves and company specific leaves and the process links with workers’ compensation, employee assistance plans, vocational rehabilitation, return to work and other health and productivity initiatives; understanding of plan design, process and funding as it relates to all benefit Regulations surrounding disability and workforce issues (e.g., ADA, ADEA, etc.)

• Residence within the US and the ability to work remotely is a requirement of this role.

• Ability to travel up to 50% annually throughout the United States is a requirement of the role.

Key Behaviors of a Successful Candidate

• Customer Focus.  Understanding needs of internal and external clients.

• Driving Success. Proactive approach to developing a team that exceed expectations.

• Winning Together: Work as a collaborative member on the Employee Benefits team strategizing and driving sales success.

#LI-Remote

Why Join The Standard?

We have built an enduring legacy of stability, financial strength and exceptional customer service through the contributions of the service-oriented people who choose to work at The Standard. To ensure we can attract and retain the best talent, when you join The Standard you can expect:

• A rich benefits package including medical, dental, vision and a 401(k) plan with matching company contributions

• An annual incentive bonus plan

• Generous paid time off including 11 holidays, 2 wellness days, and 8 volunteer hours annually — PTO increases with tenure

• A supportive, responsive management approach and opportunities for career growth and advancement 

• Paid parental leave and adoption/surrogacy assistance

• An employee giving program that double matches your donations to eligible nonprofits and schools

In addition to the competitive salary range below, our employee-focused benefits support work-life balance. Learn more about working at The Standard.

• Eligibility to participate in an incentive program is subject to the rules governing the program and plan. Any award depends on a variety of factors including individual and organizational performance.

Salary Range:

Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, Inc., StanCorp Equities, Inc. and StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., marketed as The Standard, are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status or any other condition protected by federal, state or local law. The Standard offers a drug and alcohol free work environment where possession, manufacture, transfer, offer, use of or being impaired by an illegal substance while on Standard property, or in other cases which the company believes might affect operations, safety or reputation of the company is prohibited. The Standard requires a criminal background investigation, employment, education and licensing verification as a condition of employment. All employees of The Standard must be bondable.