Senior HR Ops Specialist, Leave Administration EMEA

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Job Description

As a member of the HR Operations team, you will play a key role in administering, evaluating, and troubleshooting leave of absence programs within a Shared Service Model. You will deliver compassionate and exceptional service to employees navigating leave processes, ensuring their needs are met with empathy and professionalism. Additionally, you will facilitate effective and transparent communication with managers, HR Partners, and other stakeholders, maintaining compliance and ensuring the highest standard of support throughout the leave experience.

Responsibilities:

• Manage the administration of leave of absence programs including maternity leave, parental leave, and long term sick leave.
• Consult with employees and managers to explain leave provisions, determine eligibility, interpret policies and address general inquiries.
• Troubleshoot and resolve routine and complex leave issues efficiently and empathetically.
• Maintain accurate and thorough case management documentation in a service center environment.
• Provide comprehensive support to employees before, during and after leave, ensuring a smooth transition and effective reintegration.
• Guide employees through sensitive situations with empathy, professionalism, and a commitment to exceptional service.
• Deliver exceptional customer service, maintaining proactive and consistent communication as agreed upon with employees.
• Constantly collaborate with team members to improve and develop best practices for employee leave management and service delivery.
• Communicate leave plans and changes promptly and clearly to all relevant parties.
• Maintain accurate leave records and documentation, ensuring data integrity and compliance.
• Maintain Workday knowledge portal, keeping leave communication resources up to date and accessible.
• Compile and submit accurate reports as needed, tracking key metrics and leave program effectiveness.
• Ensure all leave of absence programs are compliant with local regulations.
• Exemplify team attitude and willingness to support others in need of assistance.
• Oversee pay-impact leaves, managing claim submissions, participation in claim review meetings and producing necessary reports.
• Provide, review and process leave-related paperwork for employees promptly.
• Ensure accurate and timely leave payments in collaboration with payroll.
• Work closely with local business facing HR partner, COE and HR compliance to ensure consistent and clear communication.
• Support the design and implementation of new leave programs, contributing ideas and feedback to improve employee experience.

Education & Training Requirements:

• Degree in Human Resources or a related field preferred
• Minimum of 3 years professional experience with previous HR leaves experience
• Proficient in relevant software and tools related to workforce management and HRIS preferred
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken is required
• Proficiency in a second European language (German, French, Polish)

Qualifications & Experience:

• Previous business-facing HR, HR COE, HR Operations, or role-related experience preferred
• Strong attention to detail paired with the ability to work well independently and under pressure
• Experience in creating reports, assessing, manipulating and presenting data in various formats
• Experience working cross functionality with different stakeholders with a high responsiveness to business needs
• Ability to prioritize multiple simultaneous deliverables and work in a fast paced demanding environment.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to clearly and effectively convey information to diverse audiences

Stryker is a global leader in medical technologies and, together with its customers, is driven to make healthcare better. The company offers innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology, Orthopaedics and Spine that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside its customers around the world, Stryker impacts more than 150 million patients annually.