Supervisor Absence and Time
FirstEnergy · Akron
FirstEnergy at a Glance
We are a forward-thinking electric utility powered by a diverse team of employees committed to making customers’ lives brighter, the environment better and our communities stronger.
FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to safety, reliability, and operational excellence. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, FirstEnergy includes one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, more than 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, and a regulated generating fleet with a total capacity of 3,780 megawatts.
About the Opportunity
This is an open position with FirstEnergy Service Co., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. [SC00
Supervisor, Absence and Time Management
Position Summary
The Supervisor, Absence and Time Management is responsible for leading the organization's leave administration, disability management, workers' compensation, and time and attendance programs. This role provides strategic and operational oversight of all employee absence programs, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations while delivering a positive employee experience.
The Supervisor serves as the subject matter expert for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), caregiver leave, military leave, short-term disability (STD), long-term disability (LTD), workers' compensation, state leave programs, and company-sponsored absence programs. The position also serves as the functional lead for absence and time management systems, partnering closely with Human Resources, Payroll, Legal, Labor Relations, HR Technology, and business leaders to ensure program effectiveness, compliance, and operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Disability and Leave Management
- Lead the administration of all leave of absence programs, including FMLA, caregiver leave, military leave, STD, LTD, state leave programs, and company-sponsored leave programs.
- Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local leave and disability regulations.
- Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, plan documents, employee communications, and training materials.
- Serve as the escalation point for complex leave and disability matters.
- Partner with HR Business Partners, Employee Relations, managers, and Legal to support employee leave and return-to-work situations.
- Demonstrates empathy and understanding when supporting employees through leave and disability events while maintaining consistent application of policies and requirements.
- Monitor absence trends, identify process improvements, and recommend strategies that enhance operational effectiveness and employee support.
- Protect the confidentiality of medical and personal information in accordance with HIPAA and applicable privacy regulations.
- Oversee disability case management programs and relationships with third-party administrators and insurance carriers.
- Ensure timely and accurate administration of short-term and long-term disability claims.
- Monitor program performance, analyze trends, and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
Workers' Compensation Leadership
- Lead the enterprise-wide workers' compensation program.
- Oversee workers’ compensation state reporting, claims management, nurse case management, return-to-work programs, and vendor performance.
- Partner with Risk Management, Safety, Legal, and business leaders to reduce organizational risk and improve claim outcomes.
- Ensure compliance with workers' compensation laws, reporting requirements, and regulatory obligations.
- Balances employees care and support with consistent application of workers’ compensation requirements, polices and return to work practices.
Time Management and HR Systems Administration
- Serve as the functional lead for absence and time management within the HRIS and workforce management systems.
- Oversee system configuration, testing, enhancements, reporting, and ongoing optimization.
- Manage absence accrual programs, including vacation, sick time, personal time, and other paid time off plans.
- Ensure accurate timekeeping, leave integration, accrual calculations, and payroll support.
- Partner with HR Technology, Payroll, and IT teams to resolve system issues and improve data integrity.
- Develop and maintain controls, audits, and quality assurance processes to ensure system accuracy and compliance.
Leadership and Operational Excellence
- Supervise and develop team members responsible for leave administration, disability management, workers' compensation, and time management processes.
- Establish service standards, performance metrics, and operational goals.
- Conduct performance management, coaching, talent development, succession planning, and career development activities.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Manage vendor relationships, contracts, service-level agreements, and RFP processes as needed.
- Support internal and external audits and ensure timely completion of requests and corrective actions.
- Participate in department projects and strategic initiatives to improve employee experience and operational effectiveness.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in leave administration, disability management, workers' compensation, benefits operations, HR operations, or related fields.
- Strong knowledge of FMLA, workers' compensation, disability programs, HIPAA, and applicable federal, state, and local employment regulations.
- Experience managing third-party administrators, insurance carriers, and external vendors.
- Experience working time and attendance, and workforce management systems.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication, presentation, stakeholder management, and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Teams, and SharePoint.
Preferred Qualifications
- SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR or similar professional certification.
- Experience supporting a large, multi-state workforce.
- Experience with SAP, Oracle or similar HR systems.
- Knowledge of absence management analytics, workforce planning, and process improvement methodologies.
- Experience leading organizational change and system implementations.
Key Competencies
- Regulatory compliance
- Employee and labor relations
- Workers' compensation and disability management
- HR technology and systems expertise
- Strategic thinking and execution
- Process improvement and operational excellence
- Vendor and contract management
- Data analysis and reporting
- Risk management
- Customer Service Orientation
- Project management
- Communication and influencing skills
- Change management
Reporting Relationship
Benefits, Compensation & Workforce Diversity
At FirstEnergy, employees are key to our success. We depend on their talents to meet the challenges of our changing business environment. We are committed to rewarding individual and team efforts through our total rewards philosophy which includes competitive pay plus incentive compensation, a company-sponsored pension plan, 401(k) savings plan with matching employer contribution, a choice of medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance programs, as well as skills development training with tuition reimbursement. Please visit our website at www.firstenergycorp.com to learn more about all of our employee rewards programs. FirstEnergy proudly supports workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. No recruiters or agencies without a previously signed contract. Unable to sponsor or transfer H-1B visas at this time.
Safety
Safety is a core value for FirstEnergy and is essential to all of our business activities. We ensure employees have the tools, information, and processes to perform their duties in a manner that assures safety for themselves, their co-workers, our customers and the public. Our goals are to provide a safe work environment, to maintain an accident-free, injury-free workplace, and to promote and maintain public safety. To meet these goals, we dedicate ourselves to achieving world-class safety standards.
Position Classification
Exempt
FirstEnergy Human Resources Team