[Hiring] ADA & LOA Specialist @Sutherland

Role Description

The ADA & LOA Specialist manages the interactive accommodation process and employee leaves of absence for employees and job applicants. The role applies the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ADAAA, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and applicable state and local leave and accommodation laws.

This role works with employees, people managers, HR business partners, legal counsel, healthcare providers, and third-party leave administrators. The goal is to administer leaves accurately and identify reasonable accommodations that remove workplace barriers while maintaining business operations.

Key responsibilities

• Interactive process management
  • Facilitate the interactive accommodation dialogue from initial request through case resolution.
  • Conduct intake interviews with employees to understand functional limitations, job tasks, and specific accommodation needs.
• Leave of absence administration
  • Manage a caseload of FMLA, state leave, short- and long-term disability, military, and personal leaves from request through return-to-work.
  • Determine eligibility and issue eligibility, rights and responsibilities, and designation notices within required timelines.
  • Track intermittent leave usage and reconcile it against attendance and timekeeping records.
  • Coordinate with third-party leave administrators, payroll, and benefits so pay and benefits continue correctly during leave.
  • Manage return-to-work, including fitness-for-duty documentation and the transition to accommodation when restrictions remain or leave is exhausted.
• Medical review and analysis
  • Review and evaluate medical documentation from healthcare providers to verify coverage under ADA guidelines and assess functional restrictions.
  • Review leave medical certifications for completeness and follow up on missing or unclear information.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality of employee health information in compliance with ADA, FMLA, and HIPAA standards, keeping medical files separate from personnel files.
• Cross-functional collaboration
  • Partner with department leaders and HR to assess essential job functions and evaluate accommodation feasibility (e.g., adaptive equipment, flexible scheduling, remote work, duty modifications).
  • Advise managers on appropriate support techniques, compliance standards, and non-discriminatory practices.
  • Advise managers on attendance, job protection, and return-to-work questions tied to leave.
• Case tracking and compliance
  • Maintain accurate, centralized records for accommodation and leave cases, tracking outcomes, temporary accommodations, leave dates, and review dates in the HR case management system.
  • Ensure consistent, timely processing of requests in accordance with federal and state statutory timelines.
  • Flag compliance risks and escalate complex cases to leadership.
  • Prepare regular reports on leave volume, case aging, and accommodation trends.
• Program support and education
  • Help update disability accommodation and leave policies, employee handbooks, and standard operating procedures.
  • Assist in delivering training to managers and HR teams on disability inclusion, leave requirements, and interactive process best practices.

Qualifications

• 2 to 4 years of experience in HR operations, leave management, or disability services, with direct experience handling ADA accommodation and leave of absence cases.
• Deep working knowledge of federal and state disability and leave laws (ADA/ADAAA, FMLA, PWFA, and state-specific regulations such as California FEHA and CFRA, and state paid family and medical leave programs).
• Excellent empathetic communication, intake interviewing, and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong analytical skills to evaluate complex medical notes against job descriptions.
• Ability to manage a high-volume caseload with competing statutory deadlines.
• Proficiency in HRIS and case management tools and experience working with third-party leave administrators.

Company Description

About Sutherland

Artificial Intelligence. Automation. Cloud engineering. Advanced analytics. For business leaders, these are key factors of success. For us, they’re our core expertise.

We work with iconic brands worldwide. We bring them a unique value proposition through market-leading technology and business process excellence.

We’ve created over 200 unique inventions under several patents across AI and other critical technologies. Leveraging our advanced products and platforms, we drive digital transformation, optimize critical business operations, reinvent experiences, and pioneer new solutions, all provided through a seamless “as a service” model.

For each company, we provide new keys for their businesses, the people they work with, and the customers they serve. We tailor proven and rapid formulas, to fit their unique DNA. We bring together human expertise and artificial intelligence to develop digital chemistry. This unlocks new possibilities, transformative outcomes and enduring relationships.

Sutherland: Unlocking digital performance. Delivering measurable results.