Leave of Absence Specialist in Spokane, Washington at URM Stores Inc

URM Stores is seeking a knowledgeable and compassionate Leave of Absence Specialist to manage and support employee leaves and accommodations across Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon — with a primary focus on Washington State’s complex leave programs. This role combines technical expertise in leave law compliance with a genuine commitment to employee care, ensuring every case is handled with accuracy, empathy, and confidentiality.

The Leave of Absence Specialist reports to the Workers’ Compensation and Leave Manager and is responsible for the full lifecycle management of all employee leave programs across a multi-state organization of approximately 2,000 employees. This role partners closely with HR, Payroll, Operations, and external vendors to ensure leave processes are compliant, well-communicated, and seamlessly integrated into business operations.

Important Note: This role is 100% on-site — remote work is not available.

What You’ll Do:

Lead Leave Administration & Compliance for the Company’s Retail Stores

• Oversee all leave programs including FMLA, ADA, Military and state-specific leaves
• Serve as the subject matter expert on:
  • Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML)
  • Washington Paid Sick Leave
  • Washington Family Care Act
  • Comparable programs in Oregon, Montana and Idaho
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations
• Proactively monitor and implement changes based on evolving leave laws

Manage Complex Cases with Confidence

• Administer leave cases from intake, eligibility, documentation, coordination of pay and benefits through return-to-work, including intermittent and overlapping leaves
• Guide leaders and HR partners through complex or high-risk situations
• Lead the ADA interactive process in partnership with HR leadership

Drive Accuracy, Systems & Reporting

• Ensure accurate tracking of all leaves within Paylocity and designated systems
• Maintain audit-ready documentation and centralized records
• Partner with Payroll to ensure accurate pay and benefit coordination
• Develop reporting to identify trends, risks, and operational impacts

Elevate the Employee & Leader Experience

• Communicate clearly and professionally with employees throughout the leave process
• Provide practical, easy-to-understand guidance to leaders
• Develop tools, resources, and training to improve understanding and consistency
• Deliver a leave experience that is respectful, timely, and well-managed

Partner Across the Team

• Collaboration with Payroll, Benefits, Legal, Safety, Workers’ Compensation and Operations
• Manage relationships with our disability carrier
• Support compliance audits and regulatory inquiries

Continuously Improve the Process

• Identifies gaps and implement process improvements
• Standardizes workflows across locations
• Leverages technology to improve efficiency and compliance

What You Bring:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 3+ years of HR experience with a strong focus on leave administration
• Strong working knowledge of:
  • FMLA and ADA
  • Washington/Oregon PFML, Paid Sick Leave, and WA Family Cares Act
  • Multi-state leave programs (WA, OR, ID, MT)
• Proven ability to manage high-volume, complex cases
• Strong attention to detail with a high level of accuracy
• Ability to manage deadlines and prioritize in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience working in HRIS systems (Paylocity preferred) & Excel Spreadsheets

Preferred

• Experience in grocery, retail, or distribution environments
• Experience in union environments and understanding of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs)
• HR certification (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR)

Confidentiality & Professional Integrity

As a valued member of the Human Resources & Payroll team, you’ll be entrusted with highly sensitive and personal information about employees, applicants, and the organization. Maintaining confidentiality isn’t just policy, it’s a cornerstone of professional integrity and essential to the credibility of the HR function. Our team directly shapes the employee experience and contributes to the organization’s success by upholding the highest standards of confidentiality, professionalism, and service excellence. These values ensure we remain a trusted, credible business partner to everyone we serve.

Due to the sensitive nature of this role, the selected candidate must successfully complete URM’s pre-employment process, including background check and verification steps.

Bottom Line

If you’re someone who can balance compliance with practicality, communicate with clarity, and bring structure to complexity, this role gives you the opportunity to make a real impact across the organization.

A Legacy of Local Impact Since 1921

For over a century, URM Stores, Inc. has been the powerhouse behind independent grocers throughout the Inland Northwest. Our mission is simple: help local grocers thrive by handling everything from purchasing and warehousing to the timely delivery of top-quality merchandise.

What makes us unique? Our co-operative model means our Member-Owners aren’t just customers, they’re shareholders. We reinvest in their success by returning earnings to our Co-Op members as patronage dividends.

Today, URM employs more than 3,000 dedicated team members, including those at our subsidiaries Rosauers Supermarkets and Peirone Produce.

We work in a supportive team environment and in addition to our amazing culture, our employees enjoy many perks, and below are a few of the highlights of our complete compensation package:

• An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, the prevailing minimum wage for the location, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, and business or organizational needs. Salary range $30.00 - $33.00 an hour DOE, plus so much more!
• Insurance Benefits – So that our non-union employees have more to take home from their paycheck, URM pays 100% of the Medical/Dental/Vision/RX Insurance premiums for the employee and over 93% for the employee’s dependents!
• 401k Retirement Plan with an amazing Company match up to 9% of your annual salary!
• Subsidized Life Insurance for employees and great rates for the employee’s family.
• Company paid Long-Term Disability insurance.
• Short-Term Disability and Cancer Insurance available.
• Life Flight Insurance at Special Rate.
• Great vacation plan!
• Six Paid Holidays and four Paid Personal Holidays.
• Paid Sick Days.
• Paid Volunteer Service Day! Get paid to volunteer at your favorite non-profit!
• Experience enjoyable Company sponsored activities through events like URM March Madness Brackets, Family Hockey Night with the Chiefs, Holiday Mingle & Jingle with great raffle giveaways, Summer Evening Wine & Music Event, and Winter Break Movie Night, which are just a glimpse of the fun we have to offer for employees and their families!
• Plus, enjoy a variety of corporate discounts, from gym memberships, cell phone plans, to computer discounts!
• We also offer an Amazing Employee Discount Program at our Company-owned Grocery Stores!!!!

Ready to Apply?

If you’re passionate about accuracy, compliance, and contributing to a team that positively shapes the employee experience, we invite you to apply! Please include your resume AND a cover letter detailing your interest and how your skills and experience align with this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer

URM Stores, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, fostering an inclusive workplace where all employees can thrive. We prohibit discrimination of any kind and are committed to a work environment built on respect, inclusion, and opportunity for all.