Director of Human Resources Benefits and Leaves

The Fort Bend Independent School District is seeking a Director of Human Resources Benefits and Leaves to provide strategic leadership over employee benefits, wellness, and leave administration. This onsite role in Sugar Land, Texas supports compliant, confidential, and employee-centered service delivery, including oversight of ADA accommodation processes and absence management.

In this position, you will partner with District leaders, HR staff, employees, supervisors, and external partners to ensure timely and accurate administration, monitor claims and utilization, and drive continuous improvement across leave and benefits programs.

What You’ll Do

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for employee benefits, wellness, leave administration, absence management, and ADA accommodation processes.
• Ensure effective administration, compliance, communication, and continuous improvement of employee benefits and wellness programs and assigned leave programs, including assault leave, FMLA, TDL, UPL, catastrophic leave, sick leave bank, and voluntary transfer of days.
• Monitor claims, utilization, leave, absence, and accommodation-related data to identify trends, compliance considerations, service needs, and process improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with District leaders, HR staff, employees, supervisors, vendors, third-party administrators, and other stakeholders to support timely, accurate, confidential, and employee-centered service delivery.
• Work with the medical plan administrator to promote wellness events and screenings.
• Develop and design benefit and wellness programs aligned with District policies, including integration and execution of the District benefits and wellness platform.
• Develop benefit milestones timelines and calendars, and develop and recommend the annual benefit and wellness budget in collaboration with Business & Finance.
• Strategize regarding benefit plan design adequacy and improvements; report monthly on outliers and movement in claims expenditures and member utilization.
• Stay current on carrier services, products, websites, and capabilities; suggest educational opportunities based on claims utilization and trends.
• Oversee employee-facing onboarding by ensuring benefits and wellness information is included in New Employee Orientation.
• Plan and oversee wellness and benefit events across various campuses/locations.
• Coordinate renewal/marketing/RFP processes, contract reviews, and finalization activities; maintain relationships with third-party benefit and wellness providers, auditors, and brokers.
• Create and oversee delivery of reports, carrier/TPA/vendor recommendations, and relationship management; deliver benefits and wellness presentations.
• Manage benefits plan implementations and coordinate/enact enrollment meetings and activities.
• Oversee the development and preparation of communication booklets in accordance with FBISD guidelines and the benefit timeline.
• Ensure benefit and wellness plans and programs comply with governmental regulatory agencies.
• Provide strategic oversight for leave administration, absence management, and ADA accommodation processes to ensure consistent, timely, confidential, and compliant service delivery.
• Oversee leave program administration, including assault leave, FMLA, TDL, UPL, catastrophic leave, sick leave bank, voluntary transfer of days, and other applicable leave programs.
• Oversee ADA accommodation processes, including coordination of the interactive process, documentation, communication with employees and supervisors, and appropriate follow-up.
• Deliver Health Reform and Compliance materials to employees; keep abreast of self-funding analytics.
• Maintain employee satisfaction through customer service delivery, research and respond to escalated employee inquiries, and deliver benefit-related communication to assigned campuses in a timely manner.
• Develop and communicate procedures, guidance documents, training materials, and employee-facing resources related to benefits, wellness, leave administration, absence management, and ADA accommodations.
• Provide guidance and support to HR staff, supervisors, and District leadership regarding leave, absence management, ADA accommodations, benefits, and wellness-related matters.
• Manage escalated service issues with confidentiality, diplomacy, sensitivity, accuracy, and tact, and advocate to negotiate and resolve employee issues.
• Coordinate cross-functional collaboration among Human Resources, Payroll, campus leaders, supervisors, vendors, third-party administrators, and other departments to support accurate leave, absence, ADA, benefits, and wellness administration.
• Monitor and analyze monthly claims utilization through the self-funded medical plan via medical carrier and consultant reports.
• Oversee and lead staff responsible for benefits, wellness, leave administration, absence management, and ADA-related operations, including interviewing, selecting, supervising, coaching, performance management, and operational oversight for approximately nine (9) direct reports and six (6) indirect reports.
• Set goals, manage workload, support employee development, and ensure service delivery aligns with District goals and compliance requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in Human Resources, employee benefits, leave administration, absence management, ADA accommodations, District leadership, campus leadership, or a closely related field
• Operational knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and current Internet technologies
• High-level knowledge of health plans, benefits products and services, market dynamics, and carriers/TPAs/vendors
• High-level knowledge of claims trends and opportunities and demonstrated knowledge of basic underwriting fundamentals
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, work independently with initiative, and maintain self-motivation
• Proven track record in executive-level relationship building, renewals, financial reporting and analysis, presentations, and revenue management
• Strong oral and written communication skills with confidentiality, diplomacy, sensitivity, and tact in interactions with vendors and colleagues
• Good problem-solving and strong organization with high attention to detail
• Excellent customer relations skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of employee leave administration, absence management, ADA accommodation processes, and benefits-related compliance requirements, including FMLA, ADA, assault leave, TDL, UPL, catastrophic leave, sick leave bank, and voluntary transfer of days
• Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements for benefits, wellness, leave administration, absence management, and ADA accommodations
• Ability to manage confidential employee information and sensitive matters with sound judgment and professionalism
• Ability to analyze benefits, claims, leave, absence, and accommodation-related data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for process improvement
• Ability to communicate complex benefits, leave, absence management, and ADA information clearly to employees, supervisors, campus leaders, vendors, and District leadership

Work Location and Conditions

• Onsite in Sugar Land, TX
• Work performed in classrooms, offices, work stations, and meeting rooms
• Occasional walking, standing, sitting, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lifting/carrying items less than 40 pounds (such as books, papers, and presentation materials)
• Regular use of hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reaching with hands and arms; and talking or hearing
• Vision abilities include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus
• Attendance at conferences and professional development is required
• May involve prolonged or irregular hours and maintaining emotional control under stress

Salary grade: 208
School year: 2026-2027
Position calendar: 238JUL
Job: District/Campus Leadership
Unposting date: Oct 5, 2026, 11:59:00 PM

Please note: this job description does not limit duties to those listed, and the District may revise responsibilities as needed.