Essense of Australia is an international bridal wholesaler with key offices based in Lenexa, Kansas, Perth, Australia, and Zug, Switzerland. Our organization also operates in the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, and New Zealand. We have been a global leader in bridal fashion for over 20 years and our designs are currently sold in nearly 1,000 stores worldwide. With innovative designs and a strong customer service approach, Essense of Australia is a dynamic company that rewards excellence, drive, and collaboration.   

The Role 

As a people-focused company with quality relationships as a core value, we are looking for an experienced Benefits and Leave Specialist to join our Human Resources team in our Lenexa, KS office.  Internally, the title for this position is a Human Resources Operations Specialist and will be responsible for benefits administration, FMLA, ADA, Workers Compensation and other types of leave, performance management administration, HR compliance and reporting, project management, and various other HR operational functions.  If you are an HR professional who enjoys leveraging technology and different tools to gain HR operational efficiencies and streamline processes, this is the opportunity for you! 

This role will interface regularly with both managers and employees throughout our global organization.  While this position will primarily support our US teams, this position may occasionally engage with global leaders and employees in other locations.   

What You’ll Do:  

• Responsible for daily operations of benefits administration to include problem resolution, plan interpretation, policy and procedural guidance.  

• Advise and educate employees on benefits programs, wellness initiatives and related matters.  

• Plan and manage open enrollment.  

• Administration of the company 401k retirement plan and annual audit.  

• Process certifications for leaves in accordance with regulations and policies. 

• Provide appropriate case management to include communication of approvals, denials, leave extensions, re-certifications, return to work requirements and plans and other important information regarding the leave to the employee and manager. 

• Ensure that the workers compensation program is managed in accordance with applicable OSHA and workers compensation laws.  

• Conduct and manage disability eligibility analyses in accordance with ADA. 

• Coordinate full-cycle performance management process for all employees in collaboration with HRBPs.  

• Create and support HR process automations and HR SharePoint administration. 

• Manage Wrike HR processes and provide Wrike support for HR team. 

• Partner with HR team members in other countries to support and document global processes and procedures.   

• Serve as project manager on HR system implementations.   

• Conduct compensation analysis using market data for new and current positions.   

• Perform FLSA review on new positions, prior to posting, and current positions as needed. 

• Coordinate Service Awards Program for employees. 

• Prepares all HR legal and governmental regulatory reporting as required. 

What We Are Looking For:  

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Human Resources or related field required. PHR or SHRM-CP preferred.  Equivalent work experience may be considered if candidate meets other qualifications. 

• Minimum 4-6 years of HR generalist or benefits and leave administration experience required. Experience with HRIS, SharePoint administration and project management systems preferred. 

• Strong working knowledge of FMLA, ADA, Workers Compensation. 

• Customer service driven with professional presence and demeanor. 

• Strong working knowledge of HRIS Systems and reporting tools, MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel) including use of SharePoint. Ability to quickly learn and implement new technologies to build work efficiencies. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.  

• Highly detail-oriented with the ability to check own work and maintain an exceptionally high degree of accuracy.  

• Ability to multi-task and work with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment.   

• Ability to analyze information and provide recommendations. 

What We Offer: 

We look forward to welcoming the successful candidate to our global team! In return for your skills, we offer you the opportunity to join an international industry leader and be part of a creative and collaborative culture that empowers its people, promotes teamwork and embraces sustainability. We recognize and reward excellence, innovation, and loyalty. Our goal is to offer an inspirational and modern workplace that allows for talented individuals to thrive. As such, we provide competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package, with opportunity for exceptional team members to grow with us.   

If you have the skills and drive to help us further our growth, please go to https://www.essensedesigns.com/careers/ and follow the prompts to submit your resume and cover letter.