Manager, Absence Operations

Job Posting End Date: November 08

When you join the team at Unum, you become part of an organization committed to helping you thrive.

Here, we work to provide the employee benefits and service solutions that enable employees at our client companies to thrive throughout life’s moments. And this starts with ensuring that every one of our team members enjoys opportunities to succeed both professionally and personally. To enable this, we provide:

Award-winning culture

Inclusion and diversity as a priority

Performance Based Incentive Plans

Competitive benefits package that includes: Health, Vision, Dental, Short & Long-Term Disability

Generous PTO (including paid time to volunteer!)

Up to 9.5% 401(k) employer contribution

Mental health support

Career advancement opportunities

Student loan repayment options

Tuition reimbursement

Flexible work environments

*All the benefits listed above are subject to the terms of their individual Plans .

And that’s just the beginning…

With 10,000 employees helping more than 39 million people worldwide, every role at Unum is meaningful and impacts the lives of our customers. Whether you’re directly supporting a growing family, or developing online tools to help navigate a difficult loss, customers are counting on the combined talents of our entire team. Help us help others, and join Team Unum today!

General Summary: Managers lead a team of specialists responsible for the end-to-end management of absence and claim cases for our clients. This role ensures operational performance expectations are met while delivering consistent, accurate, and high-quality service.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Lead and manage a team of specialists, including hiring, performance management, retention, and development.

Build a high-performing, learning focused environment through ongoing coaching, training, and professional growth.

Deliver consistent absence services that meet or exceed all service levels and goals, including accuracy and timeliness, and result in a great experience for clients, claimants and our own employees.

Support the delivery of complex strategic, transformational, and growth projects with the goal of achieving operational excellence and providing a superior experience for the customer.

Act as a service leader in operations-related escalations, client discussions, and field partner interactions.

Set clear expectations, involve team members in goal setting and work planning, and address performance issues promptly and constructively.

Ensure thorough, fair, and objective case management, delivering accurate and timely service in accordance with plan provisions, state regulations, established procedures, and Unum claims philosophy.

Proactively monitor operational performance by reviewing trends and reporting, conducting root‑cause analysis, and sharing solution‑oriented insights and recommendations with the Director.

Drive effective account de-escalation and resolution efforts in partnership with Director/AVP leadership.

Foster and maintain relationships with key field and upstream/downstream partner teams to achieve desired client level results

Identify and implement productivity, quality, and service improvements in a fast-paced environment.

Manage to budget and contribute to overall operating effectiveness through information sharing and effective change implementation.

This position may also have responsibility for the customer relationship as it relates to the claim and leave service experience.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Specifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.

5+ years of technical absence management experience preferred.

Prior experience leading a service oriented team preferred.

Managers are expected to possess—or be willing to gain—a solid understanding of all relevant products and services to effectively support their teams and business objectives.

Proven ability to drive performance, service, and productivity improvements.

Ability to set direction, monitor results, build followership and lead through change.

Strong influencing skills and ability to build alignment and resolve conflict.

Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Solid understanding of key business metrics and trends.

High integrity, sound judgment, and commitment to confidentiality.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Current Internal Employees are welcome to apply

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~IN1

Unum and Colonial Life are part of Unum Group, a Fortune 500 company and leading provider of employee benefits to companies worldwide. Headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, with international offices in Ireland, Poland and the UK, Unum also has significant operations in Portland, ME - plus over 35 US field offices. Colonial Life is headquartered in Columbia, SC, with over 40 field offices nationwide.

Unum is an equal opportunity employer, considering all qualified applicants and employees for hiring, placement, and advancement, without regard to a person's race, color, religion, national origin, age, genetic information, military status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or protected veteran status.

The base salary range for applicants for this position is listed below. Unless actual salary is indicated above in the job description, actual pay will be based on skill, geographical location and experience. $75,500.00-$142,700.00

Additionally, Unum offers a portfolio of benefits and rewards that are competitive and comprehensive including healthcare benefits (health, vision, dental), insurance benefits (short & long-term disability), performance-based incentive plans, paid time off, and a 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match up to 5% and an additional 4.5% contribution whether you contribute to the plan or not. All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of individual Plans.

Company: Unum