We are seeking an experienced, compliance-focused **Benefits Specialist - Compliance, Policy & Leave** to join our Global Total Rewards team. This is a global role responsible for **benefits compliance, policy authorship, and leave of absence expertise** across all regions we support, with **primary depth in U.S. federal and state leave law**. You will serve as the team's principal regulatory resource - monitoring legislative change, interpreting its impact on our plans and policies, and drafting the policy language that puts it into practice - while partnering closely with Legal on substantive regulatory matters. You will play a key role in delivering seamless and consistent support to employees, fostering trust through empathetic communication and sound, defensible application of policy. **What You'll Do:** - Serve as the primary compliance resource for global benefits, monitoring federal, state, and country-level regulatory change and assessing impact on our plans, policies, and practices. - Collaborate with providers to manage short- and long-term disability claims effectively and empathetically, and own complex leave and health-plan exception cases end-to-end. - Author, revise, and maintain benefits, leave, and time-off policies - owning the drafting itself - with clear, legally sound, and consistent language. - Partner closely with Legal as a credible technical counterpart: framing issues, preparing background and recommendations, and translating legal guidance into operational policy and process. - Own the governance and documentation framework for benefits policies, including version control, approval trails, plan documents, required notices, and audit readiness. - Serve as subject-matter expert for leave of absence administration (FMLA, ADA, and state-level programs such as NY PFL, CA PFL, NJ TDI), and provide regulatory oversight of statutory leave across other countries. - Administer accommodations under the ADA and related laws, including reduced-work-schedule requests, distinguishing medical accommodations from other requests. - Manage leave and accommodation requests by ensuring completeness of documentation, interpreting applicability of leave protections, and guiding employees and managers through the process. - Use judgment to identify when to escalate complex, sensitive, or precedent-setting cases to Legal or HR leadership. - Advise HR and regional teams on the correct application of policy, resolving ambiguity and building consistency across countries. - Track and analyze leave, accommodation, audits, and case data to identify compliance risk, surface policy gaps, and inform recommendations. **What You'll Bring:** - Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, or a related field with a strong academic record; JD, paralegal credential, or formal compliance training a plus. - **5+ years in benefits**, with a demonstrated concentration in **compliance, regulatory interpretation, and policy drafting**. - **CEBS, GBA, CLMS, or similar professional certification (preferred).** - Demonstrated ability to **author clear, compliant policy language independently**, with writing samples or a policy portfolio available. - Proven expertise in **U.S. leave administration and accommodations**, including: - FMLA, ADA, and HIPAA - State-specific programs such as NY PFL, CA PFL, NJ TDI - Working knowledge of the broader regulatory landscape governing benefits plans (e.g., ERISA, ACA, COBRA) and comfort navigating multi-country statutory requirements. - Experience administering intermittent and long-term leaves, interpreting medical certifications, and managing return-to-work processes. - Experience supporting multi-country/global benefits programs and policy harmonization. - Demonstrated success partnering with Legal or compliance functions on substantive regulatory matters. - Familiarity with HRIS/HCM systems (e.g., Dayforce, SAP, SuccessFactors) and case documentation best practices. - Strong professional communication skills and discretion in handling confidential matters. - High attention to detail, sound judgment, and ability to manage ambiguity in novel or precedent-setting cases. **How you'll grow:** - Cross-functional skills development & custom learning pathways - Milestone training programs aligned to career progression opportunities - Internal mobility paths that empower growth via s-curves, individual contribution and role expansions **Perks & Benefits:** At ZS, your growth matters. We offer a comprehensive total rewards package that supports your health and well-being, financial future, time away, and professional development. With robust skills-building programs, multiple career progression paths, internal mobility, and a deeply collaborative culture, you'll have the opportunity to do meaningful work, expand your capabilities, and thrive as part of a global community. For details on total rewards in United States, visit ZS US office locations | Where we work | ZS. **Hybrid working model:** We are committed to giving our employees a flexible and connected way of working. A flexible and connected ZS allows us to combine work from home and on-site presence at clients/ZS offices for the majority of our week. The magic of ZS culture and innovation thrives in both planned and spontaneous face-to-face connections. **Travel:** Travel is a requirement at ZS for client facing ZSers; business needs of your project and client are the priority. While some projects may be local, all client-facing ZSers should be prepared to travel as needed. Travel provides opportunities to strengthen client relationships, gain diverse experiences, and enhance professional growth by working in different environments and cultures.