HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST(Leaves & Benefits)

Position Overview:

The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is seeking a motivated candidate to serve as a Human Resources Specialist in Leaves and Benefits in the Springfield office. The ideal candidate for this role will possess previous experience with performing and overseeing the complex and specialized work related to employee leaves, employee benefits, and workers compensation programs. In this position, the incumbent will be under the direction of the leaves and benefits manager, coordinate the agency's workers' compensation program, conduct claim investigations, review service-connected leaves, monitor restrictions for light duty placement, and provide technical support for the agency's leaves of absence program.  If this sounds like an opportunity that would fit into your career path, then click the apply button to get started.  We encourage all interested and qualified individuals to apply!

Essential Functions:

• Under general direction, serves as the Human Resource Leaves and Benefits program specialist by performing and overseeing complex, specialized work related to employee leave, benefits, and workers' compensation programs under the direction of the Leave and Benefits Manager.


• Coordinates the Agency’s Workers’ Compensation Programs.


• Provides Technical Support for Agency Leave of Absence Programs.


• Serves as designated lead worker for Human Resources Leave, Benefits, and Workers' Compensation Processing.


• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of four years of college and two years of professional human resources experience.

Specialized Skills:

• Requires two (2) years professional experience in State of Illinois Worker's Compensation Program, with extensive knowledge of Worker's Compensation Program, HIPPA regulations, and OSHA requirements.


• Requires two (2) years of assisting both CMS Workers Compensation and the Third-Party Administrator with referring employees for independent medical exams or setting up surveillance for expected abuse of ongoing medical claims.


• Requires two (2) years of experience working with Labor Relations providing guidance and attending grievances as needed.


• Requires two (2) years of experience working with the Attorney General’s Office by attending judicial hearings providing witness testimony regarding leaves and investigations.


• Requires two (2) years of experience determining light duty assignments based off physician’s recommendation while maintaining compliance at a correctional facility.

Preferred Qualifications: (In Order of Significance):

• Prefers two (2) years professional experience in State of Illinois Worker's Compensation Program, with extensive knowledge of Worker's Compensation Program, HIPPA regulations, and OSHA requirements.


• Prefers two (2) years of assisting both CMS Workers Compensation and the Third-Party Administrator with referring employees for independent medical exams or setting up surveillance for expected abuse of ongoing medical claims.


• Prefers two (2) years of experience working with Labor Relations providing guidance and attending grievances as needed.


• Prefers two (2) years of experience working with the Attorney General’s Office by attending judicial hearings providing witness testimony regarding leaves and investigations.


• Prefers two (2) years of experience determining light duty assignments based off physician’s recommendation while maintaining compliance at a correctional facility.


• Prefers at least four (4) years of progressively responsible administrative experience advising on leaves of absences.


• Prefers at least three (3) years of experience processing service-connected leaves in a correctional setting with both temporary total disability and extended benefits. The ability to process these leaves for employees at various locations throughout the State.


• Prefers at least one (1) year of experience processing unemployment claims.


• Prefers knowledge of Personnel Rules and Collective Bargaining Contracts.


• Prefers extensive knowledge of framing of correspondence and reports with grammatical correctness.

Conditions of Employment:

• Requires the ability to pass an IDJJ background check.


• Requires the ability to pass a drug screen. The use of unauthorized drugs by any employee, regardless of position held, is prohibited.


• Requires ability to attend seminars, conferences, and trainings to stay current on methods, tools, ideologies, or other industry related topics relevant to the job duties.


• Requires the ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate.


• Overtime is a condition of employment, and may be requested, or required/mandated to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, or last-minutes overtime. This may require the ability to work evenings and/or weekends. 

The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency:

The mission of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is to build youth skills and strengthen families by promoting community safety and positive youth outcomes. Over 900 staff members from across various departments—security, programming, education, mental health, and more—collaborate with the understanding that youth are physically, emotionally, and cognitively different from adults. The department provides extensive services to young people through a developmental, treatment-focused model of care that builds youth resiliency, engages families, and promotes community safety at the five youth facilities it operates across the state. IDJJ serves and houses approximately 150 youth and is responsible for approximately 500 youth on Aftercare in various Illinois’ communities.