Accommodations and Ability Management Specialist

**Job Description**:
**About the Department Employee Wellness**:
The Employee Wellness team at Mount Royal University supports the holistic well-being, safety, and inclusion of all employees. Through programs focused on accommodation, disability management, psychological health, and workplace wellness, the department fosters a culture where employees are supported to perform their best work while maintaining balance and safety.

Employee Wellness collaborates with Human Resources, Environmental Health & Safety, associations, leaders, and employees to ensure a compassionate, consistent, and legally compliant approach to medical leaves, return to work planning, and workplace accommodations. The team also provides guidance and education to promote a healthy, respectful, and inclusive work environment.

**About the Role**:
Reporting to the Manager of Employee Wellness and collaborating closely with HRBPs, Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S), MRSA and MRFA representatives, healthcare providers, and leaders, the Accommodations and Ability Management Specialist plays a key role in fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive workplace by ensuring compliance with human rights, employment, and occupational health and safety legislation. This position provides expert guidance on complex accommodation and disability management matters.

This role leads short-term disability and workplace injury processes, develops education and awareness programs, and creates tools that promote equity, inclusion, and employee wellness. Through sound judgment, empathy, and collaboration, the Accommodations and Ability Management Specialist helps ensure that employees are supported to perform their duties safely and effectively while balancing operational needs and legal obligations.

This position is a full-time role working 35 hours per week.

**Responsibilities**:
**Accommodation Management**
- Manage complex accommodation requests (medical, family status, religious, and other protected grounds) from initiation to resolution.
- Advise leaders on their legal obligations, including the duty to accommodate and duty to inquire.
- Interpret medical and functional documentation to assess limitations/restrictions and inform accommodation planning.
- Develop, implement, and monitor individualized accommodation plans in collaboration with employees, leaders, HRBPs, and healthcare providers.
- Partner with HRBPs to address cases where accommodations intersect with performance management or other workplace concerns.
- Maintain accurate, confidential documentation and stay current with evolving legislation, case law, and best practices.

**Disability and Ability Management**
- Manage short-term disability (STD) cases and oversee workplace injury processes in partnership with leaders, HRBPs, MRSA, MRFA and Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S).
- Monitor and analyze Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) claims, identifying trends and cost drivers to inform strategic risk reduction.
- Communicate with healthcare providers to ensure medical information is specific and sufficient for return-to-work planning.
- Facilitate further assessments as required (e.g., IMEs, functional capacity exams).
- Advise leaders on attendance management issues and provide support for addressing barriers to regular attendance.
- Continuously improve internal processes by integrating industry best practices.

**Education and Program Development**
- Support the development and implementation of an absentee management program to promote consistency, fairness, and accountability.
- Design and deliver training for leaders and HRBPs on accommodation, disability management, and related human rights obligations.
- Create tools, resources, and communications to enhance understanding of accommodation and attendance management processes.
- Lead initiatives that promote health, wellness, inclusion, and equity across the organization.

**Qualifications**:

- Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as Disability Management, Human Resources, or Occupational Health & Safety.
- Professional designations such as Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP) or Certified Return to Work Coordinator (CRTWC) are considered assets.
- Certificates or diplomas in Disability Management, Labour Relations and Employment Law, or Human Rights are considered assets.
- Minimum of 5-7 years of related experience, ideally in a unionized or public sector environment.
- Proven expertise in managing complex accommodation and disability management cases.
- Demonstrated experience with WCB claims and return-to-work programs.
- Deep understanding of human rights, duty to accommodate, case law, employment standards, and OHS/Workers’ Compensation legislation.
- Ability to interpret medical information, analyze data (e.g., absenteeism or WCB trends), and identify improvement strategies.
- Exercises discretion in managing sensitive employee issues while balancing legal and operational priorities.
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