Global Leave & Absence Specialist

About the team: You will be part of Ramboll's Global HR Operations team, which provides HR operations services to various countries across Ramboll using global HR applications (e.g., Workday).

As the Global Leave & Absence Specialist , you will be the specialist resource for leave and absence management within Global HR Operations.

You will own the accuracy, consistency, and continuous improvement of leave and absence processes across the countries serviced, acting as the point of expertise for complex cases, process design, and Workday absence configuration — while also contributing to wider HR Operations service delivery linked to the employee lifecycle.

Main Role Responsibilities Leave & Absence Process Expertise: Act as the subject matter expert for leave and absence processes globally — including maternity/parental leave, sick leave, statutory and company-specific leave types, disability/medical leave, and other absence categories across multiple countries.

Complex Case Resolution: Own and resolve complex or non-standard leave cases (e.g., extended medical leave, intermittent leave, leave-pay interactions, return-to-work scenarios), acting as the escalation point for the wider HR Operations team.

Process Design & Standardization: Design, document, and continuously improve global leave and absence processes, identifying opportunities for standardization and automation across countries.

Workday Absence Configuration: Partner with the HRIS/Workday team on absence plan configuration, testing, and troubleshooting; identify and raise system gaps or defects affecting leave processing, and support enhancement projects.

Statutory & Policy Currency: Maintain up-to-date knowledge of statutory leave entitlements and regulatory changes across countries serviced, and translate these into updated processes, guides, and system configurations.

Payroll Interface: Ensure leave data flows accurately into payroll, working closely with Global Payroll and in-country teams to coordinate statutory pay, unpaid-leave deductions, and return-to-work pay changes; validate absence data ahead of payroll cut-off dates and investigate and resolve leave-related payroll discrepancies.

General HR Operations & Workday Support: Provide broader HR Operations process and Workday system support (service requests, data updates, change requests) as part of the team's day-to-day delivery.

Query & Ticket Resolution: Handle and resolve leave and absence-related tickets and queries from employees, managers, and in-country HR teams, ensuring adherence to defined SLAs and turnaround times. ​​​​​​​ Documentation & Training: Own the creation and maintenance of leave and absence SOPs, quick guides, step-by-step guides, and training materials for the wider HR Operations team to reference. ​​​​​​​ Knowledge Sharing & Coaching: Act as the go-to resource for leave and absence questions across the HR Operations team, coaching colleagues on process nuances and edge cases. ​​​​​​​ Stakeholder Engagement: Participate in weekly/monthly update calls with countries and the Global HR Operations team, representing leave and absence topics and providing status updates on ongoing initiatives. ​​​​​​​ Benefits Coordination: Liaise with global and local benefits teams, insurers, and providers to ensure correct handling of benefits (e.g., income protection, disability, statutory entitlements) during leave, and keep employees informed of the benefit implications of their leave. ​​​​​​​ Global Policy & Data Compliance: Support the harmonization of global and local leave and absence policies with People Advisory, legal, and payroll teams, and ensure all leave-related activities comply with data privacy and confidentiality requirements (including GDPR and local equivalents); support internal and external audits as needed. ​​​​​​​ Vendor & Provider Liaison: Act as the primary point of contact for external vendors involved in leave administration, including payroll providers, benefit providers, insurers, and occupational health providers, coordinating on claims, certificates, and return-to-work arrangements. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Reporting & Analytics: Prepare regular and ad hoc reporting on leave trends, absence utilization, and payroll-impacting leave; analyze the data to flag risks and provide insights that support workforce planning, policy review, and wellbeing initiatives.

HR Operations experience gained in an international, multi-cultural organization. 5-7+ years of experience in Global HR Operations, with demonstrated depth in leave and absence management across multiple countries.

Hands-on experience administering and/or configuring leave/absence processes in an HRIS tool ( Workday strongly preferred ; PeopleSoft, Oracle, SAP, or similar also considered).

Working knowledge of how statutory leave entitlements and practices vary across jurisdictions; exposure to multiple countries/regions preferred.

Service-minded, with a strong understanding of good customer service in a shared-services/global environment.

Experience working in a complex, matrixed organization.

Systematic and structured working style with strong attention to detail, given the compliance sensitivity of leave data.

Strong self-starter, comfortable operating as an individual contributor and subject matter resource without formal line management responsibility.

Excellent communication and coordination skills; fluent in English, both verbal and written.

Innovative and problem-solving approach, particularly for ambiguous or non-standard cases.

Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with a sense of urgency.

Preferred Education & Certification: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Employment Law, or a related field; a professional HR, payroll, or benefits certification is an advantage.

Regional Breadth: Experience supporting countries across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific is highly advantageous.

Personal Qualities Strong communicator, ope