Absence Management Officer – UK & Ireland in Edinburgh

As an Absence Management Officer, you will join the Global Human Resources (GHR) CoE Services Team and provide specialist operational support to business divisions and corporate functions across the UK and Ireland in managing employee sickness absence. You will deliver high-quality, consistent absence management services in line with company policy, employment legislation, and established service standards.

You will play a key role in promoting employee wellbeing and supporting a positive workplace culture by guiding managers and employees through sickness absence processes. This includes early intervention, case management, and facilitating appropriate support mechanisms to enable sustainable returns to work. The team you will be joining plays an important role in the overall success of the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Actively manage sickness absence cases/tickets via the GHR Service Centre system, ensuring timely and accurate updates.
• Monitor and manage short-term and long-term absence cases, ensuring compliance with company policy and local employment legislation (UK & Ireland).
• Provide guidance and support to managers on absence management processes, including absence review meetings, formal processes, and return-to-work planning.
• Identify trends in absence data, support analysis, and recommend actionable solutions to reduce absence levels.
• Coordinate and manage referrals to Occupational Health and external providers, ensuring timely intervention and effective case progression.
• Work closely with Permanent Health Insurance providers to support employees on long-term absence and ensure a joined-up approach.
• Support the facilitation of absence-related meetings where required, ensuring a fair and consistent approach.
• Escalate complex employee relations, conduct, capability, or legal-risk matters to Employee Relations while maintaining ownership of the absence management process and related administration.
• Participate in process improvement, operational excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives relating to absence management, employee wellbeing, and service delivery.
• Ensure appropriate documentation is prepared, reviewed, and maintained in line with audit, risk, and legal requirements.
• Provide operational insights, case trends, and recommendations to support policy reviews, process enhancements, and wellbeing initiatives.
• Partner with HRBPs, managers, payroll, benefits teams, and Employee Relations to ensure accurate handling of absence-related impacts.
• Contribute to training initiatives for managers on absence management and employee wellbeing.
• Assist with the development of absence management tools, templates, procedures, and training materials.
• Keep up to date with UK and Irish legislative developments and ensure related processes are maintained accordingly.
• Participate in Global Policy reviews and provide local country input on sickness absence and wellbeing policies and procedures.
• Provide GHR support to local, regional, or EMEA initiatives relating to absence management, employee wellbeing, and service delivery.
• Track service metrics, case volumes, and operational trends, providing regular reporting and insights to stakeholders.

Skills & Experience

• Third-level degree in Business, Human Resources, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Previous HR Operations, Absence Management, Employee Relations, Case Management, or HR Shared Services experience preferred, with working knowledge of UK and Irish employment legislation.
• Experience in a large and preferably global organisation within Financial Services, Banking, or a comparable industry environment.

Required Competencies

• Strong sense of teamwork.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong customer and employee service orientation.
• Problem-solving mindset with a proactive approach to case management.
• Resilience and sound judgement when handling sensitive and complex situations.
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships locally and virtually.
• Self-disciplined with the ability to work independently in a remote management environment.
• Strong analytical, organisational, and reporting skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on operational excellence and service delivery.

About State Street

Across the globe, institutional investors rely on us to help them manage risk, respond to challenges, and drive performance and profitability. We keep our clients at the heart of everything we do, and smart, engaged employees are essential to our continued success. We are committed to fostering an environment where every employee feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. As an essential partner in our shared success, you’ll benefit from inclusive development opportunities, flexible work-life support, paid volunteer days, and vibrant employee networks that keep you connected to what matters most. Join us in shaping the future.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we consider all qualified applicants for all positions without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, marital status, domestic partnership or civil union status, familial status, military and veteran status, and other characteristics protected by applicable law.

Discover more information on jobs at StateStreet.com/careers