Ford Motor Company

Specialist, Employee Relations, Ford Energy

Ford Motor Company$86K — $144K *
Energy & Utilities
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Management, or a related field or equivalent experience.
  • 3-5 years of progressive HR experience in a Generalist, Specialist, or adjacent role.
  • Practical knowledge of federal and Kentucky state labor laws and HR regulations.
  • Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with HR Information Systems like Oracle or Workday.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for engaging with diverse employee groups.

Responsibilities

  • Act as a trusted advisor to leaders on performance management and employee engagement.
  • Manage HR operations and resolve complex employee inquiries.
  • Provide coaching to frontline leaders on performance documentation and improvement plans.
  • Support workforce planning and key HR processes across the employee lifecycle.
  • Investigate and resolve elevated HR inquiries requiring cross-functional coordination.
  • Identify and address employee experience friction points in collaboration with centralized teams.
  • Maintain data integrity in HR systems and analyze workforce trends.

Benefits

  • Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
  • Flexible family care days and paid parental leave.
  • Tuition assistance for continued education.
  • Employee discounts on vehicle purchases and management leases.
  • Paid time off for community service and other activities.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Based in Glendale, Kentucky, you will balance curiosity with a strong sense of accountability to navigate ambiguous inquiries, partner across teams to resolve systemic process bottlenecks, and deliver high-quality support to employees and leaders.

In this position...
  • Consult & Partner: Act as a trusted advisor to frontline and mid-level operational leaders, providing guidance on performance management, policy application, and employee engagement.
  • Drive Operational Excellence: Manage day-to-day HR operations, resolve complex employee inquiries, and maintain high standards of data integrity.
  • Resolve & Escalate: Run independently on standard employee relations and operational matters, while partnering with and learning from Senior Specialists on highly complex, sensitive, or high-risk escalations.


Responsibilities

What you'll do...

HR Consultation & Frontline Advisory
  • Performance Management: Guide and coach frontline leaders through the end-to-end performance management process, including coaching conversations, performance documentation, and performance improvement plans (PIPs).
  • Employee Relations: Address and resolve standard employee inquiries, complaints, and conflict resolution on the shop floor. Partner with the Senior ER Specialist to support larger, high-risk investigations.
  • Leader Coaching: Provide proactive coaching to supervisors and team leaders on employee morale, retention strategies, and building a positive work culture.
  • Workforce Support: Support HR Business Partners (HRBPs) in executing local workforce planning, annual people processes, and key moments across the employee life cycle.

HR Operations & Technical Support
  • Inquiry Resolution: Intake, investigate, and strategically resolve elevated HR inquiries (e.g., payroll/paycheck discrepancies, position changes, benefits escalations) that require cross-functional coordination.
  • Process Improvement: Proactively identify "friction points" in the employee experience. Partner with centralized teams (Payroll, HR Tech, Recruiting) to implement practical, sustainable solutions.
  • Data Integrity & Analytics: Maintain high HCM data integrity within HR systems (Oracle, WorkDay). Perform standard data analysis to identify local workforce trends (absenteeism, turnover) that drive HR decision-making.
  • Special Projects: Support organizational design changes, job architecture updates, and position management audits.

Compliance & Standard Work
  • HR Compliance: Ensure local operations adhere to federal, state, and local labor laws, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, and OSHA record-keeping.
  • Standard Operating Procedures: Develop and update standard work instructions for local HR processes to ensure consistency as the site scales.

Capabilities for Success
  • Balanced Advocate: An emotionally intelligent professional who balances empathy for employees with a strong sense of accountability to business objectives.
  • Collaborative Problem Solver: A proven ability to build trust and partner effectively across departments (Operations, Payroll, Recruiting) to resolve systemic issues.
  • Critical Thinker: Skilled at navigating moderately ambiguous situations, utilizing data and policy to move from identifying a problem to implementing a solution.
  • Agile Coordinator: Ability to manage multiple administrative and consultative priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
  • Support timekeeping administration, including schedule reviews, corrections, and direct employee guidance.
  • Assist employees and leaders with questions related to attendance, pay accuracy, and basic workforce policies.
  • Partner with payroll and HR teams to resolve employee payroll and timekeeping inquiries efficiently.
  • Assist with timekeeping review, payroll processing, and benefits enrollment.
  • Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local manufacturing labor laws and OSHA safety documentation.
  • Assist in developing and implementing new HR policies, handbooks, and procedures to support the scaling site.
  • Resilient Contributor: An emotionally intelligent professional who handles sensitive employee relations matters with absolute discretion, empathy, and professionalism.
  • Collaborative Communicator: Excellent communication skills with the ability to build trust and work effectively in a multicultural, fast-paced team environment.
  • Process Improver: A proactive self-starter who takes initiative to build and refine HR frameworks, rather than just maintaining existing ones.
  • Compliance Champion: Maintain a strong foundation of compliance awareness, including basic knowledge of OSHA, FMLA, Worker's Compensation, and I-9 protocols.


Qualifications

You'll have...
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Management, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
  • Experience: 3-5 years of progressive HR experience, demonstrating solid growth in an HR Generalist, HR Specialist, or HR Generalist-adjacent role.
  • Compliance Knowledge: Practical, working knowledge of federal and Kentucky state labor laws and HR regulatory requirements.
  • Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., v-lookups, pivot tables, data sorting) and experience working within HR Information Systems (e.g., Oracle, Workday, SAP, or Visier).
  • Communication: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to connect effectively with shop-floor team members and salaried leadership alike.

Even better, you may have...
  • Certifications: Professional HR certification (PHR or SHRM-CP).
  • Industry Experience: Prior HR experience in a manufacturing, logistics, or high-growth industrial startup environment.
  • Systems Expertise: Direct experience managing position data, reporting, or organizational changes within Oracle HCM.

Leadership Attributes
  • Proactive Partner: Focuses on anticipating operational needs and addressing potential issues before they escalate.
  • Continuous Improver: A mindset that actively looks for ways to streamline administrative tasks and improve the employee experience.
  • Adaptable & Resilient: Comfortable working in a dynamic facility where processes and teams are scaling and evolving in real-time.

Location & Travel
U.S. with domestic travel

You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!

As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder...or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:
  • Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
  • Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
  • Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
  • Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
  • Tuition assistance
  • Established and active employee resource groups
  • Paid time off for individual and team community service
  • A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year's Day
  • Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

Company: As Ford establishes a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems, this role will initially be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to the subsidiary within one year.

This position is a salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600-$144,900.
Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

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About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company manufactures or distributes automobiles in addition to offering financial services. The company sells to dealerships for retail sales, and for sale to fleet customers, including commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments. Ford’s vehicle portfolio includes automobiles, buses, tractors, and trucks. Retail financing includes retail installment sale contracts for new and used vehicles, and direct financing leases for new vehicles to retail customers, government entities, daily rental car companies, and fleet customers. Finance receivables in the non-consumer portfolio include products offered to automotive dealers. Ford’s environmental initiatives include compressed natural gas, flexible fuel vehicles, electric drive vehicles, Hydrogen, PC power management, and so on. Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903 and is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.

Ford Motor Company Careers

Join the dynamic team at Ford Motor Company, a global leader in automotive innovation and manufacturing. At Ford, we are committed to driving human progress by providing outstanding vehicles and mobility solutions. This is an exciting time to become part of our inclusive team, where job opportunities abound and growth is not just a possibility, but a promise.

Work You’ll Do

At Ford Motor Company, you will collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Our professionals are at the forefront of automotive technology, leading projects that redefine transportation and sustainability. With a culture rooted in continuous improvement and respect for all, Ford offers a workplace where leadership, diversity training, and innovation are part of everyday life.

Join Our Market-Leading Team

Ford’s commitment to excellence is why we are a leader in the automotive sector. We offer a variety of career paths, from engineering to marketing, all designed to foster professional and personal growth. Our team benefits from Ford’s commitment to professional development and networking opportunities, ensuring that every team member can reach their full potential.

Innovative Work

Engage in work that makes a difference. Ford Motor Company is pioneering developments in electrification, autonomous vehicles, and smart mobility solutions. Our team of over 190,000 employees worldwide is dedicated to crafting experiences that improve the way the world moves.

Be Part of a Great Team

Working at Ford means more than just having a job; it means being part of a global family. Our culture promotes teamwork, integrity, and respect—values that underpin everything we do. We believe in nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment where every employee can thrive.

Future-Proof Your Career

Ford Motor Company is not just a great place to work; it’s a place to build a lasting career. Our employees enjoy competitive benefits, comprehensive health care, and retirement plans that rank among the best in the industry. We support career advancement through extensive training programs and hands-on experience in the latest automotive technologies.

Explore Job Opportunities and Internships

Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking for your next challenge or a student interested in an internship, Ford has opportunities that will harness your skills and ignite your ambition. Our hiring process is straightforward and respectful, designed to match your skills and passions with the right position.

Stay Connected

Join Our Team Search open positions that match your skills and interests. We look for passionate, curious, creative, and solution-driven team players. Ready to start your journey with Ford? Prepare your resume, sharpen your interview skills, and become part of a company that’s building the future of transportation.

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Learn more about Ford Motor Company
Size
183,000 employees
Market Cap
$44.8 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$1.2 billion
Founded
1903
5 Year Trend
-2.1%
Revenue
$127.1 billion
NASDAQ

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