HR Business Partner

Ford of Britain; Geelong; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted lease car options

Employee Resource Groups: Ford Pride,

Flexible Work Arrangements

Growth and development opportunities

Paid parental leave from day 1

Wellness Programs including Flu Vaccn

Job summary

Ford Australia is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to support engineering, testing and operations teams across Geelong. You will provide practical HR advice across the employee lifecycle and partner with People Leaders and union representatives.

This hands-on role requires strong IR/ER experience within a unionised environment, capability to influence at all levels, and a collaborative approach in a fast-paced business.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human resource management or related field.
• Experience in generalist HR including Industrial Relations in a unionised environment.
• Experience across the full HR cycle including workforce planning, employee relations and EA negotiations.
• Proven knowledge of Australian Employment Law.
• Ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders, and coach leaders with integrity and customer focus.
• Collaborative mindset and ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving, conflict resolution and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Coaching People Leaders to improve performance and handle employment matters.
• Partnering with leaders across recruitment, onboarding, and employee management.
• Supporting performance, capability, engagement, and talent initiatives with data insights.
• Building relationships with employees, leaders and union reps to support positive relations.
• Supporting Industrial Relations and EA negotiations in a unionised environment.
• Providing hands-on Employee Relations advice on performance, investigations, and disciplinary matters.
• Spending time across Geelong operations to partner with teams.
• Becoming a trusted HR partner to employees and leaders.

Skills

HR advisory

Employee relations

Industrial relations

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in human resource management or related field

Job description

Ford Australia is constantly evolving and innovating, committed to delivering smarter, more connected vehicles for all Australians, now and for generations to come.

Looking ahead, Ford is excited about the future. With an expanding vehicle lineup, growing digital services, and a strong dealer network, they are well-positioned to support Australian businesses in new ways.

As Australia’s largest automotive OEM employer, we proudly have around 1,500 talented engineers, designers, and specialists working across five Victorian sites. Crucially, Australia is a key global development hub for Ford, and their local design and engineering team lead the creation of vehicles including the Ranger, Ranger Raptor, and Everest – models sold in around 180 markets worldwide.

Complementing this technical network, Ford Australia’s National Sales Company (NSC) located in Richmond, is the central hub for commercial and customer engagement activities across the country.

Why Ford?

For a century, we've been a driving force across Australia, building a legacy that truly speaks for itself. Leading the way, the Ranger continues its rein as Australia's No. 1 Selling Vehicle and our iconic Mustang proudly holds its position as Australia’s No. 1 Sports Car.

These remarkable achievements are a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation and a customer-focused approach that has delivered success across our entire lineup, giving us so much to be excited about! But we believe we do more than just build award-winning vehicles—we build careers.

• Discounted lease car options.
• Multiple Employee Resource Groups – Ford Pride, Women of Ford and Ford Empowering Diverse Abilities.
• Flexible Work Arrangements.
• Growth and development opportunities via internal and external training.
• Paid parental leave from day 1.
• Wellness Programs including Free Flu Vaccinations and Health Checks.

About the role

Join Ford Australia in a hands-on HR Business Partner role supporting our engineering, testing and operational teams across Geelong. This is a great opportunity for an experienced HR Adviser ready to step into an HRBP role, or an existing HRBP looking to deepen their Employee Relations and Industrial Relations experience within a unionised environment. Working closely with People Leaders, employees and union representatives, you’ll provide practical HR advice across the employee lifecycle while building strong relationships across the business.

What you’ll be involved in

• Coaching and supporting People Leaders to build capability, manage performance and navigate employment matters confidently.
• Partnering with leaders across the employee lifecycle, including recruitment and selection, onboarding, employee management and separation.
• Supporting people initiatives across performance, capability, engagement and talent, using HR data and insights to identify trends and inform decisions.
• Building effective relationships with employees, leaders and union representatives to support positive workplace relations.
• Supporting Industrial Relations and enterprise agreement negotiations, providing valuable exposure to working within a unionised environment.
• Providing hands-on Employee Relations advice, including performance management, workplace investigations, disciplinary matters and other complex people issues.

This is an on-the-ground HR role where visibility, relationships and practical problem-solving are important. You’ll spend time across our Geelong operations, getting to know the teams you support and becoming a trusted HR partner to both employees and leaders.

• Bachelor's degree in human resource management or related field, but if you bring relevant experience and skills we’d love to hear from you
• Previous generalist HR experience including Industrial Relations within a unionized environment (preferable)
• Experience across the full HR cycle plan, including business partnering across workforce planning, employee relations and enterprise agreement (EA) negotiations.
• Proven experience applying HR principles practices in line with Australian Employment Law.
• Ability to build strong relationships, influence stakeholders at all levels and coach leaders for success, with high-integrity, inclusivity and a customer-focused approach
• A collaborative mindset and ability to adapt in a complex fast-paced environment
• Problem-solving, conflict resolution and analytical skills

Ford Australia is inclusive employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. If you require any support or adjustments to the recruitment process, please contact Hayley at *******@ford.com.

To be considered for this role, you must be legally authorised to work in Australia (verification required upon hire). Please note that the successful candidate will also be required to complete a pre-employment background and national police check.

Please note due to the high numbers of applications we will only be able to contact shortlisted candidates.