Director, Labor and Manufacturing Communications

Lincoln Motor Company; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Flexible family care days

Adoption and surrogacy benefits

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Employee resource groups

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a seasoned communications leader to oversee internal and external messaging for its U.S. Manufacturing footprint. The role focuses on building trust with employees and stakeholders while advancing the Ford+ narrative across plants and communities.

You will partner with Labor Affairs, Manufacturing and other leaders to support business objectives through strategic communications and lead a high-performing team to deliver impactful programs.

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years of communications experience focusing on manufacturing, labor relations and industrial operations.
• Bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal and external communications for Ford’s U.S. Manufacturing footprint, building trust and reputation.
• Partner with Labor Affairs and Manufacturing leaders to support business objectives through communications.
• Develop and mentor a team of communications professionals and drive high performance.

Skills

Storytelling

Media relations

Crisis management

Education

Bachelor's degree in communication, journalism or related field

Job description

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

With a career on the Ford Communications team, you can bring the message of our exciting innovations to the world! You’ll help build and protect our global reputation, build stakeholder trust and further our mission of becoming the world’s most trusted mobility company. You’ll be part of a dedicated organization delivering best-in‑class, high‑impact communications programs that support our innovations, industry leadership and commitment to social responsibility.

In this position...

• Lead internal and external communications for Ford’s U.S. Manufacturing footprint, ensuring a strategic narrative across stakeholder audiences that builds employee confidence and trust and grows reputation.

• Partner with Labor Affairs and Manufacturing leaders to support the achievement of business objectives through communications.

• Serve as a People Leader, responsible for the development and high-performance output of a team of communications professionals.

What you'll do...

• Grow employee confidence: Develop and execute internal communications strategies to improve confidence in the Ford+ plan among U.S. hourly and salaried Manufacturing employees, particularly during footprint shifts and product timing changes. This includes overseeing major employee engagement initiatives.

• Strengthen direct-to-employee communications: Establish new and refine existing communications channels to build trust between Manufacturing employees – before, during and after labor negotiations.

• Build Manufacturing culture: Help drive a culture of respect, safety and quality in Ford Manufacturing sites.

• Champion America’s automaker: Build Ford’s reputation as the most American automaker, finding storytelling and engagement opportunities in new product launches, investments, employee profiles and data.

• Quality and innovation reputation: Position Ford Manufacturing as a quality and innovation leader, including by establishing Ford Manufacturing’s Advanced Technology and Platforms (ATP) group as the industrial technology provider of choice.

• Amplify community work: Grow advocacy for Ford in plant cities by showcasing the work of Ford Community Relations.

• Master complex stakeholder management: Navigate the intersection of Labor Affairs, Manufacturing, Government Affairs, Supply Chain and Communications to build reputation and employee sentiment.

• Set a high bar: Promote a culture of excellence and creativity.

• Empower and delegate: Embrace a leadership model that embeds team members in projects from inception, providing them with high-contact coaching and visibility.

• Operationalize innovation: Proactively use AI for asset creation and workflow automation and apply Plan Do Check Adjust methodology to all major initiatives to ensure continuous improvement.

• Build plant-level capability: Support plant communications coordinators as they manage employee communications and external storytelling in their communities.

• Grow talent: Give and receive performance reflections constructively to support the team’s development.

• Run governance: Apply the right balance of structure and agility to maximize effectiveness.

• Develop your skills: Continuously improve your functional competency and leadership behaviors.

You’ll have...

• 10-15+ years of communications experience with a focus on manufacturing, labor relations and industrial operations.

• Bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism or related field.

Even better, you may have...

• Exceptional proactive storytelling, media relations and crisis management skills.

• Proven experience supporting senior executives and leading teams.

• Well-developed business acumen and professional maturity.

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:

including:

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp‑up programs, subsidized back‑up childcare 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.

This position is a leadership level 4.

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/LL4Benefits (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/fordcareers.co/LL4Benefits__;!!N_LtwI-RPugbI9wg0dJn!EAs1grHWGkFBvmmAfQLnMDQk8qQqqgLL-JEuPcbS_gpYPCCn36kRnRCEKHA9-AItFzx4irdqx6G6uXg$)

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.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.