Manager, Employee Relations

Lincoln Motor Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 116,000 - 218,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Immediate medical, dental, vision and药

Job summary

Lincoln Motor Company in Chicago is seeking an experienced Manager - HRBP for our assembly plant to lead a transformative HR organization in a unionized environment. You will align HR with business objectives, partnering with plant leadership and central HR teams to deliver advanced HR solutions that elevate the employee experience.

You will drive employee engagement, union collaboration, and strategic HR initiatives to support production goals and continuous improvement across the workforce.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or related field.
• 8-10 years of progressive HR experience in a leadership role.
• SPHR or SHRM-SCP certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic HR leadership for the manufacturing facility, owning the full scope of HR functions including employee relations, union relations, benefits, compensation, training, organizational development, and communications.
• Build relationships with operations leadership to provide consulting and guidance on HR matters that drive cultural change and support production objectives.
• Maintain strong operator relationships to prevent escalations while promoting engagement and trust for operational excellence.
• Partner with leadership to implement standardized recruitment processes with background checks and onboarding programs.
• Coach leaders on communication, visibility, and consistent leadership practices for reliable dialogue with employees.
• Apply lean methodologies with progressive HR practices to drive best-in-class operations and equitable wage and benefits practices.
• Lead HR initiatives that promote engagement, diversity, and professional development in a high-performance culture.
• Foster inclusive leadership and manage a diverse HR team aligned with organizational goals.
• Collaborate with union representatives to ensure accurate interpretation of collective bargaining agreements and fair handling of issues.
• Oversee investigations, grievances, and arbitration matters with appropriate escalation when needed.
• Prepare analytics to monitor employee relations trends and identify improvement opportunities.
• Support both hourly and salaried populations through HR programs and services.
• Promote healthy employee experiences through surveys, feedback, and open door policies.
• Coordinate with health and safety leads to address employee wellness and safety performance.

Skills

HR Leadership

Employee Relations

Union Relations

Strategic Partnership

Communication

Lean HR

Diversity & Inclusion

People Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR/OD

Master’s degree in HR/OD

SPHR or SHRM-SCP certification

Job description

In this position... Join us as the Manager - HRBP for Chicago Assembly Plant - where you'll lead a transformative HR organization in a dynamic and unionized environment. This is an assembly facility dedicated to the advancement of Ford Motor Company with 4500 people. You will align HR functions with strategic business objectives, working closely with Plant Leadership and central HR teams to deliver advanced HR solutions that enhance the employee experience and drive business success. Your expertise in union relations and employee engagement will be crucial in developing a high performing workplace that enhances both employee satisfaction and operational excellence. You will work closely with Plant Management and union leadership to drive transformational and strategic initiatives, ensuring our workforce is empowered and equipped to achieve our production goals. What you'll do... Business Partnership

• Provide strategic HR leadership as the trusted advisor for the manufacturing facility, owning the full scope of HR functions including employee relations, union relations, benefits, compensation, training, organizational development, and communications.
• Build strong relationships with manufacturing operations leadership to provide valuable consulting and strategic guidance on HR matters that drive sustainable cultural change and support production objectives.
• Establish and maintain strong operator relationships grounded in respect for people to prevent small issues from becoming costly escalations while building the engagement and trust essential for operational excellence.
• Partner with leadership to implement standardized recruitment processes with thorough background checks and cultural fit assessments, while designing comprehensive onboarding programs that include structured manager meetings and enhanced support during adjustment periods.
• Coach manufacturing leaders on effective communication practices, visibility, accessibility, and maintaining consistent leadership practices that demonstrate reliability and promote honest, timely dialogue with employees.
• Apply lean methodologies with progressive HR practices to drive operations to best-in-class levels while establishing equitable practices in wages, PTO, overtime, job postings, and management attention across all employees.
• Implement comprehensive recognition and reward systems, workforce planning strategies, and initiatives that promote employee engagement, diversity, and professional development in an inclusive, high-performance culture. People Leadership
• Lead and inspire a diverse HR team by fostering an inclusive, collaborative environment that emphasizes continuous development and strategic alignment with organizational and HR-specific goals while modeling visibility, accessibility, and consistent leadership practices.
• Champion HR initiatives that drive performance excellence, employee engagement, and organizational culture. Ensure open communication and innovation, empowering team members to contribute effectively as strategic business partners in advancing the company's success. Employee & Union Relations
• Enhance collaborative communications by developing and maintaining a robust communication framework that facilitates regular, transparent, and constructive dialogue between union representatives and management while fostering respectful relationships and correct implementation of collective bargaining agreements.
• Maintains regular floor presence to proactively identify and address employee concerns before they escalated, seeking opportunities to improve overall employee experience through methodical uncovering of root causes and corrective actions by starting at Gemba to uncover issues at their point of origin and preventing small problems from becoming larger organizational challenges through rigorous PDCA implementation and early intervention
• Collaborates closely with Operations Leadership and union representatives to ensure correct implementation and accurate interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement, addressing inquiries, grievances, and other union-related issues for consistent application.
• Oversee resolution of employee and union issues including conflicts, disputes, and disciplinary matters, ensuring fairness, consistency, and proportionate responses while maintaining follow-through on commitments.
• Co-create and manage innovative labor agreements to ensure the evolving needs of the workforce and business are met. Inclusive of local contract negotiations and administration of existing agreements to maximize the company’s value of said contract, while minimizing contractual leakages and disputes.
• Oversees and conducts investigations, ensuring that all disciplinary issues, grievances, and arbitration matters are handled in a timely and effective manner. Assesses the severity of each case and escalates significant concerns to the HR Director and/or the Regional HR Sr. Director, as required.
• Responds to and resolves all types of discrimination charges and complaints and works with legal counsel on lawsuit discovery and litigation preparation. Coordinates with specialists, HR teams, people leaders, and employees for appropriate and fair implementation of people policies ensuring compliance and consistency.
• Prepares reports and analytics to monitor employee relations trends and identify areas for improvement or intervention.
• Executes corporate designed products and services impacting both the hourly and salaried populations.
• Fosters a positive and inclusive hourly and salaried employee experience through proactive initiatives based on feedback through employee opinion surveys, suggestions, and open door policies to boost engagement and address areas for improvement.
• Works closely with health and safety leads to address employee health and wellness concerns, implement wellness programs, and partner to improve safety performance for a healthy and safe work environment. You'll have...
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or any other related discipline or commensurate work experience.
• 8-10 years of progressive or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Even better, you may have...
• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or any other related discipline or commensurate work experience.
• SPHR or SHRM-SCP certification
• 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 leadership level 6 and ranges from $115,500-$218,100. 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.
• 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. #LI-Onsite #LI-LP3