Specialist, Employee Relations

Ford Motor Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 87,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Parental leave

Tuition assistance

Vehicle discount program

Paid time off and holidays

Employee resource groups

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a Specialist, Employee Relations within the Human Resources group in the United States. The role focuses on resolving employee relations issues, investigations, and policy administration to ensure fair, compliant outcomes.

You will support performance management, training for managers, and collaboration with HR, Legal, and ethics teams to drive a positive workplace culture across the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Resolve employee relations issues with fairness and timeliness, including investigations and disciplinary matters.
• Coordinate with stakeholders for union/work council relations and assist with collective bargaining preparations.
• Serve as primary contact for investigations, hearings, and inquiries, including Ethics and Compliance hotline.
• Implement performance management processes, evaluations, goals, feedback, and improvement plans.
• Develop and deliver manager training on employee relations topics.
• Lead special projects, analyze trends, and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with People Analytics and HR teams to measure effectiveness of solutions.
• Coordinate with legal and compliance on discrimination charges and complaints.
• Communicate employment terms, contracts, and workplace conduct per policy.
• Support workforce communications to enhance satisfaction and reduce turnover.

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or related discipline

Job description

As part of our Human Resources team, you’ll help us attract, hire and retain the top talent we need to achieve our bold vision. You’ll play a vital role in defining, developing and maintaining the winning culture that empowers diverse individuals to work together and create the impossible. We’re seeking change leaders, talent strategists, employee advocates and culture architects to enable our teams, partners, and businesses to do and be their best.

In this position

The Specialist, Employee Relations, working under general direction, is responsible for the resolution of employee relations issues, such as conflicts, disputes, and disciplinary matters, with fairness and consistency in a timely manner. This role conducts daily operations including investigations, mediations, and administration of company policies and procedures related to employee relations, performance management, and workplace conduct. Additionally, the role stays updated on trends and industry practices within the employee relations domain, collaborating with teams to implement training programs, and ensuring compliance with policies. The role maintains accurate and confidential employee records and data related to employee relations matters.

What You’ll Do

• Coordinates with multiple stakeholders for the resolution of employee union and work council relations issues, such as conflicts, disputes, and disciplinary matters, with fairness and consistency in a timely manner in compliance with employment laws, regulations, and company policies. The role also assists managers with preparations for collective bargaining agreements and associated negotiations.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for articulating appropriate responses to cases, investigations, departures, mediations between employees, hearings, litigations, and related issues as per established standards, practices, procedures, processes, and timelines. Handles employee queries on the Ethics and compliance hotline.
• Implements company policies, protocols, and procedures in the domain of performance management systems, including performance evaluations, goal setting, feedback mechanisms, employee relations assessments, and performance improvement plans, in compliance with laws and regulations. Implements feedback mechanisms for employees to share suggestions on lean process improvement initiatives and assists with associated change management initiatives.
• Implements training programs for Managers across departments on employee relations subjects such as conflict resolution, dispute management, complaints, goal setting, performance feedback delivery, etc. to achieve high employee motivation, morale, and a positive work environment.
• Participates in the delivery of employee relations special projects by representing the team as the prime contact, coordinating with senior internal and industry personnel, integrating data and information from multiple sources to identify trends, and evaluating multiple tangible and intangible variables to develop solutions.
• Participates in determining the objectives and deliverables for continuous improvement projects to develop solutions and preventive measures to various operational problems for initiatives and programs across the Employee lifecycle in partnership with People Analytics and other HR teams, and to subsequently track data and metrics to understand the effectiveness of the solutions.
• Coordinates with legal, compliance, and other HR teams for formulating effective responses for all types of discrimination charges and complaints.
• Delivers HR-specific communications related to employee contracts, including employment terms and conditions, workplace conduct, performance management, workforce retrenchment, etc., as per established processes, and updates related processes and procedures if necessary to ensure compliance and consistency with relevant laws and company policies.
• Implements company policies and procedures related to employee relations, workplace conduct, collective bargaining agreements, and employee communication consistently as per established guidelines to enhance employee satisfaction and reduce turnover.
• Demonstrates full knowledge of industry best practices in employee relations subjects such as conflict resolution, dispute management, complaints, goal setting, and performance feedback delivery, along with a strong understanding and application of related concepts and principles. Coaches and guides managers and employees on matters related to employee and labor relations.

You’ll have

• Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree (preferred) in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or any other related discipline or commensurate work experience.
• Minimum 3 years of work experience with a Master’s degree or 5 years of work experience with a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Employee Relations or a related field.

Even better, you may have

• Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) (Preferred)
• Certified Labor Relations Professional (CLRP) (Preferred)
• Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM – CP) (Preferred)

Work Requirements

• Involves occasional (defined as one-third or less of the time) lifting of no more than 10 pounds at a time. Work is performed primarily in a seated position and entails no significant stooping, standing, climbing, walking, etc. Many sedentary jobs require good use of the hands and fingers for repetitive hand-finger actions. Working conditions occur within low to moderate noise levels related to the use of standard office or classroom equipment.

This description outlines the general nature and scope of work typically performed in this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, work requirements, etc. It may vary slightly based on business or geographic needs and is subject to being reviewed and updated periodically.

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 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 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 salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600-144,900.

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.