Senior Specialist, Employee Relations

Ford • Buffalo, NY

10h • Onsite

About The Position

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.
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 Senior Specialist, Employee Relations at a manufacturing plant is an on-site position requiring a dynamic individual with a passion for employee relations and a strong understanding of business operations. Working without appreciable supervision, this role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities including talent management, employee engagement, labor relations, compliance, and community outreach. The specialist is responsible for the fair, consistent, and timely resolution of employee relations issues such as conflicts, disputes, and disciplinary matters. They design standard operating protocols and benchmarks for investigations, cases, and mediations to enhance employee motivation. As a subject matter expert on employee relations, the role advises leaders and consults with teams on performance management, feedback mechanisms, delivery, goal setting, workplace conduct, and employee retrenchment to ensure a positive work environment across the organization. Strong communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills are essential to foster a positive and productive work environment, ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and support the company's overall business objectives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or any other related discipline or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or any other related discipline
• Minimum 3 years of work experience within human resources
• Demonstrated experience collaborating and negotiating with labor unions
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including intermediate functions and data analysis
• This role requires onsite presence at the manufacturing plant to fulfill job responsibilities. 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, climbing, etc. Role does require time walking and standing on plant manufacturing floor at least 20% of the time. 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.

Nice To Haves

• PHR or SHRM-CP certification
• 5 years of experience working in human resources

Responsibilities

• Business Acumen: Leverages knowledge of the business to develop rapport and relationships within their customer group (ie: Team Managers) to identify solutions that drive sustainable cultural change and support the achievement of business objectives.
• Talent Management: Supports customer group with the strategic execution of talent management responsibilities, including performance management, talent development, succession planning, PDC activities, compensation planning, recruitment, pay decisions, and other personnel actions. Conducts new hire onboarding ang orientation activities.
• HR Service Delivery: Supports the execution of Labor COE and HRBO designed products and services within their customer group to positively impact both the hourly and salaried employee life cycles.
• Employee Engagement: Fosters a positive and inclusive hourly and salary employee experience through proactive initiatives based on feedback through employee opinion surveys, suggestions, and open-door policies and DEI initiatives, to boost engagement and address areas for improvement, and engages in employee recognition events, planning, etc. Conducts daily floor walks in designated customer area to build positive relationships with employees, ensure HR availability, and develop ability to detect early warning indicators.
• Lean Methodology: Leverages lean methodology in collaboration with internal departments, external vendors, auditors, and consultants to make decisions, problem solve and drive effective change management programs.
• Employee Communication: Partners with local communications staff to implement roll out and execute relevant communications to foster an informed employee population and 2-way communication across all shifts.
• Compliance: Ensures compliance with employment laws, regulations, and company policies.
• Community Engagement: Supports interactions with local governmental agencies and coordinates charitable activities to support the plant's community engagement efforts.
• Data Storytelling: Understand the organizations structure and composition. Monitors key workforce metrics to identify potential risks and mitigating actions. Develops insights and recommendations for operating leaders that drive people decisions.
• Union Relations: Resolves union issues such as conflicts, disputes, and disciplinary matters, with fairness and consistency in a timely manner. Actively participates in collective bargaining process and negotiations where support is needed. Ensures rep comp is completed accurately and timely within the constraints of the contractual agreement.
• Case Management: Effectively manages assigned cases and grievances within their customer group. Monitors volume for workload and emerging trends, Responds to ethics and compliance hotline as necessary.
• Payroll, Time and Attendance: Executes payroll and attendance tracking processes including attendance hearings, issuing 10-day quit letters, updating system codes, vacation usage, and running necessary reports. Applies knowledge of leaves of absences policies, rules and regulations include the Family and Medical Leave Act and its interaction with worker’s compensation and Americans with Disabilities Act to administer and track in relevant HRIS systems.
• Contract Interpretation: Collaborates closely with customer group and relevant union representatives to ensure correct implementation and accurate interpretation of the contract terms, addressing inquiries, grievances, and other union-related issues for consistent application. Resolves employee union issues, such as conflicts, disputes, and disciplinary matters, ensuring fairness, consistency, and timeliness.
• Investigations: Conducts investigations within their assigned customer group, 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 Manager, HR Generalist as required. Escalates all types of discrimination charges and complaints in partnership with legal counsel on lawsuit discovery and litigation preparation. Leverages conflict resolution and critical thinking skills to conduct investigations.
• Manpower Administration: Supports the talent management process for hourly employees within their customer group including: TFT /TPT placement and tracking, support skill trades hiring / apprenticeship program administration, outside contracting, internal and external hourly hiring processes, reskilling, transferring, retirement separation packages, tracking and processing, team leader 30/60/90-day review processes, and manpower reporting.
• Health and Safety: Works closely with safety and occupational health leads to address employee health and wellness concerns, support safety audits, wellness programs.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level