Specialist, Employee Relations, Ford Energy

Ford•Glendale, KY

1d•$86,600 - $144,900•Onsite

About The Position

Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating U.S. energy independence. Leveraging Ford’s century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ford Energy is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand for reliable, US-built energy storage systems. We are not just building batteries; we are building the infrastructure for the next generation of the American grid. Based in Glendale, Kentucky, you will balance curiosity with a strong sense of accountability to navigate ambiguous inquiries, partner across teams to resolve systemic process bottlenecks, and deliver high-quality support to employees and leaders. In this position... Consult & Partner: Act as a trusted advisor to frontline and mid-level operational leaders, providing guidance on performance management, policy application, and employee engagement. Drive Operational Excellence: Manage day-to-day HR operations, resolve complex employee inquiries, and maintain high standards of data integrity. Resolve & Escalate: Run independently on standard employee relations and operational matters, while partnering with and learning from Senior Specialists on highly complex, sensitive, or high-risk escalations. What you'll do... HR Consultation & Frontline Advisory Performance Management: Guide and coach frontline leaders through the end-to-end performance management process, including coaching conversations, performance documentation, and performance improvement plans (PIPs). Employee Relations: Address and resolve standard employee inquiries, complaints, and conflict resolution on the shop floor. Partner with the Senior ER Specialist to support larger, high-risk investigations. Leader Coaching: Provide proactive coaching to supervisors and team leaders on employee morale, retention strategies, and building a positive work culture. Workforce Support: Support HR Business Partners (HRBPs) in executing local workforce planning, annual people processes, and key moments across the employee life cycle. HR Operations & Technical Support Inquiry Resolution: Intake, investigate, and strategically resolve elevated HR inquiries (e.g., payroll/paycheck discrepancies, position changes, benefits escalations) that require cross-functional coordination. Process Improvement: Proactively identify "friction points" in the employee experience. Partner with centralized teams (Payroll, HR Tech, Recruiting) to implement practical, sustainable solutions. Data Integrity & Analytics: Maintain high HCM data integrity within HR systems (Oracle, WorkDay). Perform standard data analysis to identify local workforce trends (absenteeism, turnover) that drive HR decision-making. Special Projects: Support organizational design changes, job architecture updates, and position management audits. Compliance & Standard Work HR Compliance: Ensure local operations adhere to federal, state, and local labor laws, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, and OSHA record-keeping. Standard Operating Procedures: Develop and update standard work instructions for local HR processes to ensure consistency as the site scales. Capabilities for Success Balanced Advocate: An emotionally intelligent professional who balances empathy for employees with a strong sense of accountability to business objectives. Collaborative Problem Solver: A proven ability to build trust and partner effectively across departments (Operations, Payroll, Recruiting) to resolve systemic issues. Critical Thinker: Skilled at navigating moderately ambiguous situations, utilizing data and policy to move from identifying a problem to implementing a solution. Agile Coordinator: Ability to manage multiple administrative and consultative priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced environment. Support timekeeping administration, including schedule reviews, corrections, and direct employee guidance. Assist employees and leaders with questions related to attendance, pay accuracy, and basic workforce policies. Partner with payroll and HR teams to resolve employee payroll and timekeeping inquiries efficiently. Assist with timekeeping review, payroll processing, and benefits enrollment. Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local manufacturing labor laws and OSHA safety documentation. Assist in developing and implementing new HR policies, handbooks, and procedures to support the scaling site. Resilient Contributor: An emotionally intelligent professional who handles sensitive employee relations matters with absolute discretion, empathy, and professionalism. Collaborative Communicator: Excellent communication skills with the ability to build trust and work effectively in a multicultural, fast-paced team environment. Process Improver: A proactive self-starter who takes initiative to build and refine HR frameworks, rather than just maintaining existing ones. Compliance Champion: Maintain a strong foundation of compliance awareness, including basic knowledge of OSHA, FMLA, Worker’s Compensation, and I-9 protocols.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Management, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
3–5 years of progressive HR experience, demonstrating solid growth in an HR Generalist, HR Specialist, or HR Generalist-adjacent role.
Practical, working knowledge of federal and Kentucky state labor laws and HR regulatory requirements.
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., v-lookups, pivot tables, data sorting) and experience working within HR Information Systems (e.g., Oracle, WorkDay, SAP, or Visier).
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to connect effectively with shop-floor team members and salaried leadership alike.
An emotionally intelligent professional who balances empathy for employees with a strong sense of accountability to business objectives.
A proven ability to build trust and partner effectively across departments (Operations, Payroll, Recruiting) to resolve systemic issues.
Skilled at navigating moderately ambiguous situations, utilizing data and policy to move from identifying a problem to implementing a solution.
Ability to manage multiple administrative and consultative priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
An emotionally intelligent professional who handles sensitive employee relations matters with absolute discretion, empathy, and professionalism.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to build trust and work effectively in a multicultural, fast-paced team environment.
A proactive self-starter who takes initiative to build and refine HR frameworks, rather than just maintaining existing ones.
Maintain a strong foundation of compliance awareness, including basic knowledge of OSHA, FMLA, Worker’s Compensation, and I-9 protocols.

Nice To Haves

Professional HR certification (PHR or SHRM-CP).
Prior HR experience in a manufacturing, logistics, or high-growth industrial startup environment.
Direct experience managing position data, reporting, or organizational changes within Oracle HCM.
Focuses on anticipating operational needs and addressing potential issues before they escalate.
A mindset that actively looks for ways to streamline administrative tasks and improve the employee experience.
Comfortable working in a dynamic facility where processes and teams are scaling and evolving in real-time.

Responsibilities

Act as a trusted advisor to frontline and mid-level operational leaders, providing guidance on performance management, policy application, and employee engagement.
Manage day-to-day HR operations, resolve complex employee inquiries, and maintain high standards of data integrity.
Run independently on standard employee relations and operational matters, while partnering with and learning from Senior Specialists on highly complex, sensitive, or high-risk escalations.
Guide and coach frontline leaders through the end-to-end performance management process, including coaching conversations, performance documentation, and performance improvement plans (PIPs).
Address and resolve standard employee inquiries, complaints, and conflict resolution on the shop floor. Partner with the Senior ER Specialist to support larger, high-risk investigations.
Provide proactive coaching to supervisors and team leaders on employee morale, retention strategies, and building a positive work culture.
Support HR Business Partners (HRBPs) in executing local workforce planning, annual people processes, and key moments across the employee life cycle.
Intake, investigate, and strategically resolve elevated HR inquiries (e.g., payroll/paycheck discrepancies, position changes, benefits escalations) that require cross-functional coordination.
Proactively identify "friction points" in the employee experience. Partner with centralized teams (Payroll, HR Tech, Recruiting) to implement practical, sustainable solutions.
Maintain high HCM data integrity within HR systems (Oracle, WorkDay). Perform standard data analysis to identify local workforce trends (absenteeism, turnover) that drive HR decision-making.
Support organizational design changes, job architecture updates, and position management audits.
Ensure local operations adhere to federal, state, and local labor laws, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, and OSHA record-keeping.
Develop and update standard work instructions for local HR processes to ensure consistency as the site scales.
Support timekeeping administration, including schedule reviews, corrections, and direct employee guidance.
Assist employees and leaders with questions related to attendance, pay accuracy, and basic workforce policies.
Partner with payroll and HR teams to resolve employee payroll and timekeeping inquiries efficiently.
Assist with timekeeping review, payroll processing, and benefits enrollment.
Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local manufacturing labor laws and OSHA safety documentation.
Assist in developing and implementing new HR policies, handbooks, and procedures to support the scaling site.

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.
performance-based bonuses
Ford vehicle discounts