Specialist, Employee Relations, Ford Energy

Ford Motor • Glendale, KY

1d • 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. Why Ford Energy? At Ford Energy, you have the backing of an industrial manufacturing powerhouse with the agility of a dedicated energy startup offering industry leading technology. We offer a competitive compensation package including performance-based bonuses, Ford vehicle discounts, and the opportunity to shape the energy strategy of one of the world's most iconic brands. Learn more at https://fordenergy.com . 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.

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.

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.

Responsibilities

• 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

• Performance-based bonuses
• Ford vehicle discounts
• 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
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments
• 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