Senior Employee Relations Specialist

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.

Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating U.S. energy independence. Leveraging Fords 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.

In this position...

The Plant Sr. HR Specialist serves as a strategic HR advisor and subject matter expert at Ford Energy. This role requires a dynamic leader with a deep understanding of manufacturing operations and a passion for building high-performing workplace cultures. The Sr. Specialist is responsible for leading complex employee relations matters, driving talent sustainability, and aligning HR practices with broader organizational goals. As a senior member of the plant HR team, this individual will mentor junior staff, assess systemic risk trends, and ensure that HR frameworks are scalable for a high-growth startup environment.

What you'll do...

Strategic Business Partnership & Talent Leadership

• Strategic Consultation: Provide expert guidance to plant leadership on organizational effectiveness, policy application, and complex personnel decisions.
• Talent Management: Lead the strategic execution of talent management, including performance management, succession planning, performance cycle activities, and compensation planning.
• Data Storytelling: Analyze complex workforce metrics to identify potential risks and develop deep insights and recommendations that drive people decisions for operating leaders.
• Team Development: Mentor and develop HR team members (Associates and Specialists), ensuring a high standard of HR service delivery across the plant.
• Community & Stakeholder Engagement: Support interactions with local governmental agencies and lead charitable activities to integrate the plant into the local Kentucky community.

Advanced Employee Relations & Risk Mitigation

• Complex Investigations: Lead and oversee the most sensitive and complex employee investigations, ensuring thorough evidence review and alignment with legal and ethical standards.
• Risk Assessment: Identify and assess workforce trends to recommend systemic improvements to HR practices, policies, and training to mitigate organizational risk.
• Conflict Resolution: Act as the final point of escalation for interpersonal conflicts and corrective action matters, ensuring fairness, consistency, and a respectful workplace culture.
• Ethics & Compliance: Manage the plants response to ethics and compliance hotline reports, partnering with legal counsel on discovery and litigation preparation when necessary.

Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Lean Methodology: Leverage lean principles to problem-solve and drive effective change management programs that improve HR efficiency.
• Regulatory Oversight: Ensure total compliance with employment laws (FMLA, ADA, FLSA), I-9 protocols, and OSHA safety documentation.
• Leave & Benefits Administration: Apply expert knowledge of leave policies and their interaction with workers compensation to manage high-level cases within HRIS systems.
• Health & Safety: Partner with safety and occupational health leads to drive wellness programs and ensure a culture of safety on the manufacturing floor.

You'll have...

• Bachelors Degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or any other related discipline
• Minimum 5 years of work experience with a Masters degree or 8 years of work experience with a Bachelors degree, preferably in Employee Relations or a related field.
• 2-3+ years of experience leading and supervising teams in a professional setting
• Demonstrated ability to influence and advise senior plant leadership.
• Expert-level investigative, analytical, and communication skills.

Even better, you'll have...

• Professional HR Certification (PHR or SHRM-CP).
• Experience in a large-scale manufacturing "Greenfield" or startup environment.
• Advanced proficiency with HRIS/HRMS systems (e.g., Workday, SAP).

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.

Location & Travel
U.S. with domestic travel

You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!

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 builderor all of 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 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 Years Day
Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

This position is a salary grade 8 and ranges from $99,100-$166,200.
Final determination of salary grade will be based on the candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility, and competitive market value.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here:

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 View phone number on click.appcast.io.

#LI-Onsite

Company: As Ford establishes a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems, this role will initially be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to the subsidiary within one year.

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