HR Business Partner

About Us

Lead. Grow. Transform.

Ford Australia is constantly evolving and innovating, committed to delivering smarter, more connected vehicles for all Australians, now and for generations to come.

Looking ahead, Ford is excited about the future. With an expanding vehicle lineup, growing digital services, and a strong dealer network, they are well-positioned to support Australian businesses in new ways.

As Australia’s largest automotive OEM employer, we proudly have around 1,500 talented engineers, designers, and specialists working across five Victorian sites. Crucially, Australia is a key global development hub for Ford, and their local design and engineering team lead the creation of vehicles including the Ranger, Ranger Raptor, and Everest – models sold in around 180 markets worldwide.

Complementing this technical network, Ford Australia’s National Sales Company (NSC) located in Richmond, is the central hub for commercial and customer engagement activities across the country.

Why Ford?

For a century, we've been a driving force across Australia, building a legacy that truly speaks for itself. Leading the way, the Ranger continues its rein as Australia's No. 1 Selling Vehicle and our iconic Mustang proudly holds its position as Australia’s No. 1 Sports Car.

These remarkable achievements are a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation and a customer-focused approach that has delivered success across our entire lineup, giving us so much to be excited about! But we believe we do more than just build award-winning vehicles—we build careers.

• Discounted lease car options.
• Multiple Employee Resource Groups – Ford Pride, Women of Ford and Ford Empowering Diverse Abilities.
• Flexible Work Arrangements.
• Growth and development opportunities via internal and external training.
• Paid parental leave from day 1.
• Comprehensive Employee Assist Program.
• Wellness Programs including Free Flu Vaccinations and Health Checks.
• Paid volunteer days.

About the role

Join Ford Australia in a hands-on HR Business Partner role supporting our engineering, testing and operational teams across Geelong. This is a great opportunity for an experienced HR Adviser ready to step into an HRBP role, or an existing HRBP looking to deepen their Employee Relations and Industrial Relations experience within a unionised environment. Working closely with People Leaders, employees and union representatives, you’ll provide practical HR advice across the employee lifecycle while building strong relationships across the business.

What you’ll be involved in

• Coaching and supporting People Leaders to build capability, manage performance and navigate employment matters confidently.
• Partnering with leaders across the employee lifecycle, including recruitment and selection, onboarding, employee management and separation.
• Supporting people initiatives across performance, capability, engagement and talent, using HR data and insights to identify trends and inform decisions.
• Building effective relationships with employees, leaders and union representatives to support positive workplace relations.
• Supporting Industrial Relations and enterprise agreement negotiations, providing valuable exposure to working within a unionised environment.
• Providing hands-on Employee Relations advice, including performance management, workplace investigations, disciplinary matters and other complex people issues.

This is an on-the-ground HR role where visibility, relationships and practical problem-solving are important. You’ll spend time across our Geelong operations, getting to know the teams you support and becoming a trusted HR partner to both employees and leaders.

• Bachelor's degree in human resource management or related field, but if you bring relevant experience and skills we’d love to hear from you
• Previous generalist HR experience including Industrial Relations within a unionized environment (preferable)
• Experience across the full HR cycle plan, including business partnering across workforce planning, employee relations and enterprise agreement (EA) negotiations.
• Proven experience applying HR principles practices in line with Australian Employment Law.
• Ability to build strong relationships, influence stakeholders at all levels and coach leaders for success, with high-integrity, inclusivity and a customer-focused approach
• A collaborative mindset and ability to adapt in a complex fast-paced environment
• Problem-solving, conflict resolution and analytical skills

Equal Opportunity

Ford Australia is inclusive employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. If you require any support or adjustments to the recruitment process, please contact Hayley at hplant2@ford.com.

To be considered for this role, you must be legally authorised to work in Australia (verification required upon hire). Please note that the successful candidate will also be required to complete a pre-employment background and national police check.

Please note due to the high numbers of applications we will only be able to contact shortlisted candidates.

*Ford Motor Company of Australia Pty Limited ACN 004 116 223 (Ford) is collecting your personal information in order to consider you for a role at Ford. Ford may also collect personal information about you from third parties such as refereess and recruitment agencies for this purpose. Ford may disclose your personal information to its related companies and third party service providers for purposes such as screening and background checks, aptitude testing and health and safety and human resources management activities. Ford’s privacy policy (available at www.ford.com.au) states how you can seek to access or correct any personal information Ford holds about you, how to complain about a privacy breach by Ford and how Ford will deal with a privacy complaint. You can contact Ford at 13 FORD (13 36 73) or via the contact details set out in Ford’s privacy policy