Manager, Employee Relations & Threat Investigations
At a glance
Manager-level Employee Relations & Culture role at Ford Motor Company. Dearborn · full-time · $115,500–$218,100 base.
hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Run threat and assault cases from intake through investigation and decisions on next steps across U.S. manufacturing and distribution sites
- Assess each report for immediate danger, escalate urgent risks, and review investigators’ findings and recommendations
- Assign cases to the right team, balance investigators’ workloads, and monitor case progress and emerging patterns
- Lead complex investigations, set case-quality standards, and keep records and leadership reporting accurate
- Develop investigators and manage team performance through coaching, evaluations, goals, and improvement plans
What you bring
- A bachelor's degree or equivalent work background, plus at least eight years of relevant experience with a bachelor's degree
- Investigative experience in areas such as corporate security, human resources inquiries, or law enforcement
- Strength in objective interviewing, de-escalation, threat assessment, and careful report writing and documentation
Who this fits
This manager role suits someone who can lead investigations and develop a team, while working with HR, legal counsel, and other partners. It is hybrid in Dearborn, Michigan, with at least four onsite days each week and possible travel. U.S. work authorization is required, and visa sponsorship is unavailable.
From the employer
In this position...
This is a leadership role focused on keeping our manufacturing workforce safe. The Employee Relations and Threats Investigations Manager leads the intake, triage, investigation, and action determination of all threat and assault cases across U.S. manufacturing and parts distribution sites. This person makes sure every report gets addressed promptly, reviewed carefully, and handled appropriately.
The Manager leads the investigations and is responsible for their performance and results. They support the triage team by ensuring employee relations and threat complaints and related disciplinary matters are resolved fairly, consistently, and quickly. The role works closely with HR leadership and partners with other teams across the company. This person also oversees accurate case documentation, clear communication, and thorough investigations. This role understands labor agreements, spots trends in case data, and gives guidance on policy and compliance to help keep the workplace safe and fair. This role has management authority for staffing, performance, discipline, pay decisions, team development, and other personnel actions.
This role is hybrid and is based in Dearborn, Michigan. It requires being onsite at least 4 days a week. Some travel may be required.
What you'll do...
- Own the end-to-end threat and assault investigation process. Review every case for imminent danger and risk. Use sound judgment to decide when a case needs to be escalated immediately. Review investigation summaries and recommended actions to make sure every threat is taken seriously and handled quickly.
- Manage intake and triage of all threat and assault cases within manufacturing and parts distribution facilities across the United States. Decide which cases are in scope and route each case to the correct team through the case management system. Audit and maintain the responsible cases in the case management system so that each case gets handled timely and properly.
- Balance casework across the investigations team. Track case volume, spot workload issues and emerging trends, and act as the main point of contact when a case needs to be escalated. Guide the team's investigations and responses.
- Training and development of investigators, HR/Labor, and other key stakeholders on proper handling, triaging, and assessing threat and assault situations.
- Conduct data analysis. Identify and report trends to leadership and other stakeholders.
- Lead complex, high-level investigations, including a range of policy violations.
- Build and monitor case quality standards so every employee has a good experience, and cases are defensible. Create and maintain internal reporting templates for senior HR leaders, HR business partners, and employee relations teams.
- Manage team performance, including evaluations, goal setting, feedback, and improvement plans. Coach and support team members and address performance issues directly. Give employees a way to share ideas for improving processes and help lead any resulting changes.
- Respond to and resolve threat and assault complaints. Work with legal counsel on lawsuit discovery and litigation preparation. Partner with specialists, HR teams, people leaders, and employees to apply company policies fairly and consistently.
- Build long-term plans that support employee goals and align with the company's broader business strategy and objectives.
- Help deliver HR communications and policies about employment terms, code of conduct, and workforce changes, while keeping morale and engagement high.
- Maintain accurate and confidential employee records related to employee relations and threat matters. Prepare reports and analysis to track trends and find areas to improve.
You'll have...
- Bachelor's degree required, equivalent work experience may be considered.
- At least 8 years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor's degree.
- Investigative experience, corporate security, human resources investigations, or law enforcement
- Strong objective interviewing, crisis de-escalation, emotional intelligence, threat assessment, meticulous report-writing and documentation.
Even better, you may have...
- Master's degree preferred, in a related field.
- At least 5 years of relevant work experience with a Master's degree.
- Experience leading and developing teams as both a direct and indirect leader.
- Prior experience in a manufacturing and/or complex multi facility environment with a unionized workforce
- Prior experience specifically conducting threat and assault investigations
- Ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced and matrixed work environment
- Certification or training in behavioral threat assessment/investigations
- Successful candidates should be able to demonstrate leadership behaviors and integrity combined with outstanding interpersonal, teambuilding, and oral /written communication skills
- Investigation and interviewing certification
- Threat assessment certification
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.
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 builder…or all 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 childcare 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.
This position is leadership level 6 and ranges from $115,500-$218,100.
Final determination of salary grade will be based on 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: New Hire Benefits
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 1-888-336-0660.
This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.