Human Resources Generalist

Ford Ford · Auto · Long Beach, CA +1 · HR Business Partner

Ford is seeking an HR professional to join their team as an HR Generalist/HRBP and HR Operations Specialist. This role will act as a bridge between shared services and operational leaders, providing consultation and process expertise. Responsibilities include HR business partnership, performance management, employee relations, leadership coaching, and HR operations support with a focus on California compliance, complex inquiry resolution, process improvement, data integrity, and special projects. Requires a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, 3-5 years of HR experience, knowledge of California labor laws, and proficiency in Excel and HR systems.

What you'd actually do

  1. Support the end-to-end performance management process, providing guidance to leaders on coaching, documentation, and the resolution of performance cases.
  2. Partner with the Employee Relations team and managers to resolve inquiries and escalations, ensuring fair and consistent application of company policies.
  3. Provide basic coaching to frontline leaders on matters related to employee morale, retention, and engagement.
  4. Act as the local subject matter expert on California-specific HR policies, including state-specific leaves of absence, final pay disbursement, and wage/hour regulations.
  5. Intake and strategically prioritize high-visibility HR inquiries (e.g., paycheck discrepancies, position changes, benefits escalations, etc.) that require deep-dive investigation.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Management, or a related field (or equivalent work experience)
  • 3–5 years of HR experience, with a demonstrated background in either HR Generalist/BP or Shared Services roles
  • Foundational knowledge of California labor laws and HR regulatory requirements
  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (v-lookups, pivot tables)
  • Experience with HR Information Systems (e.g., Oracle, Workday, or SAP)
  • Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships with both hourly employees and executive leadership
  • A "critical thinker" mindset with the ability to navigate ambiguous situations and move from identifying a problem to implementing a solution

Nice to have

  • Professional HR certification (PHR, CA-PHR, or SHRM-CP)
  • Experience supporting highly technical client groups (Software Engineering, Design, or Manufacturing)
  • Prior experience in HR Shared Services
  • Ability to tell a compelling story using data visualization

What the JD emphasized

  • California-specific HR policies
  • California labor laws and HR regulatory requirements