HR Graduate in Basildon

Location: Ford Dunton Technical Centre, Basildon, Essex (UK).

Contract Type: Fixed Term Graduate Placement 6 months.

Reporting to: HR Business Partner.

About Ford Motor Company

At Ford, we’re shaping the future of mobility. As we accelerate our transformation toward electric and connected vehicles, our people are at the heart of driving innovation and change. Dunton Technical Centre is Ford’s largest R&D facility in the UK and a critical hub supporting engineering excellence across Europe. Our HR function plays a vital role in enabling this transformation, partnering with leaders to build an inclusive, high-performance culture where employees can thrive and grow.

Role Overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a recent graduate to begin a career in Human Resources within a global organisation undergoing significant transformation. Based at Dunton, you will work alongside experienced HR professionals, supporting both operational delivery and strategic people initiatives. You will gain exposure to core HR disciplines including employee relations, talent management, organisational effectiveness, and HR transformation, while developing the skills needed to become a future HR professional at Ford.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Partnering Support: Support HR Business Partners in acting as trusted advisors to People Leaders across organisational design, culture initiatives, and talent management. Assist in analysing people data and preparing insights to inform business decisions.
• Employee Relations & Case Management: Provide support in managing employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, and dignity at work matters. Prepare documentation, track case progress, and maintain strict confidentiality.
• Absence Management: Support absence management processes, including tracking trends and assisting with reporting. Collaborate with internal stakeholders such as Occupational Health and managers.
• Talent Development & Growth: Contribute to activities that support career development, succession planning, and continuous learning. Assist in coordinating development programmes and learning initiatives.
• Engagement & Culture: Support employee engagement initiatives, surveys, and feedback activities. Help drive a positive, inclusive, and high-performing workplace culture aligned to Ford’s values.
• Continuous Improvement & Insights: Analyse HR data to identify trends and improvement opportunities. Share ideas and best practices to enhance HR processes and service delivery.

Key Skills & Experience

• Recently graduated with a degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related discipline.
• Strong interest in building a career in HR.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organisational skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Analytical mindset with confidence in working with data.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Eligibility Criteria

• Recently graduated Degree in relevant discipline (or equivalent experience).
• Right to work in the UK.

The Company is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity for all and is opposed to any form of less favourable treatment or harassment on the grounds of race, religion or belief, sex, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability. As part of our pre-employment checks process, successful candidates will be required to undergo a criminal record check. This will be conducted in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and applied only to unspent convictions.