Specialist, Occupational Safety

About the role

To ensure a safe manufacturing environment, the Occupational Health and Safety Engineering team plays a crucial role in hazard prevention, conducting safety audits, providing training, and implementing risk mitigation strategies. As a Specialist, Occupational Safety, you will apply technical safety standards, principles, theories, and concepts to independently develop solutions for a wide range of occupational safety challenges, including hazard control, safety systems, compliance, and risk management. The role involves coordinating with team members to implement plant-wide safety processes such as the Company’s Safety Operating System (SOS), emergency response planning, safety training, and the application of technical standards.

Responsibilities

• Safety Design, Reviews & Buy-offs
  • Conduct 100% design and build reviews and sign-offs in accordance with Ford Global Safety Standards.
  • Perform tooling, machine, and facility safety design reviews and buy-offs for program launches.
  • Conduct safety design reviews and sign-offs for material handling equipment following Ford Global Safety Standards.
  • Complete plant floor buy-offs utilizing the Ford PROTAG procedure and coordinate/track the process using the Digital PROTAG system.
  • Collaborate with Vehicle Operations (VO) Engineers and Plant Safety to ensure VOME organization and tooling vendors adhere to the Tooling Buyoff Procedure per Ford Global Safety Standards.
• Standards, Compliance & Control Systems
  • Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for machine guarding and control systems to ensure compliance with industry regulatory requirements and Ford Machine Guarding Standards.
  • Partner with VOME Controls teams to ensure compliance with company standards for Safety-Related Parts of the Control System (SRP/CS).
  • Interpret, clarify, and communicate the requirements of international safety standards.
  • Provide continuous input and feedback regarding internal Ford standards and external regulatory/governing bodies.
  • Participate in standards reviews, locate relevant standards, and communicate them effectively to stakeholders to resolve complex issues.
• Risk Assessment & Safety Tools
  • Lead and participate with cross-functional teams to conduct comprehensive risk assessments.
  • Utilize and govern tools specified by Vehicle Operations safety procedures, including Risk Assessments, Pre-Task Analyses (PTA), Workstation Readiness, and Energy Control and Power Lockout (ECPL) placarding.
  • Partner with vendors and contractors on Risk Assessments, Pre-Task Analyses, and ECPL placarding reviews.
• Program Launch & Plant Support
  • Assist with or lead program safety launches, including demolition, construction, and commissioning phases.
  • Drive robust construction safety processes during all VOME launches.
  • Coach, teach, and mentor contractors on safety protocols during launch activities.
  • Support VOME functional areas in resolving plant-specific safety issues, including non-launch-related concerns.
• Collaboration, Communication & Training
  • Represent VOME in diverse safety forums, including the Construction Safety Council, Manufacturing Safety Council, engineering alignment meetings, and joint communication meetings with the UAW National Ford Department.
  • Communicate safety lessons learned between Manufacturing Engineering and Plant Safety, integrating these insights into standards and specifications for future programs.
  • Actively engage and communicate proactive safety processes to the VOME engineering community.
  • Support the VOME Safety team with global safety processes, training, development, and administration.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Occupational Health and Safety, or an equivalent technical discipline.
• 3+ years of safety experience in occupational safety within a manufacturing environment.
• 1+ years of working knowledge of state and federal OSHA regulations.
• 25% travel (including locations in Mexico and Canada) to support launch activities.

Qualifications

• Master of Science (MS) degree in Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, or a related field (preferred).
• Associate Safety Professional (ASP) or Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification (preferred).
• Experience working in a unionized manufacturing environment (e.g., partnering with the UAW) (preferred).

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized back-up child care.
• 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.
• Paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

Pay

This position is a salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600 to $144,900. 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.

Schedule

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.