Former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.), who in November lost a Senate bid to Bob Corker (R), has joined the financial-services firm Merrill Lynch, the company announced yesterday.

Ford will begin work March 5 as a vice chairman and senior policy adviser. He will “advise senior management on domestic policy issues” from offices in Nashville, Tenn., and New York, according to a press release from the firm.

Ford served five terms in the House, where he was on the Financial Services and Budget committees, before giving up his seat to campaign for Senate.