Director of Recruiting and Retention

Hospitality Group is hiring a dynamic Director of Recruitment & Retention to join our team!

Join our team, where we are committed to delivering exceptional dining experiences across all our locations. Our people are at the heart of those experiences, and we are seeking an experienced recruitment and talent leader to help us attract, hire, develop, and retain exceptional hospitality professionals as our organization continues to grow.

The Director of Recruitment & Retention will own the strategy and execution of recruiting across our restaurant portfolio while developing programs that strengthen employee engagement and retention. This person will work closely with Executive Leadership, Operations, and restaurant leaders to understand staffing needs, build strong talent pipelines, improve the candidate experience, and ensure we are consistently bringing the right people into the organization

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This is not simply a recruiting role. We are looking for someone who understands hospitality, knows how to identify great talent, and is passionate about creating an employee experience that makes great people want to stay and grow with us

Day in the Life

• Develop and execute a comprehensive recruitment strategy across all restaurant locations and corporate functions.
• Partner closely with Operations, General Managers, Executive Chefs, and Executive Leadership to understand current and future hiring needs.
• Own the full recruitment lifecycle for key management and leadership positions, from sourcing and screening through interviews, offers, and onboarding.
• Develop proactive talent pipelines so recruiting is not dependent solely on open positions or immediate staffing needs.
• Identify and engage high-performing hospitality professionals through direct sourcing, networking, referrals, industry relationships, and recruiting platforms.
• Create consistent interview and selection processes that help leaders identify candidates who align with both the technical requirements of the position and our company culture.
• Improve the candidate experience from initial outreach through onboarding, ensuring every interaction reflects the level of hospitality we expect our teams to provide to our guests.
• Establish recruiting metrics and provide regular reporting on open positions, time-to-fill, source effectiveness, offer acceptance, turnover, retention, and other key talent indicators.
• Partner with restaurant leadership to identify staffing trends and address recruiting challenges before they impact operations.
• Build relationships with culinary schools, hospitality programs, industry organizations, and other potential talent sources.
• Develop and oversee employee referral strategies that turn our existing team into ambassadors for the organization.
• Support new restaurant openings and company growth by developing hiring plans and talent pipelines well in advance of opening dates.
• Recruitment & Talent Strategy:
• Develop a consistent employer brand that communicates who we are, what we value, and why talented hospitality professionals should build their careers with us.
• Create compelling job postings and recruiting campaigns that accurately represent our culture and career opportunities.
• Continuously evaluate recruiting platforms, sourcing strategies, and technology to improve the quality and efficiency of hiring.
• Build a strong network of passive candidates across restaurant operations, culinary leadership, and corporate functions.
• Develop relationships throughout the hospitality community to strengthen our reputation as an employer of choice.
• Partner with Marketing and Creative teams as needed to develop recruiting content and employer-branding initiatives.
• Bring proactive ideas to leadership rather than waiting for hiring challenges to arise.

Retention & Employee Experience:

• Develop and implement strategies designed to improve employee engagement and reduce unnecessary turnover across the organization.
• Analyze turnover and retention data to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities by location, position, and tenure.
• Conduct and evaluate stay interviews, exit interviews, and employee feedback to better understand the team member experience.
• Partner with Operations and restaurant leadership to turn employee feedback into meaningful action.
• Identify opportunities to improve onboarding and the first 30, 60, and 90 days of the employee experience.
• Develop programs that strengthen recognition, communication, career development, and internal mobility.
• Create clear career pathways that help high-performing employees understand how they can grow within the organization.
• Partner with leadership to identify high-potential employees and support succession planning for critical positions.
• Help create an environment where employees feel respected, challenged, supported, and excited about their future with the company.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Opportunities for advancement within an innovative and growing hospitality company
• Employee referral program
• Strong company culture of respect and teamwork
• Dining benefits
• Paid time off

Requiremen

• 5+ years of progressive recruiting, talent acquisition, human resources, or hospitality leadership experience.
• Restaurant, hospitality, food & beverage, or other high-volume service-industry recruiting experience strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to recruit management and leadership-level talent.
• Strong understanding of both recruitment and employee retention strategies.
• Experience managing multiple open positions and competing priorities simultaneously without becoming overwhelmed.
• Strong sourcing skills with the ability to identify and engage passive candidates.
• Excellent interviewing and candidate assessment skills.
• Strong conceptual thinking and strategic planning abilities.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with Executive Leadership, Operations, General Managers, Executive Chefs, and employees at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.
• Data-driven mindset with experience tracking and interpreting recruiting and retention metrics.
• Ability to think critically, creatively, and proactively.
• Strong sense of urgency and personal accountability.
• Passion for hospitality, people, culture, and creating exceptional employee experiences.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk throughout restaurant and office environments for extended periods
• Ability to move between dining, bar, kitchen, and office areas frequently
• Ability to travel between restaurant locations as required
• Ability to operate computers and standard office equipment
• Ability to respond quickly to recruiting and operational needs in a fast-paced environment