Vice President Human Resources

VP of Human Resources

About Taco Bamba

Taco Bamba is one of the most celebrated regional restaurant brands in the mid-Atlantic, founded by Chef Victor Albisu and built on a simple but hard-to-replicate combination: exceptional food, a genuine team culture, and a deep connection to the communities it serves. What started as a single location in Falls Church has earned national recognition and a fiercely loyal following across the Washington, D.C. metro area and beyond. The company is now entering its next chapter and is building the infrastructure and leadership team to support growth.

Job Summary

Taco Bamba is looking for a people leader ready to build the talent engine behind the brand's growth. This role is the company's senior-most HR executive, with full ownership of the people function and a seat at the table on every major business decision. The team is what guests experience, and this leader's job is to hire, develop, and keep the people who carry the culture, in every restaurant, as the company opens new units and enters new markets. This role is about building the systems, leaders, and pipeline that let the company grow while protecting what makes it Taco Bamba. Reporting directly to the CEO, this person will have meaningful influence from day one.

Key Responsibilities

This leader will shape the people strategy for the business, anticipating the talent required for growth and building the organization deliver it.

Systems and Organization Building

• Translate the growth plan into a multi-year talent plan covering leadership capacity, hiring volume, and organization structure, and plan headcount ahead of growth

• Build, lead, and develop a scalable HR team for a multi-unit operator, and design its future-state structure as the company grows

• Implement HR systems and reporting that give real-time visibility into headcount, turnover, and labor trends by location

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and leadership team on people decisions, including role design and team effectiveness, and coach leaders on hiring, managing, and developing people

Talent Acquisition and Retention

• Own recruiting for hourly, salaried, and corporate roles, including employer brand, sourcing channels, and the careers experience

• Build hiring and onboarding practices that improve retention, with a focus on the first 90 days

• Establish turnover, tenure, and internal mobility reporting by role and location, and work with operators to fix root causes in high-turnover restaurants

• Plan opening teams, trainers, and manager placement well ahead of each new unit

Leadership and Talent Development

• Build a General Manager and Area Leader pipeline, with succession plans for every critical role

• Own the talent review process, including performance frameworks, development plans, and clear, consistently applied promotion criteria

• Oversee training programs that move strong team members into management and managers into leadership

Compensation, Benefits and Incentives

• Develop a pay structure and compensation philosophy for hourly, salaried, and executive roles, benchmarked to the restaurant industry and local labor markets

• Administer bonus and incentive programs with the CEO and CFO, and support management equity programs with outside counsel and the Board

• Oversee benefits, payroll, and HR vendors, and model labor cost implications of pay and staffing decisions with the finance team

Employee Relations, Compliance and Culture

• Lead employee relations and performance management with consistency and sound judgment

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment law in every market, and manage outside employment counsel

• Maintain current handbooks, policies, and manager training

• Protect and strengthen the team culture that sets Taco Bamba apart

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification preferred

• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, including extensive restaurant experience (required); prior experience with companies undergoing meaningful expansion is a strong plus

• Experience in multi-unit restaurant environments with 20+ company-owned locations and a large hourly workforce preferred

• Demonstrated experience building or significantly improving a people function, including recruiting, development, compensation, and systems

• Working knowledge of multi-state employment law, and experience with bonus and equity or long-term incentive programs

• Comfort with HR analytics and restaurant workforce platforms (Restaurant365 or equivalent) preferred

• Proven leader of leaders, with a track record of building a team, setting strategy, and earning influence with both operators in the restaurant and executives in the boardroom

• Hands-on, low-ego leader comfortable operating in a lean, entrepreneurial environment

Location: Raleigh, NC

• Compensation and Benefits: TBD