Director, Talent Acquisition (In-person field based role)

Job Type: Location Type: On-site

 

RDG introduces its first restaurant-concept brand, MILA, which offers guests a culinary journey through exquisite MediterrAsian cuisine, opened in January 2020 in Miami Beach. Combining genuine hospitality, fine dining, and a sophisticated nightlife atmosphere, MILA has quickly become a premier destination within Miami’s upscale social scene.

At RDG, we are a collective of individuals dedicated to excellence and the art of sensory engagement. We embrace the rhythms of life and are motivated by the thrill of adventure. Our core principles focus on providing customers with immersive experiences, organic design, and a refined culinary journey.

DREAM IT
MILA has exceeded expectations in its initial two years, achieving remarkable success despite pandemic-related challenges, and securing the #5 spot in The Restaurant Business Top 100 ranking. Building on this success, RDG has expanded into new concepts including AVA MediterrAegean in Winter Park, Florida, CASA NEOS on the Miami River (opened June 2024), and MM, a Membership Community. Upcoming projects include NOORA and Claudie (scheduled for fall 2024), AVA’s second location in Coconut Grove (2025), and HONŌ Japanese Steakhouse (2026).

BUILD IT
RDG’s distinguished brand portfolio and exclusive membership program aim to create a network of venues and experiences that offer a unique lifestyle to guests and members in Florida. Our goal is to establish RDG as a leader in the luxury restaurant industry in the United States.

GROW IT
RDG has demonstrated rapid growth and is poised for significant economic expansion globally. We are actively exploring national markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, and international markets including Paris, London, Dubai, and Mexico City for potential expansion opportunities.

Summary:

As the Director, Talent Acquisition, you will lead the development and execution of RDG’s hiring strategy to meet our short- and long-term business needs. The ideal candidate will have a passion for attracting and hiring diverse talent and for building a Talent Acquisition program with purpose – creating an opportunity for candidates and hiring managers alike to have an exceptional experience throughout the process, regardless of the candidate’s stage.

In this in-person field-based role, you’ll provide guidance and mentorship to further develop our firm-wide talent acquisition capabilities, implement scalable talent acquisition processes that balance efficiency and agility, and leverage data and insights to counsel the practices on their hiring strategies. This role will be responsible for developing strategies that set RDG apart within the industry with a focus on new technologies, social recruiting, sourcing platforms, and candidate engagement.

This position reports to the Chief People Officer and partners with senior leadership, including our most senior level executives, and will lead a talent acquisition team to fulfill the hiring goals across all RDG’s practice areas. We are seeking a highly energetic self-starter with a minimum of 10+ years of progressive Talent Acquisition experience in a luxury restaurant, hotel, or hospitality setting.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage and develop a field-based team of world-class recruiters that execute the recruitment process flawlessly for hourly FOH & BOH operational roles.
• Enhance RDG’s employment brand, from content of job creation, advertising, and collaboration with operations.
• Extensive experience in recruiting diverse candidates and utilizing diversity hiring platforms.
• Develop and monitor recruiting metrics that demonstrate ROI, including time to fill, cost per hire, diversity, retention, etc.
• Responsible for completing daily and weekly metrics and hiring number reports.
• Knowledge of market survey reports and ability to allocate compensation based on geographical data/area.
• Collaboration with CPO, Corporate TA Manager & Global Recruiter/Sourcer on senior job searches.

• MUST drive a firm wide recruiting and workforce strategy for hourly roles inclusive of career fairs, open call interviews, etc. to fill open positions.
• Design and execute recruiting strategies to attract, evaluate, and hire qualified candidates.
• Promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace and ensure recruiting strategies and programs attract diverse candidates.
• Collaborate with the Sr. Manager of Administration on visas and J1 application process.
• Ability to manage 5+ members on the Talent Team responsible for line-level hourly recruitment.
• Responsible for reviewing invoices, vendor contracts, and department bills timely and efficiently.
• Maintain talent pipelines by engaging with candidates and past applicants for future staffing needs
• Define and drive monthly talent metrics that inspire team performance while helping business leaders make informed decisions.
• Responsible for weekly/monthly/annual hiring strategies and plans.
• Drive the orchestration of recruitment events to establish a strong employer brand.
• Lead hiring and workforce planning process across all food & beverage functions for current and future openings in collaboration with venue operators.
• Expertise in Talent Acquisition best practices and innovation with the ability to help build sustainable long-term strategies among hourly and management pipelines.
• Evaluate and refine sourcing and selection procedures to ensure we are receiving quality candidates.
• Ability to fully articulate a world-class workforce planning model to align with RDG’s hiring vision.
• Oversee and improve the candidate experience to be superior and unmatched.
• Lead the development and implementation of Talent Acquisition systems and processes using the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) ADP.
• Collaborate with CPO on the Talent Acquisition budget, RDG seasonal and contingency workforce, agency contracts, and advertising.
• Remain flexible sand open to organizational changes or processes as necessary within the TA Team
• Any other duties as deemed necessary by the Chief People Officer.

Requirements/Qualifications:

• Must have 10+ years of innovative, senior-level, full-life cycle Talent Acquisition (TA) management experience in a luxury restaurant, hotel, or food and beverage service environment, to include comprehensive knowledge around experienced and campus-level recruitment.
• Recruitment experience with all roles within in Food & Beverage (front of house), culinary operations, marketing, finance, IT, HR, etc. required.
• Extensive diversity, equity, and inclusion recruitment experience is paramount to the role.
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field of study or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience is required.
• Professional Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR), or other relevant industry certifications such as SHRM is desired.
• Proven success in recruiting, sourcing, and placement of an hourly hospitality workforce a MUST!
• Experience working with C-level executives, Partners, and senior leadership to fulfill hiring goals.
• Applicable knowledge of the current talent landscape, crucial fill roles, and recruiting strategies (workforce planning) is essential.
• Deep network with European and Asian management pipeline, especially with Michelin-level chefs
• Possess exceptional influencing skills to establish credibility and trust with internal customers and build influential relationships.
• Must have experience designing and implementing talent acquisition strategies and/or consulting, executing or partnering with senior executives on talent strategies
• Demonstrated successful use of recruiting metrics and reporting standards to drive decision-making.
• Knowledge of various recruiting technologies, such as ADP, to automate and scale processes.
• Strong development, execution, and implementation of TA programs and support models
• You are an excellent connector who collaborates, problem solves and can help celebrate wins while learning from mistakes

Other Skills and Knowledge:

• Superior verbal and written communications skills (Bilingual is a plus in Spanish or French)

• Must operate with a high degree of maturity, confidentiality, and trust.
• Must have solid business acumen problem solving skills, and exhibit high emotional intelligence, influence and strategic thinking skills.

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence behavior and outcomes
• Proven organizational and follow-up skills, comfortable initiating and responding to high volume of emails
• Adept at working in demanding, deadline-driven environment with a task-driven focus
• Accustomed to serving as a Change Agent – highly adaptable, dependable with an entrepreneurial spirit
• Commitment to a heightened sense of urgency associated with the talent acquisition processes
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to successfully troubleshoot and resolve unexpected roadblocks, barriers, and inquiries from internal and external clients
• Must have high energy and ability to influence at all levels
• Ability to work a flexible schedule and travel for pre-opening requirements.

Physical Demands And Work Environment:

• General office assignments-(typing), which lends itself to repetitive motion.
• Sitting in a stationary position for several hours within the day.
• Ability to drive and rotate among venues based on hiring events.