Reports to: Managing Director

Classification: Full-time, Exempt, On-site

Position Summary

The Director of People & Culture is the senior people leader for Carneros Resort and Spa and a strategic member of the Executive Committee. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, this position leads the full People & Culture function for an independently operated luxury resort with approximately 330 associates across lodging, food and beverage, culinary, spa, sales, revenue, engineering, housekeeping, and administrative operations.

The Director combines executive-level counsel with hands-on operational leadership. The role establishes people strategy, protects the organization through sound employment practices, strengthens leadership accountability and ensures that associates experience a consistent, respectful and service-oriented workplace. The successful candidate is visible throughout the resort, trusted by associates and leaders, highly knowledgeable in California employment law and comfortable moving between long-term organizational priorities and urgent daily matters.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Partnership and People Strategy

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Managing Director and Executive Committee on organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, leadership performance, culture, risk and employee experience.
• Translate business priorities into practical people strategies, department action plans and measurable outcomes.
• Participate actively in executive and operational meetings and ensure that workforce implications are considered in business decisions.
• Use workforce data, including turnover, vacancies, labor deployment, engagement, attendance and employee-relations trends, to identify risks and recommend action.
• Build productive relationships across departments while maintaining the independence and judgment required of the resort's senior People & Culture leader.

Employee Relations and Leadership Accountability

• Lead complex and sensitive employee-relations matters, including complaints, workplace investigations, corrective action, conflict resolution, separations and agency responses.
• Coach leaders to address performance and conduct issues promptly, consistently and respectfully, with clear expectations and appropriate documentation.
• Establish reliable escalation, response and resolution practices so associate concerns are acknowledged quickly and brought to timely closure.
• Promote a workplace free from harassment, discrimination, retaliation and disrespect, and reinforce consistent standards at every leadership level.
• Maintain trusted, accessible communication with associates while protecting confidentiality and organizational integrity.

Compliance Risk and Employment Practices

• Ensure compliance with federal, California and local employment laws, including wage and hour, meal and rest periods, leaves of absence, accommodations, paid sick leave, final pay, recordkeeping and required notices.
• Oversee leave and accommodation processes, workers' compensation coordination, return-to-work efforts, safety partnership and unemployment matters.
• Maintain current policies, job descriptions, forms, personnel records and required postings; communicate policy changes clearly and train leaders on implementation.
• Partner with employment counsel, insurance partners, the PEO and other advisors as needed, while retaining ownership of internal facts, documentation and follow-through.
• Conduct periodic audits of payroll inputs, timekeeping, personnel files, I-9 records and employment practices, and promptly correct identified gaps.

Talent Acquisition Onboarding and Workforce Planning

• Lead workforce planning and recruiting strategy for year-round, seasonal, hourly and leadership positions across resort operations.
• Partner with department leaders to establish staffing plans, recruiting priorities, selection standards and realistic hiring timelines.
• Maintain an equitable, efficient selection process and a consistent onboarding experience that prepares new associates for the resort's service and performance expectations.
• Develop local talent pipelines through hospitality networks, educational institutions, community partners and employee referrals.
• Review compensation and market conditions to support competitive, internally equitable hiring and retention decisions.

Performance Learning and Organizational Development

• Own the performance-management cycle and equip leaders to provide timely feedback, meaningful evaluations and appropriate development plans.
• Design and deliver leadership, compliance, service-culture and workplace-conduct training based on operational needs and risk trends.
• Support succession planning and the development of high-potential associates and leaders.
• Evaluate organization structure, spans of control and salaried headcount to ensure roles are clear, decision-making is efficient and resources align with business needs.

Culture Engagement and Associate Experience

• Maintain a visible presence throughout the resort and build direct understanding of the experience of hourly, salaried and overnight associates.
• Lead engagement surveys, listening efforts and action planning, with clear ownership and progress reporting for leaders.
• Develop communication, recognition and associate-event programs that strengthen connection across departments and shifts.
• Identify and address silos, inconsistent communication and behaviors that undermine trust, collaboration or service.
• Balance meaningful associate programming with sustained attention to manager capability, workplace basics and daily follow-through.

Compensation Benefits Payroll and HR Operations

• Provide strategic oversight of compensation, benefits, payroll, timekeeping and People & Culture systems in partnership with Finance, the PEO and external vendors.
• Ensure changes affecting pay, employment status, benefits and separation are communicated accurately and processed on time.
• Lead annual benefit enrollment, associate education and resolution of complex benefit or payroll concerns.
• Maintain accurate, secure and audit-ready Human Resources records, dashboards and reporting.
• Develop and manage the People & Culture budget, including staffing, recognition, training, recruiting and associate-program expenses.

People & Culture Team Leadership

• Lead, develop and hold accountable the People & Culture Manager and People & Culture Coordinator, with clear ownership, service standards and priorities.
• Create effective workflows, cross-training and coverage that allow the department to serve a seven-day hospitality operation.
• Delegate meaningful responsibility while maintaining appropriate review controls for payroll-sensitive, compliance-sensitive and separation-related work.
• Build a department culture defined by responsiveness, accuracy, discretion, approachability and constructive partnership.

Qualifications

Required

• At least seven years of progressive Human Resources experience, including at least three years leading an HR function or team.
• Demonstrated command of California employment law and wage-and-hour requirements in a complex hourly workforce.
• Substantial experience leading employee-relations investigations, performance management, leaves and accommodations, compensation, benefits, payroll coordination and compliance.
• Proven ability to advise senior leaders, influence decisions and maintain credibility during sensitive or high-pressure situations.
• Strong written communication, business judgment, analytical ability, organization and attention to detail.
• Experience with HRIS, payroll, time-and-attendance and workforce-reporting systems.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise consistent, independent judgment.

Preferred

• Human Resources leadership experience in luxury hotels, resorts, restaurants, clubs, wineries or another high-touch hospitality environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Hospitality Management, Business Administration or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR or comparable professional certification.
• Professional fluency in both English and Spanish.
• Experience supporting a standalone or independently operated organization without extensive corporate Human Resources infrastructure.
• Experience with a professional employer organization and multi-department, seven-day operations.

Leadership Profile

• Strategic and operational: sees the broader organizational issue and follows through on the details required to resolve it.
• Visible and approachable: builds trust through consistent presence and direct engagement with associates across shifts and departments.
• Candid and composed: communicates difficult messages clearly while preserving respect and working relationships.
• Accountability focused: sets expectations, establishes ownership and addresses missed commitments promptly.
• Service minded: understands that a strong associate experience directly supports an exceptional guest experience.
• Principled and pragmatic: protects legal and ethical standards while finding workable solutions for the business.

Work Environment and Schedule

This is an onsite leadership position supporting a resort that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Director is expected to maintain a regular property presence and may occasionally work early mornings, evenings, weekends or holidays to support business needs, significant employee matters, events or emergencies. The position regularly moves throughout the resort and works in both office and operational environments.

Compensation and Benefits

The proposed annual base salary range for this position is $150,000 to $175,000. The actual salary offered will depend on relevant experience, education, certifications, scope of prior responsibility and other job-related factors. Carneros Resort and Spa also offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Carneros Resort and Spa is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work expected and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities or qualifications. Responsibilities may change based on business needs.