Job Description:

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations and Field HR Support

• Serve as the primary HR field contact for assigned districts, restaurants, and operations leaders regarding employee relations, staffing, policy interpretation, and workplace concerns.
• Investigate employee complaints, workplace concerns, policy violations, and performance-related issues in a timely, fair, and well-documented manner.
• Provide guidance to district managers and restaurant managers on corrective action, documentation, conflict resolution, attendance issues, performance concerns, and terminations.
• Partner with HR leadership and legal counsel, when appropriate, to ensure consistent and compliant handling of sensitive employee relations matters.
• Promote a respectful, inclusive, and values-based workplace culture across field operations.

Recruiting and Staffing

• Lead and support recruiting strategies for restaurant management, field leadership, and high-priority hourly staffing needs within assigned markets.
• Partner with operations leaders to forecast staffing needs, identify talent gaps, and develop market-specific recruiting plans.
• Monitor recruiting activity, candidate flow, time-to-fill 21 days or less, retention trends, and hiring effectiveness to recommend improvements.
• Support interview processes, candidate selection, onboarding readiness, and hiring compliance.
• Build relationships with community organizations, schools, workforce agencies, job boards, and other recruiting partners to strengthen talent pipelines.

Succession Planning and Leadership Pipeline Support

• Partner with and support the Director of Area Operations in building and maintaining District Manager succession plans using a 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year talent planning model.
• Help identify “ready now” and “ready future” candidates for District Manager roles by evaluating leadership readiness, operational performance, development needs, retention risk, and career interest.
• Maintain succession planning documentation that identifies District Managers approaching retirement, District Managers with performance concerns or development needs, and District Managers considered top talent or high-potential leaders.
• Collaborate with COO, DAO and SVP of HR  to create development plans, coaching actions, stretch assignments, and retention strategies for future District Manager candidates.
• Review succession planning data with field leadership on a regular cadence to ensure leadership pipeline visibility, workforce continuity, and proactive planning for future vacancies.
• Support talent calibration discussions by providing employee relations, recruiting, retention, and workforce trend insights that may impact District Manager readiness or succession risk.

Performance Reviews and Operations Talent Management

• Coordinate and support the performance review process for all operations roles, including restaurant management, District Managers, Directors of Area Operations, and other field operations leadership positions.
• Partner with operations leadership and HR leadership to ensure performance reviews are completed consistently, accurately, and on schedule.
• Provide guidance to managers on performance documentation, goal setting, rating consistency, development planning, and follow-up expectations.
• Track completion status, identify overdue reviews, and escalate gaps or concerns to appropriate operations and HR leaders.
• Use performance review outcomes to support employee development, succession planning, retention strategies, corrective action planning, and talent calibration discussions.
• Help ensure performance review practices align with company expectations, leadership standards, and applicable employment policies.

Compliance, Training, and Manager Coaching

• Ensure HR practices are aligned with company policies and applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Coach managers on effective communication, documentation, employee engagement, policy compliance, and consistent application of HR practices.
• Assist with rollout and training of HR programs, compliance initiatives, employee relations processes, and field operations procedures.
• Identify recurring employee relations or staffing trends and recommend proactive solutions to HR and operations leadership.
• Maintain accurate records related to employee relations cases, investigations, recruiting activity, and compliance follow-up.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive HR experience, including employee relations, recruiting, succession planning, performance management, and field operations support.
• Experience supporting multi-unit restaurant, retail, hospitality, or other high-volume field operations strongly preferred.
• Experience partnering with operations leadership on performance reviews, talent reviews, leadership pipeline planning, high-potential identification, and manager development preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of employment laws, HR best practices, workplace investigations, corrective action, hiring compliance, performance management, and talent planning practices.
• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with sound judgment and discretion.
• Proficiency with HRIS, applicant tracking systems, Microsoft Office, reporting tools, performance tracking tools, and talent tracking documentation.

Key Competencies

• Strong employee relations judgment and investigation skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to influence, coach, and build credibility with field leaders.
• Strong recruiting mindset with the ability to develop practical staffing solutions.
• Ability to support succession planning, talent calibration, and leadership pipeline development for field operations roles.
• Ability to coordinate performance review processes, promote rating consistency, and support development planning across operations.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities across several locations.
• Problem-solving orientation with a proactive, service-focused approach.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining alignment with HR and operations leadership.
   

Travel and Work Environment

This position requires regular travel to assigned restaurant locations, district meetings, recruiting events, and field leadership meetings. The role operates in both office and restaurant environments and requires flexibility to support urgent employee relations or staffing needs as they arise.
 

Physical Requirements

The employee must be able to sit, stand, walk, travel between locations, use a computer and phone, and communicate effectively with employees, candidates, managers, and business partners. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.
 

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The company is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications.