Human Resources Director

Baccarat Hotel Rome is set to open at the end of 2026—bringing a modern, high-end luxury hospitality experience to Europe for the first time under the Baccarat name. We’re looking for a Director of People Operations to join our pre-opening leadership team and build a people function that is both strategic and deeply operational : thoughtful in approach, crisp in execution, and genuinely human in how it shows up every day.

This is a rare opportunity to shape not only a hotel team, but a workplace culture that becomes part of the city’s hospitality fabric—one that team members are proud to belong to, and both the local /international community feels.

The Role

You’ll lead the full employee lifecycle—from attraction to retention—while building the systems, processes, and leadership behaviours that make great culture real (not just written on a wall). You’ll be equally comfortable setting a people strategy and rolling up your sleeves to deliver it, with strong expertise in Rome/Italian labour law and local employment practices.

What You’ll Do

• Build and deliver the pre-opening people strategy and timeline : workforce planning, critical roles, readiness milestones, and culture foundations.
• Own full-cycle recruitment : sourcing, selection, interviewing, offers, contracts, and pre-employment checks—ensuring a candidate experience that feels professional, warm, and clear.
• Establish and embed people systems and operating rhythms : HRIS/records, reporting, policies, SOPs, templates, and day-to-day workflows.
• Partner with leaders to shape the onboarding and training framework , ensuring new hires feel confident, connected, and set up for success.
• Lead employee relations with confidence and care—performance coaching frameworks, case management, investigations, disciplinary processes, and conflict resolution when required.
• Ensure full compliance with Italian labour legislation (contracts, working time, leave, collective agreements, statutory obligations), partnering closely with payroll and external advisors as needed.
• Drive engagement and retention: communication cadence, recognition, wellbeing, development pathways, and a culture of feedback.
• Coach leaders to build high-performing teams and deliver a colleague experience worthy of a progressive luxury brand.

What You Bring

• 3+ years in a lead People/HR role with end-to-end accountability (Director/Head of People, HR Manager leading the function), in hospitality.
• Demonstrated hotel pre-opening experience —you’ve helped build teams, structure, and culture in a new hotel environment.
• Strong working knowledge of Rome/Italy labour laws and local employment practices , with practical experience applying them.
• Clear strength in recruitment : building pipelines, hiring for service mindset, and moving at pace without sacrificing quality.
• Strong capability in employee relations : balanced judgement, discretion, consistency, and fairness.
• Able to operate at both levels: strategic planning and hands-on operational delivery .
• Experience in luxury lifestyle hotels strongly preferred.
• A leadership style that’s calm, modern, and people-first—with high standards and zero ego.