Senior Director of Human Resources

About the role

Hawksmoor began 20 years ago when two childhood friends set out to open a restaurant in London serving the best steak they could find, alongside great cocktails and genuinely warm hospitality. Since then, we have grown into one of the most respected restaurant groups in the UK and Ireland. Despite that growth, we remain a founder-led business, with a strong sense of who we are and how we do things. We were recently named the 2nd Best Steakhouse Group in the World for the second year running and are proud to be known not just for our food, but for the way we make people feel when they visit us. In the US, we currently have restaurants in New York, Chicago, and Boston. Each market is at a different stage of its development, from a well-established restaurant in New York, to a growing presence in Chicago, through to the launch of Boston which opened in September. We are seeking to hire a Senior Director of Human Resources to be based in New York. This position is responsible for building and protecting the people infrastructure that makes Hawksmoor US a great place to work and to ensure every single employment decision, process, and interaction reflects the standards and values Hawksmoor stands for. This is a hands-on, high-accountability leadership role.

Responsibilities

• US recruitment management and hourly, all sites
• Employment compliance
• Employee relations
• Performance management
• Culture and engagement
• HR operations
• Payroll oversight in partnership with Finance
• New restaurant openings — people workstream
• Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning
  • Own the US talent strategy — finding and hiring exceptional people at every level, from hourly team members to senior management
  • Lead recruitment for management roles and above; build the tools and processes that enable GMs to hire effectively at hourly level
  • Build and maintain pipelines for critical roles — GM, Head Chef, senior management
  • Work with the Director of Operations and COO to anticipate headcount needs as the business grows and new sites are added
• Employee Relations & Compliance
  • Own all US employment compliance — federal and multi-state labour law, wage and hour, leave entitlements, discrimination, harassment, and documentation
  • Manage all ER matters with speed, consistency, and care — investigations, performance improvement plans, terminations, grievances
  • Ensure all employment documentation is accurate, complete, and legally sound across every site
  • Build a consistent, fair, and legally defensible approach to people
  • Stay ahead of regulatory changes in New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts
• Performance Management & Development
  • Own the performance review cycle across the US business — cadence, quality, and follow-through
  • Ensure GMs have the right tools, frameworks, and coaching to have great performance conversations
  • Identify high-potential people across the US portfolio and build visible development pathways
  • Partner with the Director of Operations and COO to build succession plans for every critical role
• Culture & Engagement
  • Protect and develop the Hawksmoor culture in the US through the standards and environment created every day
  • Own US employee engagement data — surveys, exit interviews, retention trends — and take genuine action on what it reveals
  • Partner with the Head of Purpose (global) on cultural initiatives and ensure they land meaningfully in the US context
  • Create a work environment that attracts and retains the best people in hospitality — through the quality of leadership and the culture of the business
• HR Operations & Systems
  • Own the US HR infrastructure — HRIS, onboarding processes, documentation standards, and data management
  • Ensure employment records, right-to-work documentation, and compliance paperwork are accurate and complete at all times
  • Manage the US HR team — setting clear expectations, developing capability, and ensuring consistency of standards across all sites
  • Oversee payroll in partnership with Finance — accuracy, compliance, and on-time delivery are non-negotiable
• New Restaurant Openings
  • Lead the people workstream for every new US restaurant opening
  • Work closely with the GM of each new restaurant to ensure the culture is right from day one
  • Coordinate with Finance and Operational Services to ensure employment setup, payroll, and benefits are in place ahead of opening

Requirements

• Significant HR leadership experience in multi-site hospitality, food service, or retail — ideally with deep exposure to US employment law across multiple states
• Strong knowledge of US federal and multi-state employment law — particularly New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts — and a track record of operating compliantly at pace
• A demonstrable record of building HR teams that are genuinely respected by operational leaders
• Experience managing complex ER matters from investigation through to resolution — with legal precision and human care
• A genuine feel for hospitality culture — they understand why this business is different and why that matters
• The ability to influence without authority across a fast-moving, operationally led business where people are always the priority