Senior People Leader

About the role

Supports multiple restaurant concepts, including proprietary, local, and national brands. Supports both union and non-union operations. Partners with multiple Directors of Operations, General Managers, and operational leadership teams. Approximately 20% travel within the region. Serves as the primary Human Resources Business Partner for assigned airports.

Responsibilities

• Translate operational goals into people strategies that improve staffing, engagement, retention, leadership capability, and organizational effectiveness.
• Lead change management initiatives, employee communications, and organizational transitions while partnering with Regional and Corporate People teams.
• Partner with Operations leadership to understand labor costs, productivity, staffing levels, and business trends, using workforce insights to improve operational performance.
• Coach and develop General Managers, Assistant Managers, and Operations leaders on leadership behaviors, accountability, employee engagement, and performance management.
• Lead succession planning, talent reviews, leadership development, and internal mobility initiatives.
• Support employee engagement, recognition programs, organizational development, and culture-building initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws while balancing operational needs, employee experience, and organizational risk.
• Analyze workforce metrics, turnover, retention, engagement, absenteeism, overtime, labor costs, and employee relations trends to identify business opportunities.
• Develop and present people metrics to operational leadership, recommending data-driven solutions that improve employee experience and business results.
• Forecast workforce needs using labor trends, recruiting data, turnover metrics, and operational forecasts.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive Human Resources experience, including 3–5 years supporting multi-unit operations as an HR Business Partner, HR Manager, Senior HR Generalist, or HR Leader.
• Demonstrated experience supporting unionized workforces, including grievance administration and collective bargaining agreement interpretation.
• Demonstrated success independently conducting complex workplace investigations and preparing employment recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws with demonstrated ability to apply legal requirements while balancing operational needs and organizational risk.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with experience preparing investigations, executive communications, employment documentation, and presentations.
• Ability to work primarily on-site in Seattle with approximately 20% travel.

Preferred Experience

• Supporting airport, hospitality, restaurant, retail, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, distribution, or other high-volume operational environments.
• Experience partnering directly with Operations leadership to drive engagement, retention, workforce planning, organizational development, and succession planning.
• Professional certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR.

Benefits

• $100,000–$105,000 annual salary, based on experience.
• Bonus eligibility.
• Compensation & Benefits: Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance, Basic Life & AD&D Insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Voluntary Benefits including Life Insurance, Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Pet Insurance, SSP 401(k) Plan with Company Match, Paid Time Off (PTO), Paid Holidays, Paid Sick Leave.

Pay

• $100,000–$105,000 annual salary, based on experience.

Schedule

• Full-Time | Exempt