Director of Human Resources

Burtons Grill & Bar | Red Heat American Tavern•Andover, MA

3d•$100,000 - $130,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Human Resources is the senior HR leader for Burtons Grill & Bar and Red Heat American Tavern, accountable for culture, people development, and compliance integrity across both brands. The role leads HR as an integrated function, balancing employment-law and process expertise with a focus on employee experience, engagement, and growth. The Director sets HR priorities, standards, and decision rights, oversees administration rather than personally handling day-to-day HR operations, and ensures HR works consistently across the restaurant portfolio. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director leads the HR team, including the HR Operations Manager, and oversees Payroll and Benefits in partnership with the VP of Finance and COO. The Director works closely with Operations, Finance, Culinary and Beverage, IT, Marketing, Training & Development, senior leaders, Regional Vice Presidents, and General Managers. The role is hybrid, based in an area of current restaurant concentration or projected growth, with a minimum of three days per month in the Home Office and regular travel across the restaurant portfolio.

Requirements

At least 7 years of progressive HR leadership experience.
Experience leading and developing HR staff, setting standards, and holding others accountable for HR execution.
Demonstrated ownership of both culture-building or people-development work and compliance-heavy HR functions.
Experience administering compensation programs within a multi-unit organization.
Direct restaurant or multi-unit hospitality experience and comfort spending time in restaurants.
Excellent judgment under pressure, discretion with sensitive information, and strong communication skills with hourly employees, General Managers, and senior leadership.

Nice To Haves

Experience in multi-unit restaurant, hospitality, or retail operations.
PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification.
A bachelor's degree in HR, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the HR function, establishing priorities, standards, and decision rights that support growth across both brands.
Own the employee experience strategy, including culture, belonging, engagement, and retention.
Set and oversee HR compliance standards, ensuring processes are current, complete, and audit-ready.
Translate employment-law requirements into practical processes that can be used in restaurant operations.
Lead and develop HR staff, set execution standards, and hold the team accountable.
Partner with Training & Development on people-development programming and talent-pipeline work.
Administer a compensation strategy that is competitive, internally equitable, and financially sustainable.
Oversee payroll and benefits for both brands, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and smooth operation in partnership with the VP of Finance and COO.
Make high-risk HR decisions and build HR capability in the field.
Partner with senior leadership, Regional Vice Presidents, and General Managers to ensure HR strategy is implemented at the restaurant level.