Director of Human Resources

Burtons Grill & Bar•Andover, MA

2d•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 culture and compliance as equally important business priorities and building systems that scale across a multi-unit portfolio without becoming bureaucratic. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director sets HR priorities, standards, and decision rights; leads and develops the HR team; makes high-risk HR decisions; and builds HR capability in the field. The Director owns employee experience strategy and the HR compliance standard, oversees execution of payroll and benefits, and administers a competitive, equitable, and financially sustainable compensation strategy. Day-to-day HR administration—including payroll and benefits administration, leave, onboarding and offboarding, HRIS records, and first-line employee relations—is owned by the HR Operations Manager, whom the Director oversees. The Director partners with Operations, Finance, Culinary and Beverage, IT, Marketing, and Training & Development, as well as senior leadership, Regional Vice Presidents, and General Managers. The position 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. The role is full-time and exempt.

Requirements

7+ years of progressive HR leadership experience.
Experience leading and developing HR staff, including 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.
Practitioner-level command of HR compliance, including wage-and-hour, leave, EEO/EEOC, ADA, documentation, and termination risk.
Excellent judgment under pressure, high discretion with sensitive information, and communication skills suited to hourly employees, General Managers, and senior leadership.
Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience in multi-unit restaurant, hospitality, or retail operations.
PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification.

Responsibilities

Lead the HR function by setting priorities, standards, and decision rights that support growth across both brands.
Champion culture, belonging, people development, engagement, and employee experience as business strategy.
Own the HR compliance standard across both brands and oversee execution to ensure processes are current, complete, and audit-ready.
Make high-risk HR decisions and translate employment-law requirements into practical, restaurant-usable processes.
Build HR capability in the field and establish systems that work at scale across multiple restaurant locations.
Partner with Training & Development to align HR strategy and people-development programming and support talent-pipeline work.
Administer a competitive, internally equitable, and financially sustainable compensation strategy.
Oversee payroll and benefits in partnership with the VP of Finance and COO, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and smooth employee-facing operations.
Lead and develop the HR team, including the HR Operations Manager, and hold others accountable for HR execution.
Partner with the COO, CEO, senior leadership, Regional Vice Presidents, General Managers, and cross-functional teams.
Travel regularly across the Burtons Grill & Bar and Red Heat restaurant portfolio and spend time in restaurants.