Director of People & Culture Operations | Columbia Hospitality

Columbia Hospitality•Seattle, WA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of People & Culture (P&C) Operations provides operational human resources leadership and day-to-day P&C support for a portfolio of 5+ properties. This role serves as the primary P&C partner to property leadership teams, ensuring consistent application of P&C policies, employment practices, employee relations processes, and talent management programs across assigned locations. The Director of P&C Operations collaborates with company leaders to address workforce challenges, support employee engagement, manage employee relations matters, and foster a positive workplace culture. The role partners with Talent Acquisition, Benefits, Learning & Development, and HRIS to ensure effective delivery of P&C services. This position is based onsite in Seattle, Washington.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Hospitality Management, or related field.
7+ years of progressive Human Resources experience.
3+ years supporting multiple locations, properties, or business units.
Strong employee relations and investigation experience.
Experience supporting hospitality, hotel, resort, gaming, restaurant, or other service-based operations.
Knowledge of federal and state employment laws.

Nice To Haves

SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
Multi-property hospitality experience.
Experience working within an HR Business Partner model.
Proficient in Dayforce and/or Paylocity
Bilingual in English and Spanish, with strong verbal and written communication skills

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary P&C contact for General Managers and property leadership teams.
Provide day-to-day P&C guidance and support across assigned properties.
Build strong relationships with leaders to support operational and workforce needs.
Advise managers regarding policy interpretation, employee concerns, performance issues, and people management practices.
Partner with leaders to identify opportunities to improve employee engagement, retention, and workplace culture.
Provide direct leadership, coaching, and performance management for P&C Business Partners supporting assigned properties.
Establish clear expectations, priorities, and service standards to ensure consistent P&C support across all locations.
Conduct regular one-on-one meetings to provide guidance, remove obstacles, and support professional development.
Develop the capabilities of Business Partners in employee relations, investigations, manager coaching, policy interpretation, performance management, and compliance.
Ensure consistent application of company policies, practices, and People & Culture initiatives across all assigned properties.
Support and/or lead property transitions under the guidance of the VP of P&C Ops and Transitions.
Review and provide direction on complex employee relations matters, investigations, corrective actions, and workplace concerns.
Monitor workload distribution and resource allocation to ensure effective support for all properties.
Serve as an escalation point for Business Partners on sensitive employee, leadership, and organizational issues.
Manage complex employee relations matters and workplace investigations.
Conduct GM and more complex property investigations involving complaints, policy violations, harassment allegations, and workplace conflicts.
Provide recommendations regarding corrective action and performance management.
Ensure consistent application of policies and employment practices across all assigned properties.
Support conflict resolution and encourage productive employee-manager relationships.
Coach senior leaders, GMs and managers on employee relations, performance management, accountability, and leadership effectiveness.
Support disciplinary processes and documentation.
Assist leaders in addressing attendance, conduct, and performance concerns.
Reinforce leadership practices that promote employee engagement and retention.
Represent Columbia Hospitality and People & Culture as a visible, trusted leader when visiting properties and engaging with property leadership teams.
Serve as an additional escalation point for employee relations, leadership, operational, and organizational matters requiring senior P&C support.
Maintain a regular presence at the Seattle Support Center to support executive leaders, foster cross-functional collaboration, and ensure alignment across People & Culture initiatives.
Participate in and help lead Seattle Support Center meetings, leadership discussions, training sessions, and special projects that require direct collaboration and relationship-building across the organization.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
Monitor P&C practices to reduce organizational risk.
Partner with specialists regarding leave administration, accommodations, workers' compensation, and unemployment matters.
Assist with audits and compliance reviews as needed.
Partner with legal counsel on addressing employee relations issues, legal claims and other related matters.
Support implementation of P&C policies and procedures.
Partner with Talent Acquisition to support recruiting efforts and staffing initiatives.
Assist leaders with workforce planning and succession discussions.
Support onboarding and retention initiatives.
Identify talent-related challenges and recommend practical solutions.