Senior People Manager

Barcelona Wine Bar•Westport, CT

4h•$100,000 - $115,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior People Manager will play a key role in shaping a high-performance, people-first culture across Barcelona Wine Bar’s restaurant collective. This role is heavily focused on elevating leadership capability, strengthening retention strategies for both hourly and salaried team members, and supporting enterprise-wide talent initiatives through a dotted-line partnership with Recruiting and Learning & Development. This is a highly collaborative, field-facing role that blends strategic thinking with hands-on execution. This role reports to the Director of People/HR.

Requirements

8+ years of HR experience, ideally in hospitality or multi-unit environments.
A genuine passion for restaurants and the people who make them operate.
Strong coaching instincts—you know how to meet people where they are and help them grow.
Experience improving retention and engagement in fast-paced environments.
The ability to balance structure with flexibility and empathy with accountability.
Comfort being in the field regularly and building relationships face-to-face.
Highly organized with attention to detail.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, hospitality-driven environment.
Ability to travel to Restaurant Support Center and to restaurants on an as-needed basis (up to 70%).

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted coach to field leadership and above-restaurant leaders to strengthen leadership effectiveness.
Design and deliver practical, restaurant-specific coaching tools that improve team engagement, accountability, and performance.
Partner with Ops leadership to identify capability gaps and implement targeted development plans.
Foster a feedback-rich culture through ongoing coaching conversations, performance guidance, and leadership calibration.
Run and own succession planning to ensure a restaurant bench of future leaders.
Champion strategies that make Barcelona Wine Bar a place people want to stay—from first day to long-term career.
Partner with restaurant leaders to improve onboarding, engagement, and day-to-day team experience.
Listen closely to team member feedback and turnover trends, translating insights into meaningful action.
Support recognition, career growth, and internal mobility efforts that celebrate and retain great people.
Champion initiatives that enhance employee experience, including recognition programs, internal mobility, and workplace culture improvements, strengthening internal ERG groups.
Work side-by-side with operators, understanding the rhythm and realities of the restaurant business.
Provide thoughtful guidance on employee relations, performance, and team dynamics with a balanced, human approach.
Help leaders navigate challenges with confidence while staying aligned with company values and standards.
Bring consistency to HR practices while honoring the individuality of each restaurant team.
Partner with the Recruiting Department to elevate how we hire—focusing on both skill and hospitality mindset for hourly and salaried roles.
Help leaders become stronger interviewers and talent selectors.
Support building pipelines that reflect the energy and diversity of our teams.
Help bring training and development programs to life in restaurants.
Ensure content feels relevant, engaging, and grounded in real restaurant experiences per People Team processes.
Reinforce a culture of continuous learning, feedback, and growth.