Vice President Human Resources

Highgate Hotels•New York, NY

About The Position

The Vice President, Human Resources – New York Hotels is the senior market HR leader responsible for developing and executing the people strategy across Highgate’s New York hotel portfolio. The role partners with property General Managers, regional and corporate leadership, ownership groups, and hotel HR teams to support organizational performance, leadership capability, compliance and risk management, and a high-performance culture that advances business objectives and associate engagement. The position provides strategic oversight of labor relations across unionized properties, including collective bargaining agreements, labor strategy, grievance management, workforce planning, and complex employee relations. The VP works with hotel leaders, union representatives, corporate HR, and legal counsel to address labor and employment matters with sound judgment and an understanding of New York hotel operations. The role leads the portfolio’s HR efforts in talent strategy, succession planning, leadership development, organizational effectiveness, recruitment, culture and engagement, change management, employee relations, compliance, and workforce planning. It develops HR teams and property leaders, strengthens talent pipelines, and aligns people practices with Highgate’s culture and business priorities. Regular travel and a strong on-property presence throughout the New York market are required.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience, including significant experience supporting hotel, hospitality, multi-unit, or service-intensive operations.
Strong working knowledge of New York State and New York City employment laws and regulations, and judgment about when to escalate matters to legal counsel or corporate HR leadership.
Experience advising senior operators and General Managers in a fast-paced, high-touch, guest-facing environment.
Ability to lead through influence, build trust quickly, manage sensitive issues discreetly, and balance associate advocacy with business priorities.
Strong executive communication skills, including clear writing, presenting recommendations, facilitating difficult conversations, and communicating credibly across organizational levels.
Ability to travel regularly throughout the New York market and work flexible hours as needed for hotel operations, labor matters, investigations, and business priorities.
Business-minded HR leadership with understanding of hotel operations, ownership expectations, and the relationship between associate experience, guest satisfaction, and financial performance.
Ability to handle labor relations in a firm, fair, prepared, respectful, and solutions-oriented manner.
High integrity, discretion, and sound judgment when handling confidential matters.
Hands-on approach and ability to move between strategy and execution, including support during urgent or complex situations.
Ability to develop HR teams and property leaders across the portfolio.
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Hospitality, Labor Relations, or a related field is preferred.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated success leading HR in a New York City hotel or comparable unionized hospitality environment.
Advanced degree or HR/labor certification.
Ability to establish trusted relationships with General Managers, property HR leaders, corporate HR, legal partners, and union stakeholders.
Ability to assess labor relations practices, CBA administration, grievance trends, employee relations risk, staffing gaps, and HR operating rhythms across hotels.
Ability to create market action plans that improve consistency, compliance, associate experience, leadership capability, and issue resolution.
Ability to strengthen HR Director capability through coaching, process discipline, practical tools, and clear escalation expectations.
Ability to improve visibility into people metrics and convert data into targeted actions for retention, engagement, compliance, and operational effectiveness.

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior HR business partner for assigned New York hotels, aligning people priorities with property performance, guest experience, owner expectations, and company strategy.
Coach General Managers, executive committee members, and property HR leaders on leadership effectiveness, organizational structure, succession planning, workforce planning, and change management.
Translate companywide HR priorities into practical market-specific plans and provide hands-on support for high-priority operational, associate relations, and labor matters.
Lead labor relations strategy for assigned unionized properties and ensure consistent administration of collective bargaining agreements, side letters, past practices, and property-specific labor commitments.
Advise leaders on contract interpretation, seniority, scheduling, job classifications, wages and benefits, discipline, investigations, leaves, accommodations, subcontracting, and operational changes with labor implications.
Partner with property leaders, corporate HR, legal counsel, and union representatives to resolve grievances, prepare for arbitration or hearings, and reduce labor risk.
Maintain constructive relationships with union representatives while protecting business needs, associate fairness, contractual obligations, and company standards.
Guide complex employee relations matters, including investigations, performance and conduct concerns, harassment or discrimination complaints, workplace conflict, separations, and sensitive leadership situations.
Ensure compliance with federal, New York State, and New York City employment requirements, including wage and hour, leave, pay transparency, anti-harassment, accommodations, recordkeeping, safety, immigration, and posting obligations.
Partner with legal counsel and corporate HR on agency charges, EEO matters, wage and hour claims, unemployment, workers’ compensation, OSHA, audits, subpoenas, and other employment proceedings.
Promote consistent documentation, fair process, appropriate escalation, and timely resolution of employee and labor matters.
Partner with Talent Acquisition and property leaders to improve staffing strategies for high-volume and leadership roles, considering market competitiveness, internal mobility, and candidate-pipeline diversity.
Guide succession planning and talent reviews for critical hotel leadership roles, identifying readiness, development gaps, retention risks, and internal bench strength.
Develop, coach, and mentor HR Directors and HR teams in business partnership, compliance, associate engagement, and operational follow-through.
Support onboarding, leadership development, service culture, training compliance, and manager capability programs.
Champion an inclusive associate experience that reflects company values and hotel service culture.
Use engagement feedback, turnover data, exit interviews, employee relations trends, and operational input to identify root causes and drive retention and culture-building actions.
Partner with property leaders on communications, recognition, associate events, listening strategies, and manager accountability for a respectful, high-performing workplace.
Oversee HR processes across assigned properties, including budgets, compensation administration, personnel records, performance management, policy implementation, required training, and reporting.
Ensure accurate and timely use of HR systems and processes, including applicant tracking, associate data, compliance documentation, onboarding workflows, and reporting tools.
Monitor people metrics such as staffing levels, turnover, overtime drivers, grievance activity, leave trends, employee relations cases, training completion, and compliance gaps, and turn findings into action plans.
Travel regularly throughout the New York market and maintain an on-property presence to support leaders, inspect HR practices, build trust, and resolve issues.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life insurance
Short-term and long-term disability insurance
401(k) retirement plan with employer matching contributions
Paid holidays
Paid vacation
Paid sick leave in accordance with applicable law
Employee assistance program (EAP)
Educational opportunities and tuition reimbursement
Paid jury duty leave, personal leave, medical leave, and military leave in accordance with applicable law