Director of Human Resources at Urbane Cafe – Ventura, California

The Director of Human Resources position serves as the leader to hire, inspire, develop and motivate the team while embracing and promoting the Urbane Café culture and values. They provide direct managerial leadership for all human resources functions, including benefits, training, recruitment/hiring, and associate relations. This individual must exhibit progressive leadership skills within the department, organization and with fellow managers and teammates. This person must also have the ability to coach, counsel, and develop their staff members to ensure consistent application of Urbane Cafe values.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Partner with the senior leadership team to develop overall business strategies, align Human Resource initiatives with those strategies, and implement action plans necessary to meet short and long-term business goals. Serve as a business partner and resource to all departments on any matters related to employment.

1. Employee Communication and Engagement – Reinforce Urbane Cafe's culture and values through ongoing communication, recognition programs and employee involvement. Plan and organize community involvement events, and employee programs, events and meetings throughout the year. They must instill trust in team members by providing leadership with integrity, discretion and fairness.

2. Benefit Administration – Oversee medical plans, dental, vision, life, disability and voluntary benefits, wellness incentives, COBRA administration, 401(k) savings plan and leaves of absence. Administration of employee privileges/discounts and other employment-related benefits.

3. Safety/Workers' Comp – Oversee safety-related programs and training. Coordinate provider relations and processes for Workers' Comp, including items such as employee medical treatment and compensation, return to work programs and claims reviews.

4. Employee Relations – Provide advice and counsel to the management team regarding all aspects of employment law and practices. Provide assistance in the interpretation of policies and procedures, resolution of employee relations issues, investigations, corrective or disciplinary actions, and employee separations. Manage severance programs as applicable.

5. HR Policies and Legal Compliance Reporting -- Prepare and submit annual government reports as required. Conduct and/or review annual audits and conduct periodic review of HR materials and processes, ensuring legal compliance.

6. HR Systems and Budget -- Oversee HR systems development and implementation and provide user training as needed. Review and analyze data. Plan and manage HR Department Budget.

7. Maintain professional affiliations and appropriate community involvement. Attend appropriate employment law seminars and updates to keep HR and employment law knowledge and certifications current, and stay informed on possible legislation and trends in Human Resources. Collaborates with Talent Acquisition Department to ensure staffing levels are met.

Qualifications/Skills:

• 5+ years of Human Resource Management preferably in the restaurant industry
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field required
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills
• Experience with multi unit properties
• Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities
• Skilled in assessing and prioritizing multiple tasks, projects, and demands
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• SHRM or PHR highly preferred
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills
• Comprehensive knowledge of laws and regulations governing human resources (FMLA, PDL, ADA, OSHA, etc.)
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software
• Bi-lingual in English and Spanish required

Salary Range: $160,000 - $180,000 per year

Our mission is to “Make People Happy”. We do this by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives and the lives of others -where a manager's smile spreads to our team, our guests, our community and the world. If this sounds like you, then you are in the right place! We create a warm, inviting, hip and contemporary setting where our guests enjoy fresh, healthy food and keep coming back for more. We craft a casual yet discerning menu with refined local ingredients and blend them into the tastiest dishes in a warm and vibrant atmosphere. Every day we make our focaccia dough in our scratch kitchens and bake it fresh in our open-hearth ovens – right before your eyes. Our guests enjoy a healthy, delicious and affordable menu of gourmet sandwiches and farm fresh salads. What we do, we do extremely well and all with a smile!

Urbane Cafe is a family-owned and operated company run by founder Tom Holt. We are a fast-growing company with several locations throughout Southern California and Nevada with more to come!