Director of Human Resources – Pre-Opening, W Manchester

Overview

As Director of Human Resources for W Manchester, you will shape the culture of a high-profile pre-opening luxury hotel and align people strategy with brand and business objectives. You’ll lead talent acquisition, workforce planning and leadership development to build a world-class team from day one. You’ll partner with executive leadership to drive engagement, organizational effectiveness and a distinctive associate experience. This role offers the chance to define culture, capability and leadership in a landmark Manchester opening.

Pay / Benefits

• career growth
• international mobility
• leadership development
• diversity and individuality
• equal opportunity employer

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive HR strategy aligned with brand vision and business objectives
• Lead pre-opening recruitment, workforce planning and talent acquisition across all functions
• Champion succession planning, talent reviews and leadership development
• Drive associate engagement, culture-building and retention programmes
• Partner with department leaders to build high-performing teams and strengthen leadership capability
• Oversee compensation, recognition and reward programmes
• Advise General Manager, Executive Committee and ownership on people-related matters
• Ensure compliance with Marriott policies, diversity initiatives and inclusive practices

Key requirements

• Dynamic, commercially minded HR leader with passion for people and luxury hospitality
• Experience leading HR functions in hospitality or service-driven environments
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of people strategies impacting performance
• Expertise in talent acquisition, succession planning, organizational development and employee engagement
• Ability to coach, inspire and develop leaders and manage change in a pre-opening context
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills

• People-first leadership
• Trust and authenticity
• Accountability
• Talent acquisition
• Succession planning
• Organizational development

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