JOB
SUMMARY
The Director of Human Resources
Operations serves as a strategic partner to the Director of Human Resources,
leading the execution of people strategies and ensuring operational excellence
across all aspects of the HR function. This role is designed for an experienced
Human Resources leader with a proven track record in complex hospitality
environments, combining strong operational expertise, labor relations knowledge,
and people leadership capabilities.
At Nekajui,
a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, this role operates within a remote, high-touch,
ultra-luxury resort environment where success is driven by the ability
to attract, develop, engage, and retain exceptional Ladies and Gentlemen
who consistently deliver highly personalized and emotionally engaging guest
experiences.
The position is responsible
for ensuring that Human Resources practices, policies, and standards
are consistently applied across the resort’s integrated operations, including
hotel operations and residential units operating under a rental program, while
maintaining alignment with Costa Rican labor law, Marriott International
policies, and established governance frameworks.
The Director of Human Resources Operations balances business
partnership, operational discipline, and cultural stewardship, ensuring
that talent acquisition, associate relations, compliance, leadership
development, and workforce effectiveness contribute to both organizational
performance and the delivery of the Reserve experience.
Acts as a trusted Human Resources advisor to operational leaders,
providing guidance on labor relations, employee relations, workforce planning,
leadership effectiveness, and Costa Rican labor legislation, ensuring business
decisions appropriately balance operational needs, legal compliance,
and employee experience.
The role requires
the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization,
navigate complexity, and successfully lead Human Resources operations within
an ultra-luxury resort environment characterized by elevated service
expectations, a diverse workforce, and multiple operational
components.
CANDIDATE
PROFILE
Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business Administration or related
field - 4–6+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership
experience, with significant exposure to hospitality, resort, luxury, or complex
service environments. - Demonstrated experience
in: - Ultra-luxury or high-end hospitality environments
with a strong service culture - Complex resort
or destination operations, ideally in remote or non-urban locations
- Environments with multiple operational components, such as hotel
and residential units operating under a rental program or similar mixed-use
structures - Opening or highly dynamic business environments
(preferred)
Technical &
Functional Expertise
- Strong knowledge
of labor law, employee relations, and HR compliance frameworks (Costa Rica
or LATAM experience preferred). - Proven ability to manage
HR audits, disciplinary processes, and governance structures with rigor
and consistency. - Experience overseeing performance
management, talent acquisition, and employee development processes in structured
environments. - Ability to operate effectively within
Marriott systems, policies, and standards, or similar global corporate
frameworks.
Leadership &
Behavioral Capabilities
- Demonstrates strong
leadership presence and credibility, with the ability to influence stakeholders
at all levels of the organization. - High level of emotional
intelligence, with the ability to manage sensitive situations with discretion
and sound judgment. - Ability to balance operational
discipline with a people-centered leadership approach.
- Proven capability to build trust-based, collaborative relationships
across diverse and multicultural teams.
Luxury Mindset & Service Orientation
- Deep understanding of ultra-luxury service principles, including
personalization, anticipation, and attention to detail.
- Demonstrated ability to translate service philosophy into employee
behaviors and leadership practices. - Commitment to creating
an environment where Ladies and Gentlemen feel valued, respected, and inspired
to deliver exceptional experiences.
Languages
- Fluency in Spanish
and English (mandatory).
CORE WORK ACTIVITIES
Managing Legal and Compliance Practices
- Ensures full compliance with Costa Rican labor law,
Marriott International policies, regulatory requirements, and governance
frameworks, maintaining audit readiness and mitigating organizational risk.
- Oversees the consistent application of Human Resources
policies, procedures, and compliance standards across all operational components
of the resort, including hotel operations and residential units operating under
a rental program. - Serves as the property subject matter
expert on labor legislation, advising leaders on employment matters,
disciplinary processes, workforce practices, organizational changes, and labor
risk management. - Partners with legal counsel, Corporate
Human Resources, and operational leaders on investigations, policy
interpretation, employee relations matters, employment-related proceedings,
and risk mitigation strategies. - Champions the Guarantee
of Fair Treatment by ensuring employee concerns, investigations, corrective
actions, and workplace practices are managed fairly, consistently, and
in accordance with company policies and legal requirements.
Labor Relations & Risk
Management
- Serves as the property subject
matter expert on Costa Rican labor legislation, advising leaders on employment
practices, workforce management, labor compliance, and evolving
employment-related risks. - Provides guidance
on disciplinary processes, organizational changes, workforce planning,
scheduling practices, and labor-related decisions, ensuring alignment with legal
requirements, company standards, and business objectives.
- Partners with legal counsel, Corporate Human Resources,
and operational leaders on complex labor matters, investigations, policy
interpretation, employee relations issues, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Identifies labor relations trends and workplace risks,
developing preventive actions that promote a positive work environment, minimize
legal exposure, and support long-term workforce sustainability.
- Serves as a trusted advisor to the Guidance Team and operational
leadership, providing labor relations expertise, workforce risk assessments,
and recommendations that support informed business decisions.
- Oversees compliance associated with statutory compensation
requirements and employment-related proceedings, ensuring alignment with Costa
Rican labor legislation and company standards.
Fair Treatment & Employee Protection
- Champions a workplace culture grounded in fairness, respect,
inclusion, accountability, and psychological safety, consistent with
The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards, Marriott International values, and applicable
employment legislation. - Upholds the Guarantee of Fair
Treatment by ensuring employee concerns, complaints, investigations,
and workplace matters are addressed objectively, confidentially, and in a timely
manner. - Ensures property policies, disciplinary
processes, and corrective actions are applied fairly, consistently, and
in accordance with company standards, SOPs, LSOPs, and legal requirements.
- Provides guidance to leaders on sensitive employee
matters, promoting balanced decision-making, equitable treatment, and effective
resolution of workplace concerns. - Monitors employee
relations trends and workplace concerns, partnering with leadership
to proactively address risks and strengthen trust, engagement,
and organizational culture.
Managing Human Resources Communication
- Develops and executes Human Resources communication strategies
that promote transparency, engagement, understanding, and alignment
with organizational priorities and The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards.
- Ensures timely and effective communication of Human Resources
policies, benefit changes, organizational initiatives, and people-related
programs impacting Ladies and Gentlemen. - Maintains
the integrity and communication of the employee handbook and other HR resources,
ensuring consistency with Marriott policies, legal requirements, and operational
practices. - Coaches leaders in the effective communication
and application of Human Resources policies, performance expectations, employee
relations practices, and organizational changes. - Ensures
effective communication channels are in place across the property, leveraging
employee feedback, surveys, and organizational insights to strengthen
understanding, engagement, and overall organizational effectiveness.
Maintaining Employee
Relations
- Establishes and maintains open,
collaborative, and trust-based relationships with Ladies and Gentlemen across
all levels of the organization, fostering a culture of respect, inclusion,
accountability, and engagement. - Promotes and sustains
an effective open-door philosophy, ensuring employee concerns are addressed
with responsiveness, professionalism, and discretion.
- Leads employee relations matters, workplace conflict resolution
processes, investigations, and complex employee cases, ensuring fair,
consistent, and timely outcomes aligned with company values and policy
requirements. - Acts as a trusted advisor to leaders
and employees on sensitive workplace matters, helping foster a positive work
environment that supports collaboration, wellbeing, engagement, and high
performance. - Monitors employee sentiment, workplace
trends, and organizational climate, proactively identifying opportunities
to strengthen retention, engagement, communication, and overall employee
experience. - Leads and supports Associate Relations,
recognition, Community Footprints, and other employee experience initiatives
that reinforce connection, belonging, and the culture of The Ritz-Carlton
Reserve.
Managing Staffing
and Employee Development
- Partners
with leaders to identify current and future talent needs, ensuring workforce
capabilities align with business priorities, operational requirements, and
the service expectations of a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.
- Oversees recruitment, selection, onboarding, and talent development
activities, ensuring alignment with Marriott standards, organizational culture,
and long-term workforce needs. - Leads performance
management processes across the property, ensuring performance discussions,
development planning, merit actions, and related documentation are completed
effectively and in accordance with company standards.
- Coaches leaders on performance improvement, career development,
succession planning, and talent management strategies that strengthen leadership
pipelines and organizational capability. - Partners
with Learning & Development leadership to deliver initiatives that enhance
technical capability, leadership effectiveness, service culture,
and professional growth across the resort. - Promotes
internal mobility and utilizes workforce insights, talent reviews,
and performance data to strengthen retention, organizational effectiveness,
and long-term talent sustainability.
Driving HR Operations
- Serves
as a strategic Human Resources business partner to operational leaders,
providing workforce insights, labor relations expertise, organizational
effectiveness recommendations, and talent strategies that support business
objectives. - Partners closely with the Director of Human
Resources and operational leadership teams to support the execution of people
strategies, organizational initiatives, and business priorities.
- Ensures the consistent application of Human Resources practices across
all operational components of the resort, including hotel operations
and residential units operating under a rental program, while maintaining
alignment with governance structures, employment relationships, service
standards, and compliance requirements. - Aligns workforce
planning, staffing strategies, and Human Resources execution with operational
requirements, business demand patterns, occupancy trends, and service delivery
objectives. - Provides coaching and guidance to leaders
on organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, team dynamics, employee
engagement, change management, compliance, and business performance.
- Oversees and develops the Human Resources Operations
team, ensuring accountability, collaboration, engagement, operational
excellence, and adherence to company standards and policies.
- Provides strategic oversight of employee transportation programs
and workforce mobility initiatives, ensuring operational reliability, employee
wellbeing, and alignment with the unique requirements of a remote resort
environment. - Identifies workforce, operational,
and organizational trends, translating employee feedback, engagement data,
quality assessments, compliance findings, and business indicators into action
plans that strengthen employee experience, service delivery, retention,
and organizational performance. - Leads Human Resources
projects, organizational initiatives, compliance action plans, and employee
experience programs, ensuring effective execution, stakeholder alignment,
and achievement of desired outcomes. - Ensures leaders
consistently model and reinforce behaviors aligned with The Ritz-Carlton Gold
Standards, Reserve culture, and the values that define both the employee
and guest experience.
Ultra-Luxury
Culture & Service Excellence
- Embeds
The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards throughout the employee lifecycle, ensuring
they are consistently understood, lived, and reflected in leadership behaviors
across the organization. - Acts as a guardian of
the Reserve experience, translating the philosophy of ultra-luxury hospitality
into leadership practices, talent decisions, workplace culture, and operational
execution. - Partners with leaders to cultivate a culture
of anticipation, personalization, discretion, emotional intelligence,
and attention to detail, reinforcing the standards that distinguish
a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. - Ensures Human Resources
strategies, programs, recognition initiatives, and employee experience practices
support the delivery of intuitive, emotionally engaging, and highly personalized
guest experiences. - Coaches leaders to model behaviors
that foster trust, accountability, service excellence, and genuine connection,
creating an environment where Ladies and Gentlemen feel valued, respected,
and inspired to perform at their best. - Promotes a culture
of continuous learning and improvement, encouraging leaders and Ladies
and Gentlemen to consistently elevate service, refine experiences, and exceed
expectations.
