Director of People and Culture

Four Seasons Hotels Limited; Bern; On-site; CHF 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary package

Employee meals and uniform laundry

Employee travel program

Global career growth opportunities

Job summary

Four Seasons Hotels Limited is seeking a Director of People & Culture for The Park Gstaad, a Four Seasons Hotel. You will lead the P&C function, partner with the GM and leadership, and shape the people strategy for pre-opening and ongoing operations.

Responsibilities include building a high-performing P&C organization, overseeing talent acquisition, learning, engagement, workforce planning, and organizational development while ensuring adherence to Swiss employment law and Four Seasons standards.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in People & Culture or HR leadership within luxury hospitality
• Proven hotel opening experience and team setup ability
• Experience with seasonal operations and talent retention

Responsibilities

• Lead People & Culture team and drive engagement, inclusion, and continuous improvement
• Advise hotel leadership on employee relations, performance, and leadership development
• Oversee talent acquisition, onboarding, learning, engagement, workforce planning, recognition, and relations
• Drive organizational development, succession planning, and culture initiatives
• Develop and manage the P&C budget and monitor labour-related costs and benefits
• Ensure compliance with Swiss employment laws and policies
• Build relationships with education institutions, government authorities, recruitment partners, and stakeholders
• Lead opening P&C activities and employer branding for the park opening

Skills

Leadership

Employee relations

Talent development

Budget management

Stakeholder management

People & culture strategy

Organizational development

Communication

Coaching

Seasonal workforce planning

Education

Degree/Diploma in HR or related field

Tools

Mirus

Workday

Job description

About Four Seasons:

Four Seasons is powered by our people. We are a collective of individuals who crave to become better, to push ourselves to new heights and to treat each other as we wish to be treated in return. Our team members around the world create amazing experiences for our guests, residents, and partners through a commitment to luxury with genuine heart. We know that the best way to enable our people to deliver these exceptional guest experiences is through a world-class employee experience and company culture.

At Four Seasons, we believe in recognizing a familiar face, welcoming a new one and treating everyone we meet the way we would want to be treated ourselves. Whether you work with us, stay with us, live with us or discover with us, we believe our purpose is to create impressions that will stay with you for a lifetime. It comes from our belief that life is richer when we truly connect to the people and the world around us.

About the location:

About The Role

As Director of People & Culture at The Park Gstaad, A Four Seasons Hotel, you will lead the hotel's People & Culture function and serve as a strategic business partner to the General Manager and leadership team. As a member of the Planning Committee, you will shape and drive the people strategy, ensuring the attraction, development, engagement, and retention of exceptional talent while fostering a culture aligned with Four Seasons values and service excellence. This is a unique opportunity to play a defining role in the pre-opening journey of The Park Gstaad by leading all aspects of the employee lifecycle, organizational development, workforce planning, employee engagement, learning, culture, and compliance.

What You Will Do

• - Lead and develop the People & Culture team, fostering a culture of engagement, accountability, inclusion, trust, and continuous improvement
• - Serve as a trusted advisor and coach to hotel leadership on employee relations, performance management, leadership effectiveness, and talent development
• - Lead all People & Culture functions, including talent acquisition, onboarding, learning and development, employee engagement, workforce planning, recognition programs, and employee relations
• - Drive organizational development, succession planning, leadership development, and culture-building initiatives across the hotel
• - Develop and manage the People & Culture budget and monitor labour-related costs, employee benefits, recruitment expenses, and departmental expenditures
• - Ensure compliance with Swiss employment legislation, applicable labour agreements, data privacy requirements, and Four Seasons policies and standards
• - Build strong relationships with employees, educational institutions, government authorities, recruitment partners, and external stakeholders
• - Lead hotel opening People & Culture activities, workforce readiness initiatives, employer branding efforts, and organizational transformation projects

What You Bring

• - Minimum 5 years of progressive People & Culture or Human Resources leadership experience within luxury hospitality or a comparable service environment, ideally currently holding an equivalent position
• - Proven hotel opening experience, with the ability to build People & Culture operations, teams, and processes from the ground up
• - Strong experience in seasonal hotel operations, including seasonal workforce planning, recruitment, and employee retention
• - Experience overseeing staff housing operations and supporting a positive employee living experience
• - Knowledge of Swiss employment law and the L-GAV collective labour agreement, as well as experience with Mirus and Workday, would be a strong advantage
• - Degree or Diploma in Human Resources, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field
• - Strong expertise across talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, organizational development, workforce planning, and employee engagement
• - Strong business acumen with experience managing budgets, people strategies, labour-related costs, and organizational effectiveness
• - Exceptional leadership, communication, coaching, and stakeholder management skills
• - Experience in organizational transformation and international hospitality environments is advantageous
• - Fluent English and German and/or French required . Additional languages are advantageous
• - In accordance with Swiss employment regulations, only candidates holding Swiss or EU/EFTA citizenship, or a valid Swiss work authorization, can be considered for this position

What We Offer

• - Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package
• - Employee meals and uniform laundry service
• - Monthly Employee Recognition Program
• - Employee Travel Program, including complimentary stays at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts worldwide after six months of service
• - Global career growth opportunities through internal transfers and Task Force assignments
• - The opportunity to be part of the opening team of The Park Gstaad, A Four Seasons Hotel

Schedule & Hours

• - Full-time, permanent position
• - Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by business needs
• - Seasonal hotel operation with primary opening periods from June to September and December to March