Director of Human Resources

MML Hospitality; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Hotel Saint Vincent, managed by MML Hospitality in New Orleans, seeks a Director of Human Resources to be the heartbeat of our team. You will own the employee experience from hiring to development, ensuring a culture worthy of a Michelin Key property and a leadership team that cares for staff as much as guests.

You'll lead recruiting across departments, build local talent pipelines, and design onboarding that reflects our design-forward brand.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive HR leadership experience in boutique or lifestyle hotel environments.
• PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP certification strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of Louisiana employment law.
• Experience with HRIS/payroll systems (Paylocity, ADP, Paycom, UKG, or similar).

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for hourly and management roles across all hotel departments.
• Build relationships with local hospitality and culinary programs to maintain a strong talent pipeline.
• Plan ahead for seasonal and event-driven staffing swings.
• Design onboarding that introduces new hires to the hotel's story, design language, and standards.
• Run engagement programs that foster a culture where people want to build a career at Hotel Saint Vincent.
• Maintain compliance with Louisiana labor law, FLSA, ADA, FMLA, and local ordinances.
• Manage payroll, benefits enrollment, and leave management.
• Lead annual performance reviews and merit increase cycles.
• Develop service-standard training reflecting the boutique brand voice.
• Sit on executive committee and report HR metrics to ownership and GM.
• Partner with GM and Accounting on labor budget and headcount planning.

Skills

HR leadership

Recruiting

Employee relations

Louisiana labor law

HRIS/payroll systems

Education

PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP

Tools

Paylocity

ADP

Paycom

UKG

Job description

Description

About Hotel Saint Vincent

Built in 1861 as Margaret Haughery's Saint Vincent's Infant Asylum and reimagined in 2021 by Lambert McGuire Design, Hotel Saint Vincent is a 75-room, Michelin Key-winning hotel anchoring the corner of Magazine and Race in New Orleans' Lower Garden District. Behind the original wrought-iron gates and grand staircase, moody art deco and mid-century Italian interiors meet a Saltillo-tiled courtyard pool, the French-Vietnamese Elizabeth Street Café, coastal Italian restaurant San Lorenzo, and the Chapel Club lounge. It's a hotel built on a legacy of care for New Orleans — and that same spirit of hospitality extends to the people who run it.

The Role

Hotel Saint Vincent is looking for a Director of Human Resources to be the heartbeat of our team — the person who makes sure everyone from the front desk to the kitchen line feels supported, developed, and proud to work inside a New Orleans landmark. Reporting to the General Manager and sitting on the property's executive committee, you'll own every part of the employee experience: hiring people who fit our design-forward, detail-obsessed brand, building a culture worthy of a Michelin Key property, and making sure the team behind the magic is as well cared for as our guests.

What You'll Do

Talent & Staffing

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for hourly and management roles across the entire hotel structure, including: Rooms, F&B, Engineering, and Sales
• Build relationships with local hospitality and culinary programs to keep a strong talent pipeline flowing
• Plan ahead for seasonal and event-driven staffing swings

Culture & Employee Relations

• Be the go-to person for employee concerns, conflict resolution, and investigations
• Design onboarding that introduces new hires to the hotel's story, design language, and standards from day one
• Run engagement programs — recognition, staff events, feedback loops — that make Hotel Saint Vincent a place people want to build a career

Compliance & Risk

• Keep the hotel compliant with Louisiana labor law, FLSA, ADA, FMLA, New Orleans city ordinances, and any other relevant labor regulations
• Maintain personnel files, I-9 compliance, and workers' comp claims
• Manage unemployment claims and represent the hotel at hearings

Compensation & Benefits

• Oversee payroll (with Accounting), benefits enrollment, and leave management (FMLA, Disability, parental leaves)
• Run market wage analysis to stay competitive in the New Orleans hospitality market
• Lead the annual performance review and merit increase cycle

Training & Development

• Build service-standard training that reflects the hotel's boutique, design-forward brand voice
• Train managers on interviewing, performance management, and progressive discipline
• Track required certifications, including food safety and responsible alcohol service

Strategic Leadership

• Sit on the property's executive committee and report HR metrics — turnover, time-to-fill, engagement — to ownership and the GM
• Partner with GM and Accounting/Finance on labor budget and headcount planning

What You Bring

• 5+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, ideally at a boutique or lifestyle hotel
• PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of Louisiana employment law
• Experience with HRIS/payroll systems (Paylocity, ADP, Paycom, UKG, or similar)
• The discretion, EQ, and conflict-resolution instincts it takes to lead people well in a fast-paced, guest-facing environment

Why Join Us

Hotel Saint Vincent isn't a big-box hotel — it's a landmark with a story, a design obsession, and a team small enough that your fingerprints will be on everything from how a new hire's first week feels to how the whole property runs. You'll help build the culture behind a hotel that's earned a Michelin Key and international recognition, working alongside ownership and leadership who care as much about the people as they do about the pink bathrooms and Murano glass chandeliers. If you want HR work that's tied to craft, hospitality, and a genuine sense of place, this is that role.

If an offer is accepted for this position, you must undergo a comprehensive background check. This process may include verification of employment history, education credentials, criminal records, and other relevant information.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge and agree to the background check process as a condition of employment. MML Hospitality is an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other prohibited basis. We intend for all qualified applicants to be given equal opportunity and for selection decisions to be based on job-related factors.