Director of People and Culture
Appellation Lodi - Wine & Roses Resort and Spa
Lodi, CA
Description Company Description: Appellation is a culinary-focused hotel company that embraces authenticity and locality in everything they do. They believe in the power of regional character, community, and culture to create exceptional experiences for their guests. Appellation gathers the best from each of their destinations to nurture the growth of the next generation of hoteliers and culinarians. Every element of an Appellation experience is true to place, thoughtfully composed, and crafted with the highest regard to quality. Reports to: General Manager with a functional reporting line to Appellation’s Director of People & Culture and Accounting and the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
- The Director of People and Culture will champion the Culture and the People for the hotel. They will determine recruitment, development and retention strategies to drive the evolution of our teams for all departments including hotel, culinary, and spa. They will play an integral role in the development, execution and support of the team member experience.
- Participate as a collaborative, key member of the Senior Leadership Team to ensure business success and long-term growth
- Provide regular updates to the General Manager and rest of team as appropriate
- Develop and implement strategic human resources initiatives
- Ensure compliance with employment, benefits, insurance, safety, and other laws, regulations, and requirements
- Maintain knowledge of laws, regulations and best practices in employment law, human resources and talent management and develop and implement plans to ensure compliance
- Provide visible leadership and communications to the hotel
- Drive results through all teams by ensuring human resources goals, targets, and forecasts are met
- Actively recruit key senior leadership roles for the hotel
- Monitor compensation and benefit plans to ensure that they are competitive and unique
- Work in sync with Appellation’s Director of People & Culture and Accounting and COO to manage the selection and ongoing relationships of benefits providers, and other human resources providers
- Build and maintain relationships with hospitality, culinary schools and other key stakeholders and develop robust internships, apprenticeships, and internal training programs to position Appellation as a hospitality organization that supports and nurtures people development
- Lead by example, and ensure all staff adheres to, corporate policies and standards
- 5+ years in a senior management Human Resources role within the luxury hotel industry
- Previous California Human Resources experience highly preferred, including compliance with labor laws for all aspects of payroll administration in hotel, restaurant, and spa departments
- Four-Year degree in Hotel Administration, Business or Human Resources preferred
- Business-unit level human resources or operations experience with responsibility for budget creation and achievement
- Outstanding leadership skills and excellent interpersonal skills with executive level stakeholders, hotel teams and all business partners
- Inspire, lead and manage a distributed team by example
- Act as a key executive of the hotel and communicate a clear sense of strategy and purpose
- Strong analytical skills
- Organized, detail-oriented leadership with excellent follow-up
- Excellent communication skills both internally and externally
- Convert vision into specific and tangible actions to benefit the company and the hotel
- Agility to change with the needs of the hotel
- Excellent command of the English language both writing and verbal communication skills, computer literacy and working knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Thorough knowledge of employment-related laws and regulations
- Knowledge of and experience with varied human resource information systems
- Work in partnership with Property Director of Finance and General Manager for payroll processing.
- Develop, with the aid of key personnel, strategies and programs to ensure achievement of the goals and objectives.
- Prepare a comprehensive annual business plan, for all human resources functions including compensation, benefits, administration, legal and compliance, development and learning, and culture.
- Prepare a comprehensive training plan for all team members.
- Prepare and lead a quarterly team member development succession plan.
- Prepare a salary administration plan.
- Ensure that hotel organizational charts show both structure and people that is compatible with the business strategies and capable of achieving the physical and fiscal plans.
- Participate in the selection of key management positions and company policies ensuring the candidates meet the job specifications. Counsel and advise direct subordinates on the selection of their key management staffs.
- Provide input on Appellation job descriptions to ensure clarity and understanding of the job's purpose and the tasks performed in achieving job responsibilities.
- Develop objectives for all key subordinates pertaining to their functional responsibilities, that contribute to the achievement of the goals.
- Implement performance planning and review all management personnel, per established performance standards and mutually agreed upon results to budgeted plans.
- Set clear guidelines and ensure that these are adhered to throughout all operations.
- Implement development and training programs in all departments to produce in-depth qualified personnel, to ensure continuity of management, and to prepare for vacancy and/or transfer requirements.
- Participate in all meetings to ensure coordination and open lines of communication and ensure dissemination of the basic company philosophies and policies.
- Ensure team member exit interviews are conducted; review monthly departmental team member turnover records and take necessary action.
- Maintain surveillance over performance for seeing that the proper shifts and approach, tactics and emphasis are made when needed. Counsel the management team in regard to execution and give directives if need be and make on the spot observations in depth, locate problems of commission or omission to initiate the appropriate action.
- Champion forward-looking, but practical aspects of the business when handling problems solving situations.
- Lead with intellectual and emotional maturity, demonstrating a personal philosophy of life and work habits, practicing consulting supervision and observing ethical business practices.
- Build and further develop an environment that supports a diverse team and workforce that embraces racial diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Conduct oneself in an ethical and exemplary manner which encourages like manner or conduct.
- Represent the interests of the company and all its personnel in a fair, impartial and equitable manner.
- Collaborate effectively with peers and associates sharing mutual interest, concerns, advice and specialized knowledge.
- Convey clear instructions, guidance with proper intent to achieve a unity of purpose. Establish working relationships that will attain a high level of effective executive and team member morale.
- Represent the hotel to the public, industry and government in such a manner to enhance the reputation of the hotel and to gain recognition for their competency and contribution.
- Perform other tasks or projects as assigned by the senior leadership team
- Maintain an open working relationship with property Ownership as necessary.
- Develop strategic talent plan to grow key talent and provide a leadership pipeline.
- Evaluate societal trends that could/should impact our internal culture and make recommendations to leadership on how to navigate them.
- Implement recognition, benefits, amenities, housing, programs and pay rates that are not only competitive, but forward thinking to attract talent.
- Fully leverage the assets, resources and buying power of Appellation to create beneficial outcomes for all.
- Build strong relationships with learning programs and talent pools and untapped resources who can provide the staff that will help our organizations thrive.
Posted 2025-11-20
Recommended Jobs
Software Engineering Manager, Infrastructure Engineering
Woven by Toyota
California
Woven by Toyota is enabling Toyota’s once-in-a-century transformation into a mobility company. Inspired by a legacy of innovating for the benefit of others, our mission is to challenge the current sta…
View Details
Posted 2025-11-15
Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Palm Careers
Palm Springs, CA
Magnet Rated Hospital is hiring an experienced Primary Care Nurse Practitioner in Palm Springs, California! Looking for an experienced Primary Care Nurse Practitioner / Physician Assistant to come jo…
View Details
Posted 2025-07-31
Corporate Development, Compute Transactions
Anthropic
San Francisco, CA
About Anthropic Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a qui…
View Details
Posted 2025-11-18
Front of House Manager - JOEY Newport Beach
JOEY Restaurants
Newport Beach, CA
Ref: #JoeyNewport_Manager This is about YOU. Your passion, purpose, and potential. When you join the JOEY team, you can expect a warm, inclusive and creative environment. We are committed to traini…
View Details
Posted 2025-09-25
Administrative Compliance Analyst
Cesar Chavez Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
Administrative Compliance Analyst Location Los Angeles, CA : SUMMARY: The Analyst is responsible for the setup, oversight, data entry, and delivery of reporting obligations due to lenders, investors…
View Details
Posted 2025-11-21
Assistant Professor of Violin (TT)
University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA
Minimum Qualifications An earned MM in Music or the professional equivalent. Preferred Qualifications College level experience highly desirable. A steadfast commitment to inclusion and equit…
View Details
Posted 2025-11-22
Software Engineer
Eudia
Palo Alto, CA
About Eudia: Eudia is redefining the future of legal work with AI-powered Augmented Intelligence, enabling Fortune 500 legal teams to move faster, manage risk more effectively, and unlock new b…
View Details
Posted 2025-11-19
Sr. Data Engineer
Visa
Foster, CA
The Data and Artificial Intelligence Platform (DAP) group is a key component of Visas Technology organization providing the enabling technology and processes to handle Visas data assets and deliver v…
View Details
Posted 2025-11-21
Accounts Receivable/Payable Clerk
Ressler Motor Company
Elk Grove, CA
Job Type Full-time Description POSITION SUMMARY: The Accounts Receivable Clerk is primarily responsible for overseeing accounts receivable and payable statements, maintaining, and fol…
View Details
Posted 2025-11-19
Sr. Accounting Officer (Specialist)
Department of Resources Recycling & Recovery
Sacramento County, CA
Job Description and Duties Under the general direction of the Accounting Administrator I (Supervisor), General Ledger, the Senior Accounting Officer (Specialist) will be responsible for independen…
View Details
Posted 2025-11-20