Director of People and Culture - Pre-Opening

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 act as a strategic business partner to the General Manager and leadership team. As a member of the Planning Committee, you will shape the people strategy and ensure the attraction, development, engagement and retention of talent. This is a full-time, permanent position in a seasonal hotel, with primary opening periods from June to September and December to March.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop the People & Culture team, fostering engagement, accountability, inclusion, trust and continuous improvement.
• Advise hotel leadership on employee relations, performance management, leadership effectiveness and talent development.
• Run 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.
• Manage the People & Culture budget and monitor labour costs, employee benefits, recruitment expenses and departmental spending.
• Ensure compliance with Swiss employment law, labour agreements, data privacy requirements and Four Seasons policies.
• Build relationships with employees, educational institutions, government authorities, recruitment partners and external stakeholders.
• Lead opening People & Culture activities, workforce readiness, employer branding and organizational transformation projects.

Required profile

• Minimum 5 years of progressive People & Culture or HR leadership experience in luxury hospitality or a comparable service environment.
• Proven hotel opening experience, building People & Culture operations, teams and processes from the ground up.
• Experience in seasonal hotel operations, including seasonal workforce planning, recruitment and retention.
• Experience overseeing staff housing operations.
• Degree or diploma in Human Resources, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Organizational Development or a related field.
• Fluent English and German and/or French required; additional languages are an advantage.
• Swiss or EU/EFTA citizenship or a valid Swiss work authorization.

Required skills

• Knowledge of Swiss employment law and the L-GAV collective labour agreement (strong advantage).
• Experience with Mirus and Workday (strong advantage).
• Expertise in talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, workforce planning and employee engagement.
• Budget management and business acumen.

What we offer

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Employee meals and uniform laundry service.
• Monthly Employee Recognition Program.
• Travel program with complimentary stays at Four Seasons hotels and resorts worldwide after six months of service.
• Career growth through internal transfers and Task Force assignments.
• The chance to join the opening team of The Park Gstaad.