Director of People & Culture
Are you a master of craft? Do you thrive in a team that succeeds together, demonstrating integrity and respect while acting responsibly? Do you embrace a growth mindset? We invite you to become a fan of the exceptional.
Mandarin Oriental is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences located in prime destinations around the world, with a strong development pipeline. Increasingly recognised for creating some of the world’s most sought-after properties, the Group provides legendary service inspired by Asian heritage whilst representing the very cutting-edge of luxury experiences.
Mandarin Oriental, Rome will offer a rare urban retreat set across ten 19th‑century villas, surrounded by lush gardens yet only moments from the city’s iconic landmarks. The hotel will feature 108 elegantly designed rooms and suites - many with private terraces or gardens - crafted by renowned designers Gilles & Boissier. With six distinctive restaurants and bars, including a rooftop Mandarin Bar with sweeping city views, the property will blend tranquil residential charm with contemporary Roman sophistication.
About the job
The Director of People and Culture is a strategic leader responsible for shaping and delivering the hotel’s people agenda to support exceptional guest experiences and operational excellence. This role oversees all aspects of talent management, engagement, and organisational development, fostering a culture aligned with the standards of a world-class luxury hospitality brand.
As Director of People & Culture, you will responsible for the following duties
- Set and deliver the People & Culture strategy, aligning workforce plans with Mandarin Oriental brand standards, business objectives, and guest experience priorities.
- Champion a culture of excellence, embedding MO values and behaviours across all teams to uphold luxury hospitality standards.
- Lead talent acquisition and workforce planning, ensuring recruitment and retention align with MO policies and operational needs.
- Drive learning and development initiatives, creating programs that support leadership growth and service excellence in line with MOHG guidelines.
- Manage performance and succession planning, implementing fair and transparent processes to build high-performing teams.
- Ensure compliance and governance, maintaining adherence to MOHG policies, local legislation, and best-practice employee relations.
- Oversee reward and recognition frameworks, ensuring competitive benchmarking and alignment with MO standards.
- Partner with senior leadership, providing expert guidance on organisational design, change management, and colleague engagement.
- Safeguard health, safety, and wellbeing, ensuring all practices meet MOHG and regulatory requirements.
- Leverage HR systems and analytics, using data insights to inform decisions and track key metrics.
As Director of People & Culture, we expect from you:
- Proven track record in senior People & Culture leadership within luxury hospitality or high-end service environments.
- Strong background in strategic workforce planning, talent acquisition, and organisational development.
- Experience managing multi-cultural teams and navigating diverse labour markets.
- Demonstrated success in employee engagement, retention strategies, and culture transformation.
- Solid understanding of hospitality operations and how People & Culture impacts guest experience.
- Expertise in People & Culture governance, compliance, and employment law across relevant jurisdictions.
- Hands-on experience with change management, including restructures and organisational effectiveness projects.
- Proven ability to lead learning & development programs tailored to luxury service standards.
- Strong financial acumen for budgeting, labour cost control, and People analytics.
Our commitment to you:
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Learning & Development. Your success is our success. We craft unique learning and development programmes for various stages in your career so that you grow, continuously.
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MOstay. When you work as hard as our colleagues do, it’s important to take time off. As a member of the #MOfamily, you can stay with us wherever you go in the world. The MOstay programme offers complimentary nights and additionally attractive rates on rooms for you and your loved ones.
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Heath & Colleague Wellness. Finding the right work-life balance is important. Your wellbeing matters to us. A variety of health benefits and wellness programmes are offered to all our colleagues, globally.
We’re Fans. Are you?
