Talent Acquisition Specialist

RDG Overview:

RDG introduces its first restaurant-concept brand, MILA, which offers guests a culinary journey through exquisite MediterrAsian cuisine, opened in January 2020 in Miami Beach. Combining genuine hospitality, fine dining, and a sophisticated nightlife atmosphere, MILA has quickly become a premier destination within Miami's upscale social scene.

At RDG, we are a collective of individuals dedicated to excellence and the art of sensory engagement. We embrace the rhythms of life and are motivated by the thrill of adventure. Our core principles focus on providing customers with immersive experiences, organic design, and a refined culinary journey.

DREAM IT
MILA has exceeded expectations in its initial two years, achieving remarkable success despite pandemic-related challenges, and securing the #5 spot in The Restaurant Business Top 100 ranking. Building on this success, RDG has expanded into new concepts including AVA MediterrAegean in Winter Park, Florida, CASA NEOS on the Miami River (opened June 2024), and MM, a Membership Community. Upcoming projects include NOORA and Claudie (scheduled for fall 2024), AVA’s second location in Coconut Grove (2025), and HONŌ Japanese Steakhouse (2026).

BUILD IT
RDG's distinguished brand portfolio and exclusive membership program aim to create a network of venues and experiences that offer a unique lifestyle to guests and members in Florida. Our goal is to establish RDG as a leader in the luxury restaurant industry in the United States.

GROW IT
RDG has demonstrated rapid growth and is poised for significant economic expansion globally. We are actively exploring national markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, and international markets including Paris, London, Dubai, and Mexico City for potential expansion opportunities.

Summary:

As the Talent Acquisition (Hourly Employees) Specialist you will assist the Chief People Officer with the development and execution of RDG’s hiring strategy for hourly employees to meet our short- and long-term business needs. The ideal candidate will have a passion for attracting and hiring diverse talent and for building a Talent Acquisition program with purpose – creating an opportunity for candidates and hiring managers alike to have an exceptional experience throughout the process, regardless of the candidate stage.

In this role, you’ll provide guidance and mentorship to further develop our firm wide talent acquisition capabilities, implement scalable talent acquisition processes that balance efficiency and agility, and leverage data and insights to counsel the practices on their hiring strategies. This role will be responsible for developing strategies that set RDG apart within the industry with a focus on new technologies, social recruiting, sourcing platforms and candidate engagement.

This position reports to the Chief People Officer and partners with senior leadership while supervising a talent acquisition recruiter to fulfill the hiring goals across all of RDG’s hourly food and beverage practice areas. We are seeking a highly energetic, self-starter with a minimum of 6+ years of progressive Talent Acquisition management experience in a luxury restaurant, hotel or hospitality setting.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage and develops an Immigration Specialist and Recruiter to help execute the recruitment process flawlessly.
• Enhance RDG’s employment brand, from content of job creation, and advertising.
• Extensive experience in recruiting diverse candidates and utilizing diversity hiring platforms.
• Develop and monitor recruiting metrics that demonstrate ROI including time to fill, cost per hire, diversity, retention, etc.
• Knowledge of market survey reports, and ability to allocate compensation based on geographical data/area.
• Oversight of Immigration process which is not limited to J1 visa program and ancillary visas (O, H, E etc)
• Work with International J1 immigration agencies to ensure we are receiving top notch talent.
• Ability to produce hiring metric repots monthly that align with our hiring philosophy.
• Drive an hourly talent recruiting and workforce strategy for all functions from Interns to junior management level.
• Design and execute recruiting strategies to attract, evaluate and hire qualified candidates.
• Promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace and ensure recruiting strategies and programs attract diverse candidates.
• Responsible for reviewing invoices, vendor contracts and department bills timely and efficiently.
• Maintain talent pipelines by engaging with candidates and past applicants for future staffing needs
• Define and drive monthly talent metrics that inspire performance while helping business leaders to make informed decisions.
• Drive the orchestration of hourly recruitment events to establish a strong employer brand
• Lead hourly hiring and workforce planning process across all food & beverage functions for cuspace for future openings (set up, banners, advertisements,
• Allocate one day per week to identify passive candidates and source proactively.
• Expertise in Talent Acquisition best practices and innovation with the ability to help build sustainable long-term strategies.
• Ability to fully articulate a world class hourly workforce planning model to align with RDG’s hiring vision
• Oversee and improve the candidate experience to be superior and unmatched
• Lead the development and implementation of Talent Acquisition systems and processes through the use of the ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

Requirements/Qualifications:

• 8+ years of innovative, senior level, full-life cycle Talent Acquisition (TA) management experience in a luxury restaurant, hotel, or food and beverage service environment, to include comprehensive knowledge around experienced and campus level recruitment.
• Recruitment experience with all roles within in Food & Beverage (front of house), culinary operations, marketing, finance, IT, HR, etc.
• Extensive diversity, equity, and inclusion recruitment experience is paramount to the role.
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration or related field of study or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience is required.
• Knowledge of immigration process, visa durations, fees and application requirements.
• Professional Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR), or other relevant industry certification such as SHRM is desired.
• Experience working with C-level executives, Partners and senior leadership to fulfill hiring goals
• Applicable knowledge of the current talent landscape, crucial fill roles and recruiting strategies (workforce planning) is essential.
• Possess exceptional influencing skills to establish credibility and trust with internal customers and build influential relationships
• Demonstrated successful use of recruiting metrics and reporting standards to drive decision-making in the business.
• Knowledge of various recruiting technologies such as ADP to automate and scale processes
• Strong development, execution, and implementation of TA programs and support models
• You are an excellent connector who collaborates, problem solves and can help celebrate wins while learning from mistakes

Other Skills and Knowledge:

• Superior verbal and written communication skills (Bilingual is a plus in Spanish)
• Must operate with a high degree of confidentiality and trust.
• Must have solid business acumen; problem solving skills, and exhibit high emotional intelligence, influence and strategic thinking skills.
• Strong leadership skills with ability to influence behavior and outcomes
• Proven organizational and follow-up skills, comfortable initiating and responding to high volume of phone calls and emails
• Adept at working in demanding, deadline-driven environment with a task-driven focus
• Accustomed to serving as a Change Agent - highly adaptable, dependable with an entrepreneurial spirit
• Commitment to a heightened sense of urgency associated with the talent acquisition processes
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to successfully troubleshoot and resolve unexpected roadblocks, barriers and inquiries from internal and external clients
• Must have high energy and ability to influence at all levels
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, work with change, and travel for pre-opening requirements.

Physical Demands And Work Environment:

• General office assignments-(typing), which lends itself to repetitive motion.
• Sitting in a stationary position for several hours within the day.