Director of Talent Acquisition

OVERVIEW

Citarella is one of the most iconic premium food retailers in the United States, built on more than a century of culinary heritage and an uncompromising commitment to quality. Established in New York City in 1912 as a neighborhood seafood shop, the company has evolved into a family-run gourmet market destination known for “fresh from the source” standards, deep product expertise, and a hospitality-forward customer experience.

Today, Citarella operates specialty markets across New York City, the Hamptons, and Greenwich, Connecticut. The brand is widely recognized for extraordinary seafood and a best-in-class assortment of prime dry-aged meats, chef-prepared foods, scratch-made pastries, artisanal cheeses, cured meats, smoked fish, and a curated lineup of private-label products. Its reputation rests on craftsmanship, pride, operational discipline, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Citarella’s next chapter requires scaling this high-standard, founder-driven business into a durable, professionally managed enterprise capable of sustained growth across markets and channels—while preserving the quality, culture, and customer intimacy that define the brand.

Role Summary:

Citarella is seeking a highly driven and operationally focused Director of Talent Acquisition to lead and rebuild our in-house recruiting function. This role will oversee a team of two recruiters while remaining deeply hands-on in full-cycle recruitment, with a strong focus on senior-level hiring across retail, corporate, and commissary operations.

This leader will be responsible for transforming Talent Acquisition into a scalable, data-driven, and service-oriented function that supports high-volume hiring while elevating quality of hire, speed, and candidate experience.

Key Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition Leadership & Strategy

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of 2 recruiters; set clear performance expectations and accountability standards
• Rebuild and standardize recruiting processes across all business units (retail stores, DC/commissary, corporate)
• Partner with the Head of People and senior leadership on workforce planning and hiring strategy
• Establish a high-performance recruiting culture grounded in ownership, urgency, and results

Full-Cycle Recruiting (Hands-On)

• Personally lead recruitment for senior-level and hard-to-fill roles (Department Managers, Store Leadership, Corporate functions)
• Oversee full-cycle recruitment across all roles: sourcing, screening, interviewing, offer, and onboarding alignment
• Ensure consistency and quality in hiring decisions across all locations

High-Volume Recruiting Optimization

• Design and implement scalable hiring strategies for high-volume retail roles
• Improve time-to-fill, candidate flow, and offer acceptance rates
• Build structured pipelines for recurring roles (perishables, front-end, operations)

Recruiting Operations & Analytics

• Implement and optimize ATS and recruiting workflows
• Build and track core KPIs:
• Time-to-fill
• Offer acceptance rate
• Source effectiveness
• 30/60/90-day retention
• Cost-per-hire
• Use data to drive decision-making and continuous improvement

Employer Branding & Sourcing Strategy

• Strengthening Citarella’s employer brand in a competitive labor market
• Develop multi-channel sourcing strategies (Indeed, referrals, local outreach, culinary networks)
• Partner with operations to position Citarella as an employer of choice in premium food retail and hospitality

Stakeholder Management

• Partner closely with Store Managers, Department Leaders, and admin teams
• Act as a trusted advisor on hiring decisions, talent quality, and market conditions
• Drive hiring manager accountability and consistency in the interview process

Success Metrics (First 6–12 Months)

• Reduce time-to-fill across key roles
• Improve offer acceptance rate and candidate experience
• Establish consistent hiring processes across all locations
• Increase 90-day retention for new hires
• Build strong pipelines for critical and recurring roles

Qualifications

• 5–10+ years of Talent Acquisition experience, including high-volume recruiting environments
• Experience hiring across multiple levels (hourly to leadership)
• Prior experience leading or mentoring recruiters
• Strong operational mindset with ability to build processes from the ground up
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment

Preferred

• Experience in retail, hospitality, food service, or multi-unit operations
• Familiarity with ATS platforms (ADP, Dayforce or similar)
• Experience improving recruiting KPIs and scaling hiring functions

Compensation

• $110,000 – $150,000 base salary (level dependent on experience)
• Bonus and incentive opportunities tied to recruiting performance and hiring outcomes

Why This Role Matters

This is not a maintenance role—this is a build and transform opportunity. The right candidate will have the ability to influence and redefine how Citarella attracts and hires talent, directly impacting store performance, guest experience, and long-term growth.