Senior HR Officer

Reporting to the Financial Controller, the Senior HR Officer is a key contributor to the success of the Culinary Institute of Jamaica by utilising their HR expertise and business acumen to manage the full employee lifecycle and build the people practices, culture, and structure needed to support the company's growth in the culinary, catering, and culinary education industry.

Accountabilities

Strategic HR & Business Partnership

• Act as the primary HR point of contact for the business, advising on people-related decisions, risk, and opportunities.
  
• Translate company vision and culture into HR policies, practices, and day-to-day decisions.
  
• Identify gaps in current HR practices and proactively design and implement solutions, including policies, handbooks, and workflows.
  
• Serve as a trusted bridge between frontline, teaching, and kitchen staff and ownership, surfacing concerns upward and communicating decisions downward with clarity and tact.
  

Recruitment & Onboarding

• Manage full-cycle recruitment for culinary, teaching, and administrative roles, including job postings, screening, interviewing, and offer management.
  
• Design and continuously improve onboarding so new hires, including instructors and culinary staff, are set up for success quickly.
  

Employee Relations & Culture

• Handle employee relations matters independently, including conflict resolution, performance concerns, and disciplinary processes, escalating only when genuinely necessary.
  
• Champion a positive, professional workplace culture consistent with a hospitality and education environment.
  
• Conduct or oversee performance review cycles and support managers and instructors in giving effective feedback.
  

Compliance & Administration

• Ensure HR policies and employment practices comply with relevant Jamaican employment legislation and support the monitoring of employee certifications or other workforce-related regulatory requirements where applicable.
  
• Own HR documentation, including contracts, personnel files, handbooks, and policy updates.
  
• Coordinate payroll-related HR inputs, benefits administration, and leave management.
  
• Maintain a sound working knowledge of statutory deductions, payroll legislation, and employment-related taxation to accurately respond to employee queries and liaise effectively with Finance on payroll matters.
  
• Monitor workforce scheduling, attendance, and overtime patterns to support efficient staffing levels and provide management with insights to optimize labour utilization while maintaining operational requirements.
  

HR Systems & Reporting

• Maintain HR records and introduce or improve HR systems and tools appropriate for a growing SME.
  
• Provide ownership with regular reporting and insight on headcount, turnover, hiring pipeline, and employee relations trends.
  

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related field (Master's degree a plus).
  
• A minimum of 3 years' experience in a generalist or HR officer role, preferably within hospitality, food service, or another fast-paced, people-heavy  environment.
  

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Working knowledge of Jamaican employment legislation, statutory deductions (including PAYE, NIS, NHT, and Education Tax) and payroll administration.
  
• Solid working knowledge of core HR functions: recruitment, employee relations, performance management, and employment law fundamentals.
  
• Familiarity with performance management frameworks and tools, and the ability to run a fair, consistent review cycle.
  

Why Join Us

• Real ownership of the HR function from day one; your fingerprints will be on how this company grows.
  
• Direct access to ownership and a real seat at the table for business decisions.
  
• The opportunity to build, not just administer, HR practices in a values-driven, mission-led company.
  
• A dynamic, people-centred industry where the work is tangible, and the impact is visible.