El Capitan Hotel

EL CAPITAN HOTEL is hiring for a HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
A luxurious translation of a road trip pit stop, El Capitan Hotel is a boutique hotel in downtown Merced, California. On the road to Yosemite, the hotel features 114 guest rooms, a historic theater, and four distinct dining experiences, all reflective of the surrounding Central Valley community.
JOB OVERVIEW
People are at the heart of everything we do, and the Human Resources Manager plays a key role in creating an exceptional employee experience at El Capitan Hotel. As the on-property People partner, you'll work closely with leaders and team members to support hiring, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, compliance, and team development. You'll balance day-to-day HR operations with strategic partnership, helping leaders build engaged, high-performing teams while fostering a culture rooted in hospitality, accountability, and care.
What you'll do:

• Serve as the primary People partner for El Capitan Hotel, supporting leaders and team members through every stage of the employee lifecycle.
• Partner with managers on hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance management, employee relations, and team development.
• Lead investigations, provide guidance on corrective action, and ensure company policies are applied consistently and fairly.
• Support payroll, benefits, leave administration, workers' compensation, and HRIS administration with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Facilitate new hire orientation and help deliver training that equips leaders and team members for success.
• Ensure employee records, I-9s, performance reviews, and HR documentation remain accurate, compliant, and up to date.
• Partner with leaders to support staffing plans, recruiting efforts, and workforce planning.
• Build relationships with local schools, organizations, and community partners to strengthen recruiting and talent pipelines.
• Help create meaningful employee engagement initiatives, recognition programs, and team events.
• Collaborate with the Corporate People Team to implement company initiatives and continuously improve the employee experience.
• Foster a culture of trust, accountability, open communication, and hospitality across the property.

Who you are:

• You have 3+ years of Human Resources experience, preferably in hospitality, hotels, or restaurants.
• You're a trusted partner who builds strong relationships and communicates with empathy, professionalism, and confidence.
• You know how to coach leaders, navigate employee relations matters, and have difficult conversations with fairness and integrity.
• You're highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• You understand employment law, HR compliance, payroll, benefits, and leave administration.
• You take ownership, solve problems proactively, and look for ways to improve processes and the employee experience.
• You believe great hospitality starts with taking care of people.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish is a plus.

BENEFITS
We are proud to offer competitive wages and the following benefits for full-time employees:

• Up to 3 weeks paid time off annually
• Paid Sick time
• 50% off discount at most New Waterloo restaurants
• Health, vision + dental benefits
• 401K plans
• Paid holidays
• Volunteer pay
• Referral bonuses
• Discounts at our shops, hotels + local partnerships

ABOUT NEW WATERLOO
New Waterloo is a community-centric independent hospitality company based in Austin, Texas. We use our platform to intentionally empower and get behind the choices of our people and communities - creating environments that sustain lasting social impact. Our team of hospitality experts provides the resources, talent, passion, and collaboration necessary to foster thoughtful places and thriving businesses.
New Waterloo is an equal-opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
We will be accepting applications on an ongoing basis until a candidate is selected for this role.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.
For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.