People Partner – Big Mamma US

Location: Southern Florida (Greater Palm Beach Area)

Reports To: COO US & CFO US

When Big Mamma set out to reimagine Italian dining, we had a simple, audacious dream: build places where hospitality is heartfelt, the food is wildly abundant, and the room crackles with energy before you even sit down.

Now, we’re bringing that passion to the US. We are landing in Southern Florida with big ambition, genuine humility, and an eager appetite to learn from the incredible local talent around us. Together, Carmine’s & Big Mamma Group are launching an exciting expansion strategy across the United States, combining Carmine’s deep market knowledge with Big Mamma’s globally recognized restaurant concepts and distinctive brand identity.

Carmine’s Gourmet Market offers butcher meats, seafood, produce, baked goods, delicatessen items, imported cheeses, wine, specialty groceries and prepared meals. Carmine’s La Trattoria is an authentic Italian restaurant that operates alongside the market and serves incredible dishes in a waterfront dining room.

This partnership marks the beginning of a long-term development project aimed at creating landmark hospitality destinations and delivering unforgettable guest experiences throughout Southern Florida.

Why this role matters:

As our first dedicated People Partner on the ground, you will champion our people-first culture, protect our team through pristine compliance, and shape the end-to-end employee experience as we write our next chapter in the US. You won’t just be keeping the HR machinery running, you will be the key player on all things HR during our American launch.

Your Impact & Ownership

1. Operational HR & US Data Compliance

• Data Integrity & Confidentiality: Maintain audit-ready, secure employee records in our HRIS, upholding strict US data privacy standards and personnel confidentiality.

• Workforce Authorization: Lead the Right to Work (Form I-9/E-Verify) process with total precision, conducting regular audits to guarantee valid work authorization across all restaurant teams.

• Lifecycle Documentation: Drive seamless documentation management, issuing offer letters, employment agreements, probation notices, and variations to terms and conditions.

• Onboarding & Offboarding Mechanics: Guarantee Day 1 readiness for every new joiner with timely access and paperwork. Process leavers with accuracy, managing final pay calculations, accrued PTO/holiday balances, and final separation documentation.

• Payroll Alignment: Track payroll adjustments, leave updates, and status changes, delivering precise data to the Payroll team within established deadlines.

2. Employee Relations & Manager Coaching

• ER Case Management: Partner with restaurant managers to navigate employee relations with fairness and care. Take lead notes during investigations and hearings, draft formal correspondence, and maintain immaculate case records.

• Absence & Return-to-Work: Guide managers through sickness absence, unauthorized leave, and return-to-work protocols to keep operations balanced and supported.

• Escalations: Identify complex or sensitive employment law matters early, escalating them to the Operations Director US to protect both our people and our business.

• Employment Law Compliance: Ensure every operational HR action strictly aligns with company policies, Florida state labor regulations, and federal employment laws.

3. Employee Experience & Culture Engagement

• Performance Checkpoints: Oversee the probation review workflow, gathering actionable feedback from managers and issuing appropriate milestone documentation.

• Exit Intelligence: Conduct thorough exit interviews with departing team members, translating feedback into meaningful insights for Senior Leadership.

• Listening Channels: Facilitate monthly staff round tables to capture real-time team sentiment and champion local engagement initiatives.

• Engagement Benchmarking: Drive the execution of our annual engagement survey, handling distribution, data collection, and action-plan administration.

4. Talent Acquisition & New Opening Operations

• Recruitment Coordination: Support the Talent Acquisition team through active growth phases by coordinating interview schedules and delivering a warm candidate experience.

• New Restaurant Opening Launchpad: Execute onboarding logistics and HR administrative readiness for upcoming restaurant openings in Florida.

5. Culture Carrier & Collaborative Leadership

• Strategic Communication: Maintain proactive, transparent alignment with the Operations Director US and CFO US.

• Cross-Functional Synergy: Work seamlessly with Payroll & HR Admin and Talent Acquisition partners to deliver a unified HR service.

• Brand Ambassadorship: Act as a vibrant culture carrier for Big Mamma and partner values (including Carmine's and Ballyhoo Hospitality) across all restaurant locations.

• Integrity First: Lead with unwavering ethics, discretion, and confidentiality across every touchpoint.

What You Bring to the Table

• Experience: 5+ years of progressive HR/People experience in multi-unit operations. Backgrounds in high-volume hospitality, restaurant groups, retail, or fast-paced corporate HR environments are all welcome, operational chops and labor law fluency matter most.

• US Labor & Compliance Knowledge: Demonstrated expertise in US employment law, Form I-9 audits, payroll tracking, and workforce record-keeping.

• Communication & Diplomacy: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to partner constructively with diverse operational leaders and restaurant teams.

• Technical Proficiency: Fluent in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and comfortable managing HRIS platforms.

• Legal Work Authorization: Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Currently based or willing to independently relocate to Palm Beach area.

Big Mamma Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Ready to help us build our American dream? Let’s change lives—one table at a time.