HR Director, Nine Orchard

About Nine Orchard

Nine Orchard is a luxury boutique hotel in the Lower East Side, housed in the landmarked Jarmulowsky Bank Building. The property includes a small number of rooms relative to its outsized presence in the New York hospitality scene, with a notable F&B program (Corner Bar, Swan Room) that pulls equally from guests and neighborhood regulars. Nine Orchard is design-forward, service-driven, and operates with the intimacy of a small property and the rigor of a top-tier hotel.

About the role

This is a hands-on HR Director role at a boutique hotel. You will lead the HR function on property and build the team around it. You will have the opportunity to hire an HR Coordinator to support recruiting, onboarding, and day-to-day administration. You will also partner with MML Hospitality corporate HR for support on benefits, compliance, and systems.

Nine Orchard operates under a Hotel Trades Council collective bargaining agreement, so this role requires fluency in union contract administration, grievance handling, scheduling rules, and labor relations.

In return, you will lead HR for one of New York’s most respected boutique hotels, work alongside an experienced GM and ownership team, and own the function from day one.

What you will own

•  Full-cycle HR for the property: recruiting, onboarding, performance, employee relations, offboarding

•  Labor relations, including day-to-day partnership with the Hotel Trades Council, grievance handling, and CBA administration

•  Compensation strategy and benefits administration in coordination with MML Hospitality corporate HR

•  New York and federal employment law compliance, with particular depth in NYC-specific requirements

•  Training and development programs across FOH, BOH, housekeeping, and engineering

•  Culture, engagement, and team experience

•  Hiring and developing an HR Coordinator to support the function

•  Partnership with the GM on org structure, headcount planning, and operational HR strategy

What we are looking for

Non-negotiables:

•  Union experience. You have run HR or labor relations in a unionized environment. Hotel Trades Council experience is strongly preferred; comparable hospitality or service union experience will be considered.

•  Boutique hotel experience. You have worked in HR at a boutique or independent hotel where you owned the function directly, not under the full corporate scaffolding of a flagged brand.

•  At least 7 to 10 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3 years at the manager or director level.

•  Strong New York employment law foundation. NYC-specific compliance (Fair Workweek, pay transparency, paid safe and sick leave, salary history ban, etc.) is part of the daily job.

What we offer

•  $140,000 to $160,000 base salary

•  Performance bonus eligibility

•  Comprehensive benefits 

•  Paid time off 

•  A small, senior leadership team 

•  The opportunity to hire and develop an HR Coordinator to support the function

•  Direct partnership with MML Hospitality corporate HR for support, with full ownership of the property HR function

How to apply

Please send a resume and a brief note of interest to [email protected] with subject line “HR Director, Nine Orchard.” If you have HTC experience specifically, please flag that in your note so we can route appropriately.

Nine Orchard and MML Hospitality are equal opportunity employers.