HR Director (Pre-Opening)

Salary Details

Salary Description: Competetive Salary Offered

Job Description For HR Director (Pre-Opening)

Description

Let's Go Lisbon!

View & Apply for this position via Standard Hotels Careers

Opening in 2026, The Standard, Lisbon marks our long-anticipated arrival in one of Europe's most happening cities. Located at Palácio Santa Clara, the hotel rises above the colourful alleyways of Alfama-Lisbon's most picturesque neighbourhood-offering front-row views of the river. Built atop the ancient College of St. Francis Xavier, which served as the Portuguese Royal Navy Hospital for over 200 years, the property is being reimagined by acclaimed architect Samuel Torres de Carvalho. His design respects the building's heritage while looking ahead to a bold, unconventional Lisbon.

Anchored in food, music, art, and culture, The Standard, Lisbon brings our signature design and experience-driven philosophy to Portugal. With 165 guestrooms and 24 adjacent apartments, the expansive property features vibrant spaces for day- and nightlife programming. The ground floor welcomes guests and locals with a lobby lounge, pharmacy bar, all-day dining restaurant, and multiple terraces, gardens, and a pool deck. Upstairs includes a café, spa, gym, and event spaces. The rooftop bar and terrace are poised to become a neighbourhood destination.

Our signature blend of playful, sophisticated, and unexpected hospitality finds resonance in the cultural heart of Lisbon. Set in Fado's holy land-a maze of staircases, patios, and hidden corners-The Standard offers a dynamic contrast that will surprise and delight.

As we enter the pre-opening phase, we're now looking for a HR Director who will embody our 'Anything but Standard' ethos.

Your role

As our HR Director, you will work in partnership with our General Manager, Senior Executive team and Corporate HR teams to oversee the HR function of our new property in Lisbon. As part of our senior pre-opening team, you will oversee a number of important HR projects on our critical path during pre-opening period, to ensure that recruitment of the team runs to schedule, pre-opening budgets are managed, HR systems and procedures are in place and the property is successfully launched.

As a HR Director at The Standard, Lisbon, you will work as part of a wider HR team and supported by a HR Coordinator and the HR Director, Lifestyle EAME to provide a generalist HR and L&D service to over 180 employees once the hotel is fully operational.

The primary focus of the HR team is to partner with our department managers and provide support, coaching and guidance across a range of HR areas to facilitate the effective people management of their teams. There are of course several areas where you will be more actively involved in operational HR activities including the provision of a full end to end pre-opening recruitment service for the hotel; more specifically the development of employee attraction strategies in order to secure top quality candidates, conducting interviews for senior positions, contracting and onboarding. You'll also lead the onboarding and pre-opening orientation of all new employees in the lead up to the opening of the hotel.

The HR team also manage a number of people systems across the hotel, including our payroll and you will be responsible for managing the entire administration cycle for our monthly payroll. You will also manage ER issues providing advice and guidance to line managers, whilst maintaining an unbiased yet pragmatic business approach to ensure we maintain legal integrity. There will of course be many other aspects to your role including various HR and Recruitment projects that you will have the opportunity to manage, both within the hotel and wider HR projects in collaboration with other HR teams as we grow the Standard brand worldwide.

You will look towards the longer-term development and engagement of our employees to continually inspire them and deliver a truly bespoke HR service experience, that is anything but Standard! You will need to be highly social, upbeat and friendly; confident and can handle pressure well; thrive in a high-volume, high-energy environment and can manage both employees and senior managers with ease.

Qualifications
Do you have what it takes to be our HR Director at The Standard, Lisbon?

A minimum of 3+ years' experience as aHR Director, ManagerorHead of HRgained within a similar Lifestyle Hotel or large 4- or 5-star Hotel in Lisbon or Portugal is essential for this role

In addition to this you will also need....

• A confident and proactive self-starter ideally with strong project management skills (including system implementation and setting up of HR functions)
• Pre-opening hotel experience is an advantage
• A solid understanding of Portuguese employment law, and industry CBAs (Convenção Colectiva de Trabalho do setor da Hotelaria e Turismo)
• Be well versed in Portuguese payroll requirements including taxation, social security, benefits, and insurance
• Have previous experience of creating staffing and payroll budgets
• Have experience across a range of HR and L&D disciplines
• Be able to act with integrity, professionalism, and positivity in all employee interactions
• Hold relevant HR qualifications at an equivalent of bachelor's degree
• Exceptional Administration and IT skills
• Fluency in Portuguese in addition to English is essential for this role
• During our preopening period you may need to have a flexible approach to working hours