Talent Acquisition Manager – F&B Operations

About This Role

Driven by a passion for creating unique home-grown food concepts, Independent Food Company is a UAE-based hospitality group behind the region's most beloved brands - SALT, Parker's, Somewhere, Public, Kumo, and Shalwa. Each concept is a testament to our commitment to innovative experiences, community connection, and high standards of service.

We are currently seeking a Talent Acquisition Manager – F&B Operations to join our office in Dubai.

This role will lead the end-to-end talent acquisition function for F&B operations across all brands and locations, ensuring the organization attracts, hires, and retains high-caliber talent across frontline, operational, and leadership roles. The position blends strategic workforce planning, innovative recruitment methodologies, and specialized culinary talent sourcing to support ongoing operations, new openings, and expansion initiatives.

Working closely with Operations, Culinary, and HR teams, the role ensures workforce readiness, seamless onboarding, and an outstanding candidate experience, while maintaining alignment with brand standards and building a diverse, high-performing workforce.

This role reports to the Head of Talent Acquisition and manages a team of three specialists: two Talent Acquisition Specialists and one Onboarding Specialist.

Job Responsibilities End-to-End Recruitment

• Oversee and run the complete recruitment life-cycle for F&B roles across all brands and multiple locations
• Manage hiring for all F&B positions, including frontline, supervisory, managerial, and leadership positions
• Ensure all hires are in-line with brand identity and meet the brand hiring criteria
• Maintain a diverse nationality mix in stores
• Ensure timely closure of all roles while maintaining the quality of hire

Manpower Planning

• Partner with operations and business teams to forecast manpower requirements across all levels
• Create and maintain workforce plans for ongoing operations, new openings, and seasonal demands
• Ensure alignment of recruitment pipelines with projected staffing needs
• Track attrition trends and proactively plan replacements to avoid operational gaps
• Support succession planning and career path mapping for critical operational and culinary roles

Innovation and Candidate Experience

• Develop and implement innovative recruitment methods, including open days events with enhanced candidate experience
• Design and execute structured assessment days for operation and culinary roles
• Improve candidate journey from sourcing to onboarding
• Partner with operations teams to create engaging and realistic job previews during hiring events

Hiring for New Openings & Expansion

• Plan and manage recruitment for new openings, expansion, and seasonal events
• Plan hiring efficiently, covering all recruitment needs with appropriate time considered for onboarding and training
• Coordinate with onboarding, L&D, and operations teams to ensure manpower readiness at launch.

Culinary Talent Hiring

• Lead head-hunting for critical and niche culinary positions
• Build and maintain strong networks within the culinary community
• Partner closely with culinary leadership to understand skill gaps, concept requirements, and succession planning
• Conduct market mapping and discreet searches for senior and specialist culinary talent

Overseas & International Hires

• Plan and manage overseas recruitment for F&B talent as per business plan
• Coordinate with international recruitment agencies and government entities
• Ensure compliance with visa, labor, and regulatory requirements
• Manage end-to-end overseas hiring
• Proven track record of mass-hiring in F&B or hospitality.
• Run hiring campaigns. Attend mass-hiring events in F&B in the UAE or overseas

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Hospitality Management, or related field
• 5-7 years of progressive recruitment experience within hospitality and F&B, and high-volume recruitment campaigns
• Demonstrated success in culinary and senior leadership hiring, combined with exceptional stakeholder experience
• Strong preference to candidates who have experience in supporting multi-location or international hospitality operations