Director of Talent Acquisition
7 days ago
New York
Job Description OVERVIEW Citarella is one of the most iconic premium food retailers in the United States, built on more than a century of culinary heritage and an uncompromising commitment to quality. Established in New York City in 1912 as a neighborhood seafood shop, the company has evolved into a family-run gourmet market destination known for “fresh from the source” standards, deep product expertise, and a hospitality-forward customer experience. Today, Citarella operates specialty markets across New York City, the Hamptons, and Greenwich, Connecticut. The brand is widely recognized for extraordinary seafood and a best-in-class assortment of prime dry-aged meats, chef-prepared foods, scratch-made pastries, artisanal cheeses, cured meats, smoked fish, and a curated lineup of private-label products. Its reputation rests on craftsmanship, pride, operational discipline, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Citarella’s next chapter requires scaling this high-standard, founder-driven business into a durable, professionally managed enterprise capable of sustained growth across markets and channels—while preserving the quality, culture, and customer intimacy that define the brand. Role Summary: Citarella is seeking a highly driven and operationally focused Director of Talent Acquisition to lead and rebuild our in-house recruiting function. This role will oversee a team of two recruiters while remaining deeply hands-on in full-cycle recruitment, with a strong focus on senior-level hiring across retail, corporate, and commissary operations. This leader will be responsible for transforming Talent Acquisition into a scalable, data-driven, and service-oriented function that supports high-volume hiring while elevating quality of hire, speed, and candidate experience. Key Responsibilities Talent Acquisition Leadership & Strategy • Lead, coach, and develop a team of 2 recruiters; set clear performance expectations and accountability standards, • Rebuild and standardize recruiting processes across all business units (retail stores, DC/commissary, corporate), • Partner with the Head of People and senior leadership on workforce planning and hiring strategy, • Personally lead recruitment for senior-level and hard-to-fill roles (Department Managers, Store Leadership, Corporate functions), • Oversee full-cycle recruitment across all roles: sourcing, screening, interviewing, offer, and onboarding alignment, • Design and implement scalable hiring strategies for high-volume retail roles, • Improve time-to-fill, candidate flow, and offer acceptance rates, • Implement and optimize ATS and recruiting workflows, • Build and track core KPIs:, • Time-to-fill, • Offer acceptance rate, • Source effectiveness, • 30/60/90-day retention, • Cost-per-hire, • Strengthening Citarella’s employer brand in a competitive labor market, • Develop multi-channel sourcing strategies (Indeed, referrals, local outreach, culinary networks), • Partner closely with Store Managers, Department Leaders, and admin teams, • Act as a trusted advisor on hiring decisions, talent quality, and market conditions, • Drive hiring manager accountability and consistency in the interview process Success Metrics (First 6–12 Months) • Reduce time-to-fill across key roles, • Improve offer acceptance rate and candidate experience, • Establish consistent hiring processes across all locations, • Increase 90-day retention for new hires, • 5–10+ years of Talent Acquisition experience, including high-volume recruiting environments, • Experience hiring across multiple levels (hourly to leadership), • Prior experience leading or mentoring recruiters, • Strong operational mindset with ability to build processes from the ground up, • Proven ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment Preferred • Experience in retail, hospitality, food service, or multi-unit operations, • Familiarity with ATS platforms (ADP, Dayforce or similar), • Experience improving recruiting KPIs and scaling hiring functions Compensation • $110,000 – $140,000 base salary (level dependent on experience), • Bonus and incentive opportunities tied to recruiting performance and hiring outcomes Why This Role Matters This is not a maintenance role—this is a build and transform opportunity. The right candidate will have the ability to influence and redefine how Citarella attracts and hires talent, directly impacting store performance, guest experience, and long-term growth.