Director, Field Human Resources

Church’s Texas Chicken

Employee Job Description

Job Title: Director, Field Human Resources

Reports To: EVP, Chief People and Legal Officer

Department: Human Resources

Location: Restaurant Support Center (RSC) – Atlanta, GA (or Field/Hybrid, as applicable)

FLSA Status: Exempt

Revised: November 2026

Job Summary:

The Director, Field Human Resources serves as a strategic HR business partner and functional leader for restaurant operations, developing strong relationships and working proactively with Operations Leadership (Zone Directors, Market Leaders, Restaurant General Managers, and restaurant team members) across all human resources matters. Reporting to the EVP, Chief People and Legal Officer, this individual directly leads and develops a team consisting of a Senior Manager, Field HR and a Manager, Talent Acquisition, ensuring cohesive execution across field employee relations and high-volume/management talent acquisition.

This role is responsible for setting the field people strategy and ensuring sound, compliant HR practices exist across talent sourcing, recruiting, selection, staffing, succession planning, onboarding, training, leadership development, employee relations, performance management, and personnel compliance. In partnership with the Corporate HR team, the Director ensures all field HR programs are fair, consistent, aligned with Church’s Texas Chicken policies, and compliant with federal, state, and local employment laws.

Key Duties/Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership & Functional Oversight: Directly manage, coach, and develop the Senior Manager, Field HR and Manager, Talent Acquisition to drive accountability, service excellence, and alignment with company-wide people goals.
• Strategic Business Partnership: Partner with Operations leadership to diagnose organizational needs, improve restaurant-level retention, strengthen bench strength, and align people strategies with operational and financial objectives.
• Talent Acquisition Strategy: Oversee the Manager, Talent Acquisition in designing and executing scalable recruitment strategies to fill restaurant management, Market Leader, and hourly restaurant openings, ensuring consistent screening, background check, and hiring standards.
• Employee Relations & Compliance: Guide the Senior Manager, Field HR and field operations leaders on complex employee relations matters, workplace investigations, conflict resolution, and corrective action processes to maintain a positive, fair, and legally compliant work environment.
• Onboarding & Personnel Administration: Ensure standardized, engaging onboarding and orientation programs are executed across all markets, and oversee compliance with employment documentation, file retention, and HRIS data integrity.
• Talent Management & Succession Planning: Lead field-level performance management cycles, talent reviews, and succession planning initiatives to build a strong internal pipeline for Restaurant General Manager and Market Leader roles.
• HR Metrics & Reporting: Track, analyze, and present key field HR metrics—including turnover, retention, time-to-fill, and employee relations trends—to executive leadership to inform proactive decision-making.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Collaborate closely with Corporate HR, Legal, Training, Risk, and Operations teams to roll out company-wide initiatives, policy updates, and compliance training across the field.

Position Requirements (Education, Qualifications, Experience):

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10+ years of progressive human resources experience, including 3+ years in a multi-unit, retail, hospitality, or quick-service restaurant (QSR) environment.
• Proven experience managing and developing HR and/or Talent Acquisition professionals.
• Deep expertise in employee relations, workplace investigations, talent acquisition, and federal, state, and local employment/labor laws.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and advise senior operations leaders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and HRIS/ATS platforms (e.g., Workday).

Preferred:

               • SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP, SPHR, or PHR certification.

               • Experience supporting both corporate-owned and franchise restaurant environments.

Competencies:

• Critical Thinking –Defines and resolves a situation or problem by analyzing issues involved, weighing options, and evaluating alternatives; maintains objective attitude; approaches situations and problems systematically; uses observation, experience, reflection, and/or reasoning to drive business forward.
• Influencing Others –Convinces and persuades others in either positive or negative circumstances to accomplish goals and objectives; responds to objections successfully; uses tact when expressing ideas or opinions.
• Initiative –Acts proactively; addresses issues or opportunities without supervision; focuses on desired results and accomplishments; demonstrates clear purpose, enthusiasm, and a “can-do” attitude.
• Innovative and Creative –Looks for ways to improve oneself, the job, the project, the system, and the organization; challenges conventional practices, generates new ideas to create novel solutions to problems.
• Managing Execution –Manages multiple projects and effectively prioritizes tasks and goals; uses goals to guide actions and create detailed action plans; organizes and schedules people and tasks; utilizes resources effectively to meet goals.
• Negotiating –Presents issues or ideas in a clear and influential manner; maintains an open-minded and non-judgmental attitude; listens to others’ views and empathizes.
• Relationship Management –Initiates and develops relationships with others; demonstrates credibility; confronts conflict quickly and professionally; inspires confidence in others.

Physical Requirements:

Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Travel: Up to 25–40% travel required for restaurant visits, market tours, investigations, and recruiting events.

1. If you’re hungry for a career that’s fun, fast-paced and loaded with opportunity, then you’ve come to the right place. At Church's®, we’re not your typical quick service restaurant. We make real comfort food that makes a difference in peoples’ lives. And for over 60 years, our restaurant has been a place where hard-working people can get ahead and go on to do amazing things by serving others.

2. Church’s Chicken is an equal employment opportunity employer and makes hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.