People Operations Specialist Jobs in Chicago, IL

Job Description:

ONNI Group is hiring an HR Business Partner to support hospitality operations through strategic, hands-on HR leadership.

The role combines employee lifecycle management, labor relations, compliance, safety, and workforce analytics.

This position is located in Seattle and requires occasional travel across the United States.

Join one of the largest privately owned real estate companies in North America.

For over half a century, we’ve been building communities for people to live, work, and play — spanning real estate development and construction, commercial property ownership and management, hospitality, and a growing presence in venture capital and technology. Our expertise reaches across major North American cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Phoenix, Toronto, and Vancouver. To date, we’ve developed, built, and now own or manage well over 50 million square feet of residential, office, retail, and industrial space — including more than 15,000 homes and 11,200 rental apartments — with another 28 million square feet underway across our markets. Employing thousands of people across North America, Onni continues to diversify beyond our real estate roots, including through Grey Owl, our technology company delivering managed IT, AI-driven security, and smart building solutions to commercial properties across North America.

In 2009, Onni entered the hospitality space with Level Hotels & Furnished Suites, and our portfolio has since grown to various hotels in Vancouver, Chicago, and Seattle, with plans to add and grow more. We’ve also expanded into dining, with restaurant concepts including Capo & The Spritz and Solette in Vancouver and Chicago, Fora in Chicago’s Fulton Market, and Dialtone, our coffee-by-day, wine-by-night concept.

At Onni, you’ll learn from experienced professionals across every part of our business, take on real responsibility early, and have clear room to grow — whether your path is in commercial real estate, hospitality, or the technology and innovation shaping what comes next.

Perks & Benefits:

Onni operates a full-time, work-from-the-office culture — vibrant, dynamic, and fun, with an open floor plan built on our belief in the strength of in-person interaction and collaboration. Employees also enjoy three days a month of work-from-home flexibility, along with an exciting calendar of employee events throughout the year — including quarterly team-building events, sports day, an annual holiday party, and other seasonal celebrations throughout the year, along with regular office events like food trucks and local favorites, and the following perks and benefits:

• Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits package.
• Benefits include health care, including a $0 premium health care plan, dental care, vision care, health savings account, flexible spending account, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, accident insurance, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance, and a 401(k) plan with an employer match.
• Annual education allowance.
• Generous referral program.
• Fun and collaborative company culture with lots of team-building events.
• Free access to a fully equipped gym.
• Friends and Family rates for hospitality brands.

The HRBP is a strategic and hands-on partner to General Managers, Executive Chefs, Directors of Operations and department heads across our hotel, restaurant, and food & beverage operations. This role supports leaders and team members across the full employee lifecycle, including hourly recruitment, onboarding, engagement, performance, development and retention, within a fast-paced, guest-focused, 24/7 environment.

The successful candidate will be an agile HR professional with a strong work ethic and a genuine passion for hospitality, committed to driving property and departmental success through scalable HR practices, data-informed strategies and service-minded leadership that supports both front-of-house and back-of-house teams.

This role also supports labor relations and compliance efforts in their respective region, ensuring consistent and lawful execution of HR policies, collective bargaining agreements, wage and hour requirements, investigations and employee advocacy across a diverse, multi-shift, seasonal and often tipped workforce.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Build a foundation of trust with General Managers, Executive Chefs, Food & Beverage Directors and other operational leaders, providing insight and solutions aligned with guest experience, service standards and business objectives.
• Own the full employee lifecycle in a high-volume, high-turnover hiring environment, from sourcing and onboarding to engagement, retention and offboarding, including seasonal ramp-ups, banquet and event staffing, new outlet openings and pre-opening hiring.
• Support and sustain a culture of hospitality, accountability, performance and trust across front-of-house, back-of-house and support departments.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for employee concerns, performance issues and workplace conflicts, including guest-related complaints, guest or coworker harassment, and conflicts arising from shift-based and high-pressure service environments.
• Lead inquiries with objectivity and a people-first approach; ensure timely and well-documented resolution of issues.
• Partner with operations on labor cost management, including scheduling practices, overtime, meal and rest break compliance, tip pooling and tip credit practices, service charge distribution and productivity metrics.
• Ensure full compliance with federal, state and local laws and union regulations, including wage and hour, minimum wage and tipped wage requirements, minor labor rules, alcohol service (responsible beverage service) certifications and food handler card requirements.
• Maintain accurate records in accordance with legal, compliance and internal audit requirements (e.g., EEO, FMLA, I-9, E-Verify, workers’ compensation and OSHA logs, training and certification tracking).
• Assist with contract preparation, audit and documentation for union negotiations, collective bargaining agreement administration and HR policies, including grievance handling and seniority, bidding and scheduling provisions.
• Partner with Safety and Operations to promote workplace safety and injury prevention in kitchens, banquets, housekeeping and other high-risk areas, and support return-to-work and accommodation processes.
• Input, monitor and analyze HR metrics and trends (such as turnover by department, time-to-fill, labor cost percentage, absenteeism and engagement) to identify risk, areas of improvement and opportunities for proactive intervention and support.
• Provide HR reporting and insights to guide leadership decision-making at the property and regional level.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Minimum of 5 years of experience resolving complex employee and labor relations issues, preferably in hospitality, restaurant, food & beverage or other shift-based service environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Hospitality Management, Business, or a related field required.
• At least three years of professional human resource administration required, with experience in labor relations preferred.
• Experience supporting hourly, tipped and unionized workforces, including multi-outlet or multi-property operations, is strongly preferred.
• SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certified an asset.
• Current, in-depth knowledge of legal requirements related to human resources and employee management in hospitality, including wage and hour and tipped employee rules, workers’ compensation, union relations, and federal and state employment laws.
• Working knowledge of food safety, health department and alcohol service compliance as they relate to employee training and certification.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, holidays and varying shifts, and to be present on property during peak operating periods.
• Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with associates and leaders at every level, from line cooks and servers to executive leadership. Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus.

Salary Range:

$80,000 - $100,000

About The Company:

Onni

For over half a century, Onni has been building communities for people to live, work, and play. Our success reflects our commitment to our employees and partners, and our dedication to quality construction, innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. Our expertise expands across North America, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, and Chicago.

AI Use:

This role may involve the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support research, analysis, content development, design, reporting, or operational efficiency. Employees are expected to use AI responsibly and in compliance with company policies, data privacy requirements, confidentiality obligations, and applicable laws.

All AI-generated or AI-assisted outputs must be reviewed for accuracy, quality, and appropriateness before use. Employees are also expected to disclose when AI tools have been used in the creation of work and must not present AI-generated content as solely their own original work.

How To Apply:

Please apply through the link on the job posting and attach your resume and any other required documents.

We thank all applicants for your interest in the Onni Group. Note that only those applicants under consideration will be contacted.