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
Establish a high-performance recruiting culture grounded in ownership, urgency, and results

Full-Cycle Recruiting (Hands-On)

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
Ensure consistency and quality in hiring decisions across all locations

High-Volume Recruiting Optimization

Design and implement scalable hiring strategies for high-volume retail roles
Improve time-to-fill, candidate flow, and offer acceptance rates
Build structured pipelines for recurring roles (perishables, front-end, operations)

Recruiting Operations & Analytics

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
Use data to drive decision-making and continuous improvement

Employer Branding & Sourcing Strategy

Strengthening Citarella’s employer brand in a competitive labor market
Develop multi-channel sourcing strategies (Indeed, referrals, local outreach, culinary networks)
Partner with operations to position Citarella as an employer of choice in premium food retail and hospitality

Stakeholder Management

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
Build strong pipelines for critical and recurring roles

Qualifications

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.

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