Graduate Development Programme - People & Recruitment Coordinator in Manchester

Dakota Hotel based in Manchester City Centre are launching a Graduate Development programme for a recent graduate to join our award-winning HR team. We are looking for an ambitious, outgoing individual with a passion for the hospitality sector. This 12–18-month graduate programme with a start date of 1st July 2026 is designed to fast-track your development into a confident HR generalist, with a clear pathway to becoming the Assistant People Manager of your hotel upon completion.

Contract and Pay Rate

The role carries a permanent contract of 37.5 hours per week. The gross annual salary is £28,500, and a bonus of £2,000 paid upon successful completion of your programme. Dakota Hotels is dedicated to your professional development and will provide financial support towards CIPD or other relevant professional qualifications, tailored to your training needs. In your second year of employment, we will cover the full cost of your CIPD qualification and CIPD membership fees.

For the first six months of your programme, you will be based in any of our operational roles two days a week to embed you fully into our business. Therefore, you will be required to work Tuesday–Saturday during this time, including the potential of later shifts up to two days a week. Typical shifts in your HR role thereafter will be 10:00–18:00, generally working Monday–Friday.

Primary Role Responsibilities

During the graduate programme, your job title will be People & Recruitment Coordinator. During this time, you’ll report directly to the Head of People and play a vital role in shaping the employee experience for our 120+ team members in Manchester. This is a hands‑on role where you’ll be immersed in all aspects of the employee lifecycle, gaining real‑world experience and building the skills to become a confident HR generalist. Throughout your programme, you’ll be involved in:

• Supporting end-to-end recruitment and selection processes
• Delivering engaging training sessions through our Dakota Academy
• Managing essential HR administration, including payroll data and compliance records
• Coordinating performance reviews, internal promotions, and annual appraisals
• Driving employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives
• Using HR systems to support data‑driven decision‑making
• Being a visible and approachable presence in the operation, building strong relationships and delivering impactful training

Our HR roles are designed to guide team members through their journey at Dakota in a supportive, consistent, and legally compliant way. You’ll play a key part in ensuring our people feel valued, developed, and empowered. From day one, you’ll follow a structured development plan, tailored to your growth through quarterly reviews with our Head of People. You’ll gain exposure to recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, employee relations, and engagement, giving you a well‑rounded foundation for a successful HR career.

Applicant Requirements

The successful applicant will have/be:

• Hold a minimum of an undergraduate degree, achieved within the past three years, in any of the following subjects: Human Resources, Business / Management, Hospitality and/or Events Management.
• Hospitality experience is preferred, but not essential as you will be given exposure to our operations in your first six months of the programme.
• Be a confident communicator and people person who is outgoing and able to deliver presentations which will include hosting training sessions and inductions.
• Be an organised individual with strong computer and administrative skills.
• Ability to prioritise well and juggle different tasks simultaneously.
• Willingness to develop themselves and have a genuine desire to create a career in HR.
• Be task oriented with a great pride for the work they do and attention to detail.
• Flexible with shift patterns and available around the needs of our team and business.
• Successful candidates must demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm for the role as well as their ability to show a long‑term commitment to the brand as a real team player.

What We Offer

Financial

• Special discounts on stays and dining at any Dakota
• Bonuses to recommend a friend to join our team and every time you are mentioned on Trip Advisor
• Additional holiday day on the first anniversary of your employment
• Meals on duty and uniforming

Wellbeing

• Access to our Employee Assistance Program which includes free private mental health support and counselling sessions, video GP consultations and private prescription services, as well as access to daily rewards to be cashed out for shopping vouchers
• Support from our inhouse Mental Health Champions
• Family‑friendly flexible working options
• Participation in meaningful initiatives such as Macmillan Cancer Support Coffee Morning and the Walk for Wellbeing, Supporting causes that matter while connecting with colleagues

Career Development

• Accredited, certified compliance training given on employment
• Access to a suite of external, certified resources via our Learning Management System
• Supportive continuous professional development culture with an annual appraisal and objectives, or a Personal Development Plan
• Opportunities to undertake both internal and external training courses, including potential for in‑house Apprenticeships

Apply

Please send us your up to date CV.