People Operations Manager

People Operations Manager

Position Overview

The People Operations Manager is the primary on-site people leader for their location, owning the full team member lifecycle from recruitment through separation. This role operates through direct, hands-on execution — leading recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, investigations, training coordination, and compliance at the site level — while serving as the trusted people advisor to the General Manager and site leadership. The People Operations Manager exercises independent judgment on employee relations matters, disciplinary action, and hiring decisions, escalating only where policy, legal exposure, or precedent requires partnership with the People Operations District Manager. Their core responsibility is translating SSA's people practices and compliance standards into a consistent, values-aligned employee experience for every team member at their site.

Responsibilities

Employee Experience, Engagement & Retention

The People Operations Manager owns the on-site employee experience end to end, directly leading engagement and retention efforts rather than administering someone else's program.

Champion the on-site employee experience from hire to exit, building a culture where team members feel valued, heard, and motivated to grow

Design and lead local engagement initiatives — recognition programs, team events, and feedback-driven action planning — in addition to executing HQ-led programs

Serve as the on-site resource for EAP, leave, and benefit programs, directing team members to the appropriate point of contact for accurate guidance

Analyze turnover data and exit interview themes to identify root causes and recommend targeted retention strategies

Build trust and accountability with site leadership in how employees are treated, communicated with, and supported

Reinforce 452 Hospitality principles across every team member interaction

Training & Development

This role coordinates and directly delivers site-level training, ensuring practical application rather than passive compliance tracking.

Coordinate and deliver site-level training for new hires, frontline team members, and people leaders on policy, compliance, and operational people practices

Ensure required training is completed accurately and on time, maintaining training records to company standard

Identify site-level skill or knowledge gaps and partner with the People Operations District Manager on targeted development resources

Recruiting & Talent Attraction

The People Operations Manager owns the full recruiting cycle at the site, building pipelines proactively rather than filling requisitions reactively.

Own the full recruiting cycle — posting, pipeline management, screening, interview coordination — partnering with site leaders on staffing plans

Build and maintain relationships with schools, workforce organizations, and community partners to sustain a qualified candidate pipeline

Ensure job postings comply with employment law and track recruiting metrics, spend, and hiring event outcomes

Onboarding & New Hire Compliance

This role owns onboarding compliance directly, with accountability for federal and state documentation accuracy.

Own end-to-end onboarding — offer letters, pre-employment paperwork, background checks, orientation, and start-date readiness

Ensure I-9 and minor work compliance documentation is complete, accurate, and timely under federal, state, and local law

Coordinate uniforms, badges, and site access credentials ahead of each start date

Employee Relations & Compliance

The People Operations Manager is the primary on-site HR advisor, exercising independent judgment on employee relations matters and escalating to the People Operations District Manager only where policy or legal exposure requires it.

Serve as the primary on-site advisor for employee concerns, conduct, performance, and policy application, guiding managers through corrective action and documentation

Lead impartial workplace investigations into complaints and misconduct, documenting findings and escalating appropriately

Manage employee separations and exit interviews, ensuring compliant, respectful offboarding

Ensure site-level compliance with employment law, recordkeeping, and safety standards, partnering with Payroll and HQ on audits

Team Leadership

Lead by example, modeling accountability, professionalism, and a strong work ethic for the team

Maintain oversight of the unit's People & Revenue staff, serving as a secondary point of accountability for department performance, compliance, and coverage matters.

Coach and train assigned team members to help them perform consistently, escalating performance concerns to site leadership

Monitor workload and process execution to maintain efficiency, consistency, and responsiveness across the location

Assist the business with operational duties in the absence of operational managers or during times of need

Attendance & Timekeeping OversightThe People Operations Manager owns attendance and timekeeping integrity at the site, directing the accuracy of the process and resolving escalated issues rather than performing routine time-entry tasks.

Oversee site timekeeping systems and processes, ensuring managers and team members are equipped to record time accurately and resolving system-level issues as they arise

Direct the timecard approval process, holding managers accountable for reviewing and submitting accurate records within payroll deadlines

Analyze attendance trends, absences, and recurring punch discrepancies to identify root causes and direct corrective action with managers

Escalate unresolved attendance patterns and policy violations to site leadership and the People Operations District Manager, and determine appropriate disciplinary follow-up

This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with this position. The People department reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change (i.e., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs, or technological developments).

Education & Experience

Three or more years of progressive HR experience in a site-based, hospitality, retail, or frontline workforce environment

Demonstrated experience leading employee relations, recruitment, onboarding, training coordination, and corrective action

Experience conducting workplace investigations and managing employee documentation end-to-end

Experience supporting a high-volume, hourly, or seasonal workforce preferred

Experience with international workforce programs (e.g., J-1 Exchange Visitor programs) a plus

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent combination of education and demonstrated leadership experience considered

Position Requirements

Must be 18 years of age or older

Physical ability to stand and walk for extended periods and to move and handle boxes up to 35 lbs as necessary

Ability to work varied hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays as business requires

Work Environment

The People Operations Manager works on-site in an active hospitality environment, balancing office-based administrative work with regular presence on the operations floor. The role requires the flexibility to shift between confidential employee relations conversations, live training delivery, and hands-on onboarding logistics within the same day, all while maintaining the consistency and composure the position's advisory function requires.

Compensation & Benefits

Full-Time, Exempt

$75 monthly cell phone stipend 

Flex Time Off: no accruals; employees are encouraged to schedule time off as needed within business scope. 

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and other voluntary benefits for you and your family; employee premiums applicable. 

Participation in a 401(k) program with a 15% company match (must be 21 years or older, eligible after one year of employment with 1,000 hours worked, available to enroll during Open Enrollment Periods). 

Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability, employer sponsored; scaled-salary pay following submission and approval of leave.

Parental Benefits: Birthing Parent Plan covers up to 6-8 weeks of fully paid leave, based on the birthing event.

SSA Paid Benefit: Up to 120 hours of Paid Leave for qualifying reasons, including Parental Leave and your or your family’s serious medical conditions. 

Up to 5 days of Paid Bereavement. 

On-Demand Pay Program: Get access to a portion of earned wages before payday. 

Meal Plan & Employee Discounts where applicable 

Paid sick leave is provided in accordance with applicable state and local laws. Accrual rates, caps, and usage rules vary by location.   

Locations include: Arizona, California, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C..  Colorado: Employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year, under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA).  Maryland: Employees accrue at least 1 hour of paid sick and safe leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year, as required under the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act.  Washington: Employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, in accordance with the Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time.