People & Operations Manager

About the Organization

Café Momentum is a nonprofit recognized by the James Beard Foundation that blends a celebrated restaurant concept with a robust workforce development model for justice-impacted youth. Originating in Dallas and now growing through a national network of affiliated sites, the organization offers paid internships, wraparound support, mentorship, and practical life-skills training to help young people create strong career and life outcomes.

The National Office works alongside local partners to reinforce operations, leadership, and organizational excellence while protecting the mission and model that define Café Momentum.

Role Overview

The People & Operations Manager plays a key role in scaling systems, people processes, and operational quality across the organization. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this position is responsible for maintaining consistency and accountability in onboarding, offboarding, payroll administration, systems management, and compliance.

The role also contributes to audit preparation and performance-management workflows across the national team and affiliated locations. The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, operationally driven, and comfortable ensuring follow-through on administrative processes. In partnership with national leadership, this person will help standardize workflows and strengthen internal infrastructure so the employee experience reflects the organization’s mission and values.

Although the position supports operations and process implementation, local entities keep authority over hiring decisions and direct supervision of employees.

This role requires periodic travel for organizational meetings, trainings, and other operational initiatives.

People Operations and Compliance

• Manage onboarding and offboarding processes to keep them consistent, compliant, and operationally complete.
• Maintain accurate and secure employee records, acknowledgments, and personnel files.
• Track performance review cycles, corrective action paperwork, and related workflows.
• Support leaders in ensuring employee-related processes are properly documented and closed out.
• Coordinate payroll administration workflows and audit support to promote accuracy and timely processing.
• Assist with benefits administration, enrollment coordination, and employee status changes.
• Maintain the HRIS and employee record systems.
• Support recruiting coordination, candidate tracking, interview scheduling, and onboarding logistics.
• Monitor completion of required trainings, certifications, and compliance documents.
• Flag operational or compliance concerns and escalate them to leadership when needed.

Operational Coordination and Organizational Support

• Help implement and administer the organization’s Operating Principles, including tracking documentation that shows compliance across the national organization and affiliated locations.
• Coordinate accountability systems, action items, and process tracking across teams and sites.
• Organize and maintain templates, forms, resources, and centralized documentation.
• Keep shared documentation and resources current, accurate, and easy to access.
• Support the rollout of new systems, workflows, and process improvements.
• Assist with operational reporting, tracking, and administrative follow-through for leadership initiatives.
• Act as a link between local locations and national leadership to support communication, visibility, and alignment.
• Identify process gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities to improve operations.

Systems Administration and Technology Support

• Administer and maintain Google Workspace and related operational technology platforms.
• Manage user account setup, permissions, onboarding access, and account deactivation.
• Maintain Drive architecture, shared drive organization, file governance, and document structure.
• Support security practices such as password management, access reviews, and multi-factor authentication.
• Coordinate documentation for operational technology, user access tracking, and systems organization.
• Work with outside technology vendors and consultants as needed for troubleshooting and support.
• Ensure operational systems help the organization stay efficient, collaborative, and compliant.

Audit Readiness and Risk Management

• Support audit readiness by keeping records, documentation, and operating systems accurate and organized.
• Collect, organize, and verify information needed for audits, compliance reviews, and operational assessments.
• Maintain documentation habits that strengthen transparency, accountability, and continuity.
• Monitor workflows and documentation practices to reduce organizational risk.
• Promote consistency in personnel and operations documentation across the organization.

Education and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations, Organizational Leadership, Human Resources, Information Systems, or a related field is preferred.
• At least 5–8 years of experience in operations, people operations, HR administration, business operations, systems administration, or a similar function is preferred.
• Background supporting multi-site organizations, nonprofits, hospitality groups, or rapidly growing organizations is preferred.
• Experience with Google Workspace or comparable organizational systems is strongly preferred.
• Prior involvement in onboarding, payroll coordination, compliance tracking, and operational systems is strongly preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent organization, administration, and project coordination abilities.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to juggle several priorities at once.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• A strong operational mindset with reliable follow-through and accountability.
• Ability to manage confidential information with care and discretion.
• Comfort working across functions and balancing the needs of different stakeholders.
• Strong systems thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace, spreadsheets, shared drives, and operational systems.
• Ability to spot issues early, communicate clearly, and escalate appropriately.
• Collaborative, team-focused approach with an emphasis on consistency and support.

Additional Information

Travel may be required from time to time to support meetings, trainings, and operational projects.

Local organizations retain responsibility for personnel decisions and direct employee supervision, while this role focuses on operational support, systems, and process guidance.

The position is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is onsite.