Human Resources & Organizational Development Manager

HR & Organizational Development Manager

About Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream

Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream is an award-winning, family-owned ice cream company with four locations throughout Montgomery County, Maryland. Since opening our first shop in 2019, we have grown into a multi-unit organization with nearly 100 team members and ambitious plans for continued expansion.

As we grow, we are looking for a Human Resources & Organizational Development Manager who will play a critical role in shaping the future of our company. This is not a traditional HR position focused solely on compliance and administration.

Instead, this role is responsible for building the people systems, leadership development programs, training infrastructure, and organizational foundations that will support our next phase of growth.

This position is ideal for someone who loves building systems, developing people, creating structure, and helping organizations scale while preserving a strong culture.

Position Summary

The Human Resources & Organizational Development Manager is responsible for the full employee lifecycle, including recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, compliance, training, leadership development, performance management, organizational systems, and documentation.

This role serves as both an HR leader and an organizational architect. You will help transform knowledge, expectations, and best practices into scalable systems that support consistency, accountability, and growth across all locations.

You will partner closely with company leadership and operational managers to ensure our people are equipped, supported, and developed to succeed.

Key Responsibilities

Human Resources & Employee Relations

• Lead and continuously improve recruiting and hiring processes
• Manage candidate screening and interview coordination
• Oversee onboarding and new hire integration
• Maintain employee records and personnel files
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment regulations
• Support employee relations matters and workplace investigations
• Manage performance documentation and corrective action processes
• Maintain and update employee handbook and company policies
• Partner with leadership on employee engagement and retention initiatives
• Serve as a trusted resource for managers and employees

Learning & Development

• Design and implement onboarding programs for all positions
• Build training pathways for Ambassadors, Shift Supervisors, Shop Apprentices, Managers, and future leadership roles
• Create learning materials, guides, assessments, and training resources
• Develop leadership development programs and management training
• Build certification programs and competency frameworks
• Track employee development and training completion
• Create scalable training systems that support future growth

Organizational Development

• Design career progression pathways across the organization
• Develop role scorecards and competency models
• Create performance review systems and evaluation frameworks
• Build leadership succession plans
• Improve organizational structure and role clarity
• Identify opportunities to improve employee performance, retention, and engagement
• Support company-wide change management initiatives

SOP & Systems Development

• Create, organize, and maintain company SOPs
• Document operational and administrative processes
• Develop manager playbooks and leadership resources
• Build knowledge management systems
• Ensure organizational knowledge is documented and accessible
• Transform founder and leadership knowledge into repeatable systems

Performance Coaching & Leadership Support

• Meet regularly with managers and emerging leaders
• Conduct coaching and development conversations
• Support performance improvement plans and growth plans
• Follow up on observations and feedback identified by operational leaders
• Assist managers in developing stronger leadership skills
• Help create a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of experience in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Learning & Development, Talent Development, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience building systems, programs, or processes from scratch
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Excellent written communication and documentation abilities
• Experience coaching managers and employees
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Preferred

• Experience in multi-unit retail, hospitality, food service, franchising, or service-based businesses
• Experience creating training programs and leadership development initiatives
• Experience building SOPs, onboarding systems, and organizational frameworks
• Knowledge of HR compliance and employment law
• Experience implementing learning management systems or training platforms
• Experience supporting organizational growth and scaling operations

Who Will Thrive in This Role

The ideal candidate is

• A builder who enjoys creating systems where none previously existed
• Highly organized and detail-oriented
• Passionate about leadership development and employee growth
• Comfortable balancing strategy and execution
• Strong at turning ideas into practical, repeatable processes
• An exceptional communicator and coach
• Someone who enjoys creating clarity, structure, and accountability
• Excited by the opportunity to help shape a growing company

Success in the First 12 Months

By the end of your first year, you will have:

• Built structured onboarding programs for key positions
• Created leadership development pathways for future managers
• Improved hiring and recruiting systems
• Established consistent performance management processes
• Expanded and organized the company's SOP library
• Developed training and certification programs for operational roles
• Reduced the administrative HR burden on senior leadership
• Created systems that support future multi-location growth

Why Join Us

This is a rare opportunity to help build the organizational foundation of a growing company at a pivotal stage. You will have the ability to shape systems, develop leaders, influence culture, and create lasting impact across the organization.

If you enjoy building, coaching, creating structure, and helping people succeed, we would love to hear from you.