People Operations & Talent Manager

People Operations Apprenticeship

Dandelion Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in San Francisco's Mission District. We make chocolate from only two ingredients, cocoa beans and cane sugar, and travel to origins as often as we can to build good, trusting relationships with farmers.

Our mission wouldn't be possible without a people-first culture that thrives on hard work, trust, and integrity. Many of our tenured team members stay for years because they feel invested, developed, and known. Our recruiting team has an unusually high bar : every hire shapes our long-term culture, so we look beyond bullet points on rsums to find individuals with both the technical and people skills to invest in our craft chocolate community for the long-term.

This is not a typical recruiting or operations role. Reporting to the CXO, you'll step into one of the most interesting People Operations apprenticeships where your early exposure to sensitive and strategic information including exit interviews, performance reviews, labor budgets, leadership planning will accelerate your judgment far beyond traditional recruiting roles. The core of People Operations starts with talent and team building. You'll champion our tradition of thoughtful hiring, long tenures, internal promotions, and investing in our people. None of this happens by chance. Professional development starts with successful onboarding so team members know how to engage with our internal programs. Longevity comes from understanding each team member's motivations and aligning their aspirations with Dandelion's long-term goals.

When the fit is right, our craft chocolate and chocolate experiences reflect that harmony. With your guidance, we'll continue building one of the most celebrated companies in San Francisco that will endure for a hundred years or more one thoughtful hire at a time.

You're not drawn to flashy funnels, quotas, or time-to-hire metrics you're motivated by crafting an organization that will be stronger a year from now because of the people you helped hire today. You're steady, trustworthy, and quietly ambitious the kind of person others look up to when things get complicated. Our ideal leader has the patience to invest in a multi-year craft; the intuition to spot non-traditional candidates (e.g. a florist for a chocolate maker role, a high school soccer coach for fulfillment); and the resilience to keep candidates, teammates, and managers aligned during high-stakes holiday seasons. You're curious, kind, humble, and known for your work ethic. You show up when things get tough and set a tone of calm reliability.

Whether you're early in your career and curious to learn People Operations from first principles, or more experienced and ready to deepen your practice in an organization that values talent as a high-level strategic imperative, you'll roll up your sleeves and lead by example. Every rsum you review and every reference call you make will shape our culture for years to come.

Responsibilities

• Recruiting & Team Building Our organizational successes and setbacks can always be traced back to how we hired and onboarded. Research sourcing strategies, schedule and conduct initial phone screens, maintain detailed notes for the hiring manager to review later to make sound hiring decisions. Schedule reference checks with candidate contacts so that we can hire our candidates with full confidence. It takes 18-24 months to see how the team you hired years ago is performing today. You'll have the rare opportunity to shadow the outgoing People Operations leader to see our peak operations humming before taking on those reins in 2026. You will have confidential access to reviews, exit interviews, company all-hands surveys, and other performance information so you can develop your sensitivity and expertise for talent. We are passionate about recruiting, view it as a key part of our strategy, will train you, and are therefore looking for someone who intends to commit and grow with Dandelion for the long-term. You'll also co-host company-wide interview training sessions, work with managers to regularly update job descriptions, orchestrate first-day experiences which include signed cards, onboarding boxes, configured email accounts, and a 90-day plan. Most of all, build a world-class team that takes pride in their work, consistently hits goals, and is excited to adapt and grow with Dandelion.
• Seasonal Staffing You'll phone screen, hire, and onboard permanent and seasonal caf, retail, fulfillment, and packaging roles as well as work with seasonal agencies to flex to holiday demand. Just a few weeks in November and December can represent more than 50% of our sales. You'll be responsible for developing a strategy that will allow us to double our team size with the help of agencies, recruiting, and coordinating teamwork throughout the holidays.
• Candidate Experience Candidates believe actions over words. Our dedication to excellence is evident when candidates receive confirmed interview times, are guided with an introductory tour of the factory, sit down to a clean table with water carafes, and receive a response within 7 days. Even if the role isn't the right fit, your warm demeanor & buttoned-up process makes candidates excited to apply again.
• People Operations & Growth Opportunities A key part of this role is talent building and recruiting, especially during the holiday season. During other parts of the year, you'll support other People Operations workhelping team members with timeclocks, coordinating with our IT partners to repair laptops, organizing professional development classes, hosting onboarding and All Hands events, conducting annual surveys, and lifting morale with holiday gifts or team lunches throughout the year. No two days look the same, but each one strengthens your foundation to grow into a long-term People Operations leader with us. People Operations at Dandelion spans many disciplines recruiting, benefits and compliance, professional development, leveling, IT and facilities, community and neighbor relations, and, on occasion, personnel matters. No one person can do everything, so you'll collaborate closely with our CXO, legal advisors, IT agencies, seasonal recruiters, and long-time HR colleagues as you build your expertise and eventually specialize in an area. You'll also gain exposure to complex personnel conversations so that you can learn from real examples and develop judgment for future leadership. While we believe in offering second chances, we maintain clear boundaries and very little tolerance for toxic behavior. You won't be responsible for managing personnel issues directly, but you'll be part of discussions that will deepen your understanding of how a healthy, high-trust culture is maintained.
• Exec Relations You'll report to the CXO and interface regularly with the CEO, CFO, and COO. Send weekly emails that track annual turnover, candidate funnels, and overall team health. Ensure that the CFO is informed of roles currently being hired for so she can account for it in our labor forecast. Coordinate with our COO to ensure we can staff for peak holiday operations. Connect with the CEO to make sure the onboarding process reflects the values of the organization and has up-to-date information.
• Leadership Support Work hand-in-hand with busy managers to understand what traits they prioritize in candidates and to make sure you're able to accurately describe the role during phone interviews. You know that your success depends upon managers trusting you to build their team. You'll be working with leaders when they are short-staffed and likely not at their best you may need to track down late interview notes or assist them with a 90-day plan. We're looking for someone who can de-escalate and de-stress harried managers with an even-keeled, fair, and can-do attitude.
• Other tasks as necessary Our culture is defined by being kind, humble, and no one is above doing work. We are a small team and, especially during the holidays, everyone pitches in to help each other. You can be depended upon to pick up new skills as necessary for the role and to follow through without reminders.

Requirements