Director of People; Human Resources

When childhood friends Holly and Shawn stepped away from their corporate careers and started Rook Coffee in 2010, they wanted to make people feel special. Since the beginning, in a 300-square-foot shack, Rook has focused on offering specialty coffees that inspire genuine, human connections.

Rook Coffee is currently seeking energetic and hard-working individuals to continue to make those connections. If you’re nice, likable, approachable, a team player, proactive, patient, sociable, positive, reliable, and honest, we’d love to hear from you.

The Director of People at Rook Coffee is a hands-on, strategic, and highly visible leadership role responsible for owning every aspect of the human resources function across our eleven retail locations and growing production operation. Reporting directly to ownership, this role serves as the connective tissue between our corporate leadership team and our hourly workforce. You will build and maintain the systems, culture, and practices that support approximately 200 team members and reflect our founding commitment to making people feel special.

If you are genuinely curious about what drives people, naturally approachable, proactive by default, and invested in building something that lasts, you will fit right in here.

• Manage the full-cycle recruiting process using Lever as our ATS and Indeed Sponsored Jobs for sourcing.
• Own job postings, candidate pipeline, and the interview process from first screen through offer.
• Develop and maintain job descriptions for new and evolving roles across the organization.

• Own the full onboarding experience including initial setup, I-9 management, handbook distribution, and new hire orientation.
• Ensure every employee enters Rook with a clear understanding of who we are and what we expect.
• Manage the offboarding process including exit interviews. Use that feedback to identify trends and surface insights that inform retention and culture strategy.

• Serve as a trusted, accessible resource for employees at every level.
• Own day-to-day employee concerns, facilitate conflict resolution, and ensure that people feel heard and supported.
• Build the kind of environment where issues get addressed before they escalat

• Administer biweekly payroll, 401(k) administration, and health insurance management including lookback periods.
• Own HRIS reporting and ensure data integrity across the system.
• Manage the full benefits function including open enrollment, vendor relationships, and ongoing benefits communication.
• Ensure employees across all locations understand and can access what is available to them.

• Lead the performance review process and coach managers on delivering effective feedback.
• Manage compensation benchmarking and adjustments.
• Handle progressive discipline, performance improvement plans, and internal investigations.

• Build and oversee ongoing training and development programs for both corporate and hourly team members.
• Identify skill gaps across the organization and develop targeted solutions.

• Own culture-building initiatives including milestone recognition (birthdays, work anniversaries), company-wide events, and Start/Stop/Continue feedback programming.
• Be a visible and trusted presence across all locations and the production facility, actively reinforcing company values in everything you do.
• Partner with the marketing team on internal communications to ensure employees across all locations feel informed and connected.
• Own how Rook shows up as an employer. Shape the narrative that attracts the right people and reflects our culture authentically in…