Business Operations and Recruiting Intern

The Opportunity

Polished Oak Cleaners is a growing local service business building a more scalable, professional way to recruit, train, and lead cleaning teams. We are looking for a high-potential college student who wants hands-on business experience, not busywork.

You will work directly with company leadership and our General Manager to help build a repeatable student recruiting pipeline, standardize training, and improve the systems we use to hire and develop great people.

Potential to come on full-time after graduation if things go well.

Your Mission

Help Polished Oak recruit, train, and retain a team of 10 dependable college-student cleaners while building systems that can continue to work after you graduate.

What You’ll Own

• Build and manage a student cleaner recruiting pipeline across campus, social media, referrals, student organizations, and local channels.
• Source candidates, coordinate interviews, track follow-ups, and help improve the hiring process.
• Help design and document the Polished Oak Training Academy with the General Manager.
• Turn cleaning standards into clear checklists, videos, tests, and certification steps.
• Help launch and manage a student referral program.
• Track recruiting, retention, training completion, quality, and attendance metrics.
• Collect feedback from cleaners and help identify process improvements.
• Assist with selected operations projects that give you exposure to how a growing local business is run.

What You’ll Learn

• Recruiting and talent acquisition
• Operations management
• Process design and SOP creation
• Training and employee development
• Performance management and KPI reporting
• Leadership and team communication
• Small-business growth and decision-making

Compensation & Growth

• $10/hour base pay.
• Performance bonuses tied to successful recruiting, cleaner retention, and program milestones.
• Flexible 10–15 hour/week schedule built around classes.
• Direct exposure to ownership and management.
• Potential path to expanded leadership responsibilities, paid summer work, or a full-time role after graduation if the fit and business need are strong.

What We’re Looking For

• Current college student; business, management, HR, supply chain, marketing, hospitality, entrepreneurship, or related fields are a plus but not required.
• Organized, proactive, and comfortable talking with new people.
• Strong follow-through; you do what you say you will do.
• Comfortable using spreadsheets, forms, project-management tools, and AI tools.
• Interested in building systems rather than waiting for step-by-step instructions.
• Able to maintain confidentiality and represent the company professionally.
• Reliable transportation for occasional in-person work in Auburn/Opelika.