Director, Operations Innovation (IHOP)

Based in Pasadena, California, Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), through its subsidiaries, franchises restaurants under Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar®, IHOP® and Fuzzy's Taco Shop® brands. With over 3,500 restaurants combined in 18 countries and 354 franchisees as of December 31, 2023, Dine Brands is one of the largest full-service restaurant companies in the world. For more information on Dine Brands, visit the Company's website located at www.dinebrands.com.

The Director of Ops Innovation is a mission-critical leader within the Restaurant Excellence function, IHOP’s engine for operational transformation. This team is laser-focused on driving restaurant profitability, team productivity, and guest delight at scale

This role is not about incremental change; it’s about redefining and optimizing how IHOP operates. The individual will lead the strategic vision for the future of restaurant operations, identifying and executing bold, high-impact initiatives that:

• Radically accelerate speed of service
• Maximize labor efficiency and reduce in-box complexity
• Deploy modern technologies that streamline workflows
• Deliver a frictionless, best-in-class guest experience

This leader will partner cross-functionally with Core Operations, Technology, and Field teams to test, validate, and scale innovations that move the needle on labor, cost, and guest satisfaction

This role demands a rare blend of strategic horsepower and operational hustle. The ideal candidate is a systems thinker with a builder’s mindset: someone who can ruthlessly prioritize what matters most and deliver measurable value to our franchisees

You’ll report directly to the Vice President of Restaurant Excellence and lead the company’s key strategic ops initiatives. As IHOP enters its next wave of step-change growth, this is your opportunity to shape the future of a beloved brand at scale

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Own the development and execution of IHOP’s operational innovation strategy, ruthlessly prioritizing initiatives that drive labor efficiency, cost control, and profitability
• Operational Optimization: Identify and implement improvements in labor, cost management, and in-restaurant technology and training to elevate 4-wall performance
• Innovation Pipeline Management: Build and manage a structured pipeline from ideation through pilot to scale, ensuring a steady flow of high-impact, field-validated initiatives
• Cross-Functional Execution: Partner with Core Operations and Restaurant Technology teams to hand off initiatives for testing, validation, and system-wide rollout
• System Archetyping: Maintain a dynamic set of restaurant archetypes to ensure solutions are tailored to the diverse IHOP footprint—avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches
• Market Intelligence: Continuously scan the competitive landscape for best-in-class practices and integrate insights into strategic planning
• Future-State Modeling: Lead the design and piloting of “Store of the Future” concepts in partnership with franchisees
• Field Integration: Conduct regular restaurant visits to gather operator feedback and ensure initiatives are grounded in real-world needs.
• Team Leadership: Manage and develop a team of associates across innovation workstreams (Labor, Cost, Training, Technology)
• Stakeholder Engagement: Represent IHOP Restaurant Innovation with franchisees and secure alignment from cross-functional leadership
• Resource Stewardship: Contribute to budgeting and resource planning to ensure investments are directed toward the highest-ROI opportunities
• Culture Building: Champion a culture of innovation and continuous improvement across the organization
• Target base salary $190k-215k based on experience

Skills & Requirements:

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, or a related field. Minimum 5+ years of experience in operations and strategy, ideally with time at a top-tier consulting firm (e.g., McKinsey, Bain, BCG), including 2+ years in a leadership role
• Industry Expertise: Strong preference for candidates with experience in restaurant, hospitality, or multi-unit retail environments
• Operational Acumen: Deep understanding of restaurant operations, labor and cost levers, and performance drivers. Proven ability to identify and execute efficiency improvements through technology, training, and process redesign
• Analytical & Financial Rigor: Skilled in analyzing complex data, building business cases, and understanding P&L dynamics to drive unit-level profitability
• Technology Fluency: Familiarity with restaurant tech stacks (e.g., POS systems, kitchen display systems, labor scheduling tools, digital ordering platforms).
• Leadership & Influence: Demonstrated success in managing and developing high-performing teams. Exceptional communication and storytelling skills with the ability to influence both senior leaders and field operators
• Executional Agility: Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, cross-functional, in-office environment while also engaging directly with field teams. Willingness to travel 25–40% to stay connected to frontline realities
• Bias for Action: Thrives in ambiguity, makes decisions with imperfect information, and iterates quickly based on feedback

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Dine Brands Global strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, veteran status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act and/or other applicable laws and regulations in other jurisdictions.

Dine Brands reviews criminal history in connection with a conditional offer of employment. The following is a list of all material job duties which Dine Brands reasonably believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: implement brand standards such as food safety at all restaurants for a uniform guest experience; physically inspect restaurant premises belonging to franchisees; and facilitate frequent and close interactions with franchisees, franchisee employees, guests, and other third parties.  

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