Director, People Development and Leadership Effectiveness

About the role

Denny's is entering one of the most important chapters in its history. As we continue to strengthen our business, support our franchise community, and accelerate organizational growth, we're investing in something that matters most: our people. We're looking for a Director, People Development & Leadership Effectiveness to build and lead the next generation of leadership development, manager effectiveness, talent readiness, and culture activation across Denny's.

Responsibilities

• Build and execute Denny's people development strategy in partnership with senior People leadership.
• Create practical tools that help leaders coach, communicate, develop talent, drive accountability, and lead through change.
• Strengthen manager effectiveness and leadership capability across the organization.
• Translate The Denny's Way into leadership behaviors, team routines, and development experiences that drive business results.
• Partner with Operations, HR, Communications, Field Leadership, and business leaders to build organizational capability.
• Support restaurant-facing leadership curriculum that improves execution, leadership readiness, and franchisee support.
• Develop onboarding, talent development, succession, and leadership readiness programs.
• Personally facilitate workshops, leadership sessions, retreats, onboarding experiences, and team development initiatives.
• Measure effectiveness and continuously improve programs based on feedback, adoption, and business impact.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in leadership development, organizational development, learning and development, talent development, or related fields.
• Experience building leadership or capability programs from the ground up.
• Strong facilitation and executive presence.
• Exceptional communication, instructional design, and content development skills.
• Ability to influence leaders and drive change without formal authority.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
• Restaurant, hospitality, retail, franchise, field-based, or multi-unit experience is highly preferred.

Qualifications

• Passionate about developing people, building capability, and creating lasting organizational impact.