Operations & Strategy Project Manager – Strategy & Planning; IHOP

Operations & Strategy Project Manager – Strategy & Planning (IHOP)

Direct message the job poster from Dine Brands Global

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

Job Location Type:
Hybrid

The IHOP Program Management Office (PMO) is the engine that helps our brand operate smarter, faster, and more collaboratively. We equip teams with the systems, processes, and cross‑functional alignment they need to stay focused on what matters most—creating exceptional guest experiences everyday.

As a Strategic Partner Across Operations, Culinary/Beverage, Cost Optimization, Communications, Business Analytics, and Marketing, the PMO leads key initiatives that improve clarity, efficiency, and teamwork throughout the organization. Our work spans two core areas:

• Driving strategic and operational priorities through structured project and process management
• Empowering team performance with tools, resources, and frameworks that support growth and effectiveness

By bringing consistency, transparency, and alignment to the way work gets done, the PMO enables IHOP and Dine Brands Global to deliver with greater impact and do more of what we do best, delighting guests and fueling the success of our restaurants.

The Operations & Strategy Project Manager serves as a trusted advisor to our project and program leaders, aligning operational initiatives with business objectives to drive growth, operational excellence, and brand performance. Leveraging restaurant industry knowledge, a strong business acumen, and rigorous project leadership, this role translates strategic priorities into actionable plans, orchestrates execution across teams, and delivers measurable outcomes.

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the restaurant and hospitality industry, including FOH and BOH operations. This candidate is a trusted advisor who connects big‑picture priorities with day‑to‑day operations.

They combine disciplined execution with adaptability, influence stakeholders at every level, and transform insights into actionable strategies that deliver business impact.

• Support planning and execution of testing and cross‑functional strategic priorities.
• Build and maintain project plans, timelines, trackers, and workbacks; ensure milestones and deadlines are met.
• Prepare clear, data‑driven updates and recaps for PMO leadership and cross‑functional teams.

• Coordinate working sessions with stakeholders across departments to maintain clarity on priorities, next steps, and dependencies.
• Facilitate communication across levels, creating alignment and visibility from project teams to leadership.

• Help identify risks and roadblocks early, escalating concerns to the Director, PMO and functional leads as needed.
• Facilitate the development of recommended mitigation strategies and track resolution progress.

• Facilitate baseline research, data gathering, and insights synthesis to support decision‑making.
• Contribute to creating or refining PMO tools, templates, and processes that improve repeatability, efficiency, and cross‑functional clarity.

• Coordinate cross‑functional initiatives to ensure readiness for restaurant implementation, including documentation, training support, resource planning, and partnership with Field and Operations teams to validate rollout readiness.
• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, and success criteria; track milestones, dependencies, risks, resource needs, and benefits realization.
• Manage stage‑gate activities aligned to initiative complexity, ensuring teams are prepared for pilot, rollout, and broader…