Director of Learning & Development

Description

Innovative Dining Group (IDG) is seeking a strategic, culture- and hospitality-driven Director of Learning & Development to lead companywide training, leadership development, hospitality standards, and operational training across our restaurant portfolio. This field-focused role will build the training foundation that develops our people, strengthens service, supports restaurant operations, and ensures IDG standards are effectively trained and consistently executed.

Regular travel to all restaurant locations is required. 

Position Summary

The Director of Learning & Development will build and lead IDG’s training function, establishing the programs, standards, and processes that develop our people and create a consistent hospitality experience across the organization. This includes owning and strengthening new restaurant opening training, management and employee onboarding, leadership development, operational service standards, SOPs, and ongoing team development. 

The Director will work across Human Resources, Operations, Culinary, and restaurant leadership to translate IDG’s culture, standards, and hospitality expectations into meaningful training and development experiences that prepare our teams to deliver with confidence and consistency. This is a highly field-focused role with direct involvement in restaurant training, new openings, and ongoing development across IDG’s portfolio.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to:

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT:

• Lead IDG’s company-wide training strategy for managers and hourly team members. 
• Design, implement, and evaluate training programs based on business needs, role expectations, and identified development gaps. 
• Build and maintain training materials, manuals, SOPs, job aids, checklists, and position-specific training programs. 
• Establish consistent training standards across locations while incorporating concept-specific requirements. 
• Develop and maintain IDG’s Certified Trainer Program and Manager Certification Program. 
• Assess training effectiveness through field observation, feedback, completion data, and performance results. 
• Build a culture of continuous learning and development across the organization.

HOSPITALITY & SERVICE STANDARDS:

• Develop and maintain IDG’s hospitality and service standards in partnership with Operations.
• Translate IDG’s culture, service philosophy, and hospitality expectations into clear, practical training and development programs.
• Enhance, develop and implement service benchmarks, steps of service, and standards testing across concepts. 
• Conduct regular restaurant visits to observe service and training execution and provide coaching and feedback. 
• Identify service and hospitality gaps and develop training solutions to address them. 
• Ensure hospitality standards are consistently reinforced throughout onboarding, leadership development, and ongoing training.

ONBOARDING & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT:

• Own the training and development components of the employee and management onboarding experience, including orientation, training plans, welcome materials, and role-specific development. 
• Develop and implement individualized training and development plans for new management hires in partnership with General Managers, VPs of Operations, and Human Resources. 
• Oversee 30-, 60-, and 90-day check-ins for new managers in partnership with HR and restaurant leadership. 
• Develop leadership training focused on coaching, communication, performance management, accountability, employee engagement, and team development. 
• Partner with HR and Operations to identify and develop high-potential employees and future leaders. 
• Support internal career development through cross-training, certification, task force assignments, and other development opportunities.
• Co-lead and implement a structured leadership development program with the VP of Human Resources to strengthen the people management, communication, coaching, and leadership capabilities of IDG’s restaurant leaders.

TRAINING INFRUSTRUCTURE, TECHNOLOGY & COMPLIANCE:

• Build IDG’s companywide training infrastructure from the ground up, establishing the programs, processes, standards, and resources that create a consistent foundation for training and development.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive library of SOPs, training manuals, job aids, checklists, and position-specific training materials in partnership with Operations and other relevant departments.
• Establish clear training requirements and learning paths across roles, from new hire onboarding through management and leadership development.
• Create consistent processes for delivering, tracking, and evaluating training across locations, with the structure and flexibility to support IDG’s continued growth and expansion.
• Own the implementation, training, and ongoing support of new and existing restaurant systems and technology, ensuring effective adoption, troubleshooting, and integration into restaurant operations.\
• Own required compliance and standards training, including harassment prevention, discrimination prevention, and other applicable requirements.
• Partner with Marketing to support training and compliance related to marketing standards, brand requirements, and other applicable marketing practices.
• Oversee quarterly audits of required licenses, certifications, and training completion, including ServSafe, TIPS, food handler certifications, and other applicable credentials.

NEW RESTAURANT OPENINGS:

• Co-lead the project management of all new restaurant openings in partnership with the VPs of Operations, VP of Construction and VP of HR with a focus on People, Training, and operational readiness. 
• Lead weekly NRO meetings with key internal stakeholders to establish priorities, track deliverables, address challenges, and keep the opening timeline on track via Asana.
• Develop and maintain opening timelines, milestones, training plans, and readiness checklists, ensuring teams meet deadlines and critical deliverables are completed on time. 
• Own and oversee management onboarding, team member orientation, and operational training to ensure pre-opening readiness. 
• Partner with Operations and Culinary to ensure staffing, training, service standards, SOPs, and operational requirements are in place before opening. 
• Support Friends & Family and other opening events to evaluate team readiness, service execution, and training needs. 
• Provide hands-on support during opening and post-opening periods and incorporate lessons learned into future NRO planning and training.

FIELD PRESENCE & PARTNERSHIP:

• Maintain a regular presence in IDG restaurants to lead training, coach leaders, observe service, and evaluate training execution.
• Oversee IDG’s Manager Certification Program to ensure consistency, effectiveness, and alignment with IDG’s leadership and hospitality standards; regularly evaluate and refresh the program as needed. 
• Conduct training and standards audits within each restaurant on a regular cadence.
• Document audit findings and establish clear follow-up actions with restaurant leadership. 
• Partner with General Managers, VPs of Operations, Culinary leaders, and HR to address training and development opportunities.
• Identify recurring training gaps across locations and develop solutions that can be applied consistently across the organization. 
• Provide HR and Operations leadership with insights and recommendations based on field observations, training results, and leadership development needs.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years of progressive experience in hospitality, restaurant leadership, training and development, or a related field; multi-unit restaurant experience strongly preferred. 
• Deep understanding of IDG’s culture, hospitality standards, restaurant operations, and leadership expectations, with the ability to translate that knowledge into meaningful training and development opportunities. 
• Demonstrated ability to assess training and development needs through observation, business performance, employee feedback, and direct partnership with restaurant leadership. 
• Experience building and implementing training programs, SOPs, service standards, onboarding programs, and leadership development initiatives across multiple locations. 
• Proven experience leading or supporting new restaurant openings, including training, onboarding, readiness, and cross-functional coordination. 
• Strong understanding of restaurant hospitality and the ability to translate brand and service expectations into clear, practical training. 
• Experience developing and coaching restaurant leaders, with a strong understanding of people management, communication, and leadership development. 
• Strong project management, facilitation, communication, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders. 
• Experience with restaurant technology and operational systems, with the ability to learn and effectively train teams on new platforms. 
• Demonstrated ability to build sustainable training processes and infrastructure that can evolve with the organization’s growth.
• Strong field presence and willingness to spend significant time in IDG restaurants and travel regularly across locations.