Director People & Culture - Store Operations

Overview

The Director of People & Culture for Store Operations is responsible for leading the HR business partnership function supporting restaurant operations across all brands and markets at Americana Restaurants. This role translates corporate priorities into consistent, scalable people strategies, policies, and practices that foster a high-performing and stable workforce throughout the store network.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with brand and operations leadership to align workforce and people initiatives with business objectives across the restaurant network.
• Provide strategic human resource counsel to senior operations leaders focusing on workforce planning, leadership development, and organizational efficiency.
• Drive alignment of people initiatives with operational goals such as growth, service quality, and consistency.
• Enforce consistent application of HR policies, processes, and initiatives across multiple brands and countries, balancing global strategy with local market considerations.
• Lead workforce strategies that support network expansion, labor productivity, and operational stability by working closely with Operations and Finance teams.
• Ensure strong talent pipelines and succession plans for restaurant leadership roles across regions.
• Oversee monitoring and analysis of workforce metrics including attrition rates, leadership readiness, and employee engagement, implementing data-driven interventions to enhance operational stability and employee experience.
• Manage employee relations practices ensuring they are fair, consistent, and in line with company values, policies, and legal requirements.
• Promote a culture of accountability, integrity, and respect in the workforce.
• Leverage people analytics to identify risks, trends, and capability gaps, delivering actionable insights to guide leadership decisions and operational planning.
• Coordinate and enforce consistent execution of Human Capital initiatives across markets and ensure clear accountability and impact tracking.
• Partner with Talent and Learning teams to build leadership capabilities for store operations, addressing gaps affecting performance and engagement.
• Act as senior People & Culture liaison for operations leadership, fostering strong partnerships and influencing decision-making through business insights and HR expertise.
• Champion Americana’s core values and leadership standards to maintain and strengthen a performance-driven and engaged workforce.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 15 years’ progressive HR experience, specifically in business partnership roles within large operational environments.
• Demonstrated expertise managing HR functions for extensive, geographically distributed teams.
• Experience in international or multi-country organizational settings.
• Strong background in employee relations, workforce planning, and governance.
• Proficient in employing workforce data and analytics in shaping people strategies and business decisions.

Required Skills

• Strategic HR business partnership
• HR operations management and governance
• Workforce planning and organizational development
• Employee relations and conflict resolution
• Data analytics for HR decision making
• Cross-functional stakeholder management
• Operational leadership and execution rigor
• Problem solving and critical thinking