Pizza Patron Director of Growth & Development

Pizza Patron- Director of Growth & Development

At Pizza Patrón, we believe exceptional guest experiences begin with exceptional people. We are seeking a dynamic, hands-on, and visionary Director of Growth & Development to lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of our learning, leadership, and development programs across the organization.

This role is responsible for creating a culture of growth by developing our team members, managers, and future leaders through impactful training, coaching, and career development opportunities. The Director of Growth & Development will partner closely with Operations, Human Resources, and Executive Leadership to ensure our people have the tools, skills, and support needed to deliver outstanding results for our guests, teams, and business.

The ideal candidate possesses a "roll up your sleeves" mentality, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and understands that developing people is the foundation of operational excellence, guest satisfaction, and long-term business growth.

Position Overview

The Director of Growth & Development will lead all aspects of training, leadership development, organizational learning, and guest experience initiatives. This position will build scalable programs that improve performance, increase retention, strengthen leadership pipelines, and drive operational consistency across all restaurants.

This role serves as a key strategic partner in developing future leaders while ensuring our restaurants consistently deliver an exceptional guest experience.

Key Responsibilities

Learning & Development Strategy

• Create, develop, and implement comprehensive Team Member, Shift Leader, Management, and Leadership Development programs.
• Design and maintain career development pathways that support internal promotions and succession planning.
• Build and execute a long-term learning and development strategy aligned with company growth objectives.
• Develop and organize training manuals, operational resources, visual aids, e-learning content, and educational materials.
• Maintain and continuously improve training systems, platforms, and learning resources, including Dough Lab and related learning management tools.
• Develop effective onboarding and transition processes for all trainees and newly promoted leaders.

Leadership Development & Culture

• Create programs that identify, develop, and prepare future restaurant and corporate leaders.
• Conduct routine restaurant visits to coach teams, assess engagement levels, strengthen culture, and develop leadership capabilities.
• Follow up with trainees after completion of training to ensure successful application and retention of learned skills.
• Conduct bi-annual leadership development workshops for management teams.
• Serve as a trusted coach and mentor to General Managers, Area Coaches, Trainers, and Operations leaders.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, accountability, coaching, and professional growth throughout the organization.

Operational Excellence & Guest Experience

• Lead and oversee the Guest Experience Program to improve guest satisfaction, loyalty, and service standards.
• Train General Managers and Area Coaches on effective guest recovery and complaint resolution strategies.
• Ensure all restaurants meet or exceed operational, quality, food safety, and guest service standards.
• Partner with Operations to identify performance trends and develop solutions that improve restaurant execution.
• Identify operational, behavioral, and leadership gaps and implement development plans to improve performance.
• Increase sales and profitability through effective people development, operational training, and leadership coaching.

Training Operations & New Restaurant Growth

• Partner with Area Coaches to develop and certify Training Restaurants within each market.
• Create, develop, and manage a high-performing Grand Opening ("GO") Team to support new restaurant openings.
• Assist with the planning, launch, training, and execution of New Restaurant Ope