Manager, Franchise Communications - Learning & Development

JOB SUMMARY Denny's is seeking an experienced Internal and Franchise Communications Manager with a passion for building brand love. In this transformative role within the People Department, you will partner with the Senior Manager of Engagement and People Narratives to develop and execute a comprehensive communications strategy for internal stakeholders throughout our Brand, including franchise... owners and restaurant teams. The ideal candidate is organized, diplomatic, and capable of leveraging influence throughout the organization to build strong relationships and trust, develop effective narratives, and creatively engage with audiences. Most importantly, this candidate must love writing! Our department uses words to serve and empower everyone from the executives in an office to the servers in the dining room to find success within Denny's. We love to feed people's bodies, minds & souls with our greatest tool-words! Candidates will be asked to submit writing samples. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (Key Responsibilities) Content Creation and Management: • Support the creation of engaging content across multiple formats (articles, videos, podcasts, social media posts) that highlights the diverse stories within the Denny's community. • Serve as a Brand steward, ensuring content is compelling, brand-aligned, and tailored to the intended audience, whether for Support Centers, Restaurants, or Franchisees. • Manage a calendar of Brand internal communications channels and content coming from all departments to ensure efficient and collaborative communication efforts/strategies. • Serve as the primary copy writer for internal communications to all stakeholder audiences. • Write, edit and post communications on Ignite, Denny's internal platform. • Collect and develop Townhall content. Engagement and Collaboration: • Collaborate with marketing, operations, and other departments to ensure a unified approach to Brand narratives. • Support external storytellers (PR, for example) by discovering and providing key content in a timeline manner for external brand promotion. • Provide strategic and executional communications support for members of the Denny's leadership team as assigned. • Write and edit Denny's weekly Digest and Monthly Dish. • Evaluation and Reporting: • Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of storytelling initiatives in achieving engagement goals. • Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies and tactics for continuous improvement. • Report on the impact of communication initiatives to senior leadership, providing insights and recommendations for future efforts. • Stakeholder Engagement: • Work cross-functionally with Denny's People leaders to develop effective narratives and channels to engage with various stakeholders at all levels of the organization. • Coordinate with different departments to gather information and stories that can be communicated to internal audiences. Education: • Bachelor's degree is required, preferably in Hospitality, Languages, Communications, or a related field. Experience Requirements: • 5-6 years of experience in communications, with emphasis on written communication. • Experience writing for a variety of audiences. Essential Functions: • Content Creation and Management: • Support the creation of engaging content across multiple formats (articles, videos, podcasts, social media posts) that highlights the diverse stories within the Denny's community. • Serve as a Brand steward, ensuring content is compelling, brand-aligned, and tailored to the intended audience, whether for Support Centers, Restaurants, or Franchisees. • Manage a calendar of Brand internal communications channels and content coming from all departments to ensure efficient and collaborative communication efforts/strategies. • Serve as the primary copy writer for internal communications to all stakeholder audiences. • Write, edit and post communications on Ignite, Denny's internal platform. • Collect and develop Townhall content. • Engagement and Collaboration: • Collaborate with marketing, operations, and other departments to ensure a unified approach to Brand narratives. • Support external storytellers (PR, for example) by discovering and providing key content in a timeline manner for external brand promotion. • Provide strategic and executional communications support for members of the Denny's leadership team as assigned. • Write and edit Denny's weekly Digest and Monthly Dish. • Evaluation and Reporting: • Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of storytelling initiatives in achieving engagement goals. • Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies and tactics for continuous improvement. • Report on the impact of communication initiatives to senior leadership, providing insights and recommendations for future efforts. • Stakeholder Engagement: • Work cross-functionally with Denny's People leaders to develop effective narratives and channels to engage with various stakeholders at all levels of the organization. • Coordinate with different departments to gather information and stories that can be communicated to internal audiences. Education: • Bachelor's degree is required, preferably in Hospitality, Languages, Communications, or a related field. Experience Requirements: • 5-6 years of experience in communications, with emphasis on written communication. • Experience writing for a variety of audiences. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS • Skilled at building strategic relationships across functions and seniority levels. • Ability to write clean and effective communication for our Brand storytellers at any level. • Advanced organizational skills, ability to work to deadlines, and attention to detail. • Strong background in communications, including excellent writing, editing, and speaking skills. • Comfort working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with the ability to support multiple projects at one time. • Passion for all things involving effective communication, displaying a growth mindset and the ability and interest to innovate. • Ability to distill and shape storytelling from an employee point of view. • Proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Teams). • Experience in a franchise business is a plus. • Experience in hospitality is a plus. • Experience building effective PowerPoint decks is a plus. • Enthusiasm, creativity, collaboration, positivity, and an entrepreneurial spirit are critical-no matter the size of the project