Enterprise Innovation & People Safety Programs Manager

Enterprise Innovation & People Safety Programs Manager

The Enterprise Innovation & People Safety Programs Manager is responsible for leading enterprise-wide innovation initiatives while owning the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of safety programs across Inspire Brands. This role bridges operational innovation, process improvement, and safety leadership, ensuring new technologies, equipment, processes, and operating models are designed and deployed with safety, compliance, and risk reduction at their core.

This position partners cross-functionally with Operations, Training, Legal, Risk Management, Communications, Technology, and external vendors to deliver scalable innovations that improve operational performance while reducing injury risk and ensuring regulatory compliance. The role manages initiatives end-to-end—from ideation and pilot testing through rollout, measurement, and continuous improvement—while maintaining a strong employee-focused, brand-protection mindset.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Innovation

• Lead cross-functional innovation projects from concept through pilot, deployment, and sustainment, ensuring safety and compliance are embedded in all solutions.
• Evaluate existing restaurant processes, equipment, systems, and workflows to identify inefficiencies, operational risks, and opportunities for innovation.
• Partner with internal teams and external vendors to define project scope, business cases, timelines, and success metrics.
• Develop and implement new operating models, standardized procedures, and tools that improve safety, efficiency, and operational performance.
• Conduct field assessments and operational pilots to validate new solutions, ensuring safe execution and scalability prior to enterprise rollout.
• Create detailed project plans including timelines, resource requirements, budget considerations, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Present project updates, findings, and recommendations to senior leadership through clear, data-driven presentations and reports.
• Maintain documentation for project scope, deliverables, timelines, and outcomes to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Manage project reporting and analytics to track progress, financial impact, operational value, and risk reduction.

People Safety Programs & Risk Management

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve enterprise safety programs, policies, and standards aligned with operational innovation efforts.
• Research, evaluate, and provide safety recommendations on new restaurant equipment, technology, construction materials, and operational processes.
• Design, implement, and oversee people safety training programs and materials in partnership with Training and Operations teams.
• Monitor federal, state, and local safety regulations (OSHA, EPA, ANSI, Fire Marshal, etc.) and ensure compliance across enterprise initiatives.
• Develop required written safety programs and documentation to support regulatory compliance.
• Serve as a primary contact for OSHA, EPA, and other regulatory agencies related to inspections, audits, and violations.
• Support OSHA and other health and safety regulatory reporting and compliance activities.
• Create and maintain safety communications, dashboards, alerts, and SharePoint content to ensure consistent, effective messaging.
• Analyze incident, injury, and claims data to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for risk reduction.
• Develop and monitor leading and lagging safety indicators to measure program effectiveness and impact.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Partner closely with Operations, Legal, Risk Management, Training, Communications, and Brand stakeholders to align innovation and safety priorities.
• Influence without authority by driving alignment across multiple departments and brands.
• Foster a culture of innovation, safety ownership, continuous improvement, and enterprise collaboration.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Industrial Engineering, Project Management, Environmental Health & Safety, or a related field (required)
• Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or equivalent credential preferred or required upon hire

Experience

• 2+ years of project management experience, with a proven track record of leading cross-functional projects (preferred).
• 2+ years of experience in operations innovation or process improvement (preferred).
• 3+ years of experience in multi-unit restaurant leadership or similar operational roles (preferred).
• Working knowledge of safety regulations, risk management, and compliance programs
• Experience evaluating or implementing new equipment, technology, or operational processes

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage complex, cross-functional initiatives
• Deep working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, ANSI, and general safety and risk management practices
• Excellent analytical skills with strong data interpretation and dashboarding capabilities
• Ability to translate operational and safety data into actionable insights
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills in dynamic environments
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills for executive and field audiences
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, timelines, and deliverables simultaneously
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and collaboration tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI, Teams, SharePoint, etc.)
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Employee-focused, brand-protective mindset with a collaborative leadership style

Environmental & Working Conditions

• Normal internal support center working environment
• Approximately 20–25% travel, including overnight and occasional weekend travel

Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,000 Arby's, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin', Jimmy John's, and SONIC restaurants worldwide. We're made up of some of the world's most iconic restaurant brands, but we're much more than just a restaurant company. We're a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it's an experience. At Inspire, that's our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.