What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Workforce Planning position at Panda Restaurant Group?
Summary of Job Description:
The Director, Workforce Planning is responsible for advancing Panda’s labor strategy through data-driven planning, performance insights, and operational partnership. This role enables enterprise workforce efficiency by developing scalable labor models, providing actionable analytics, and supporting innovation across scheduling, deployment, and workforce systems.
Job Responsibilities:
- Develops and refines labor scheduling and deployment models to improve accuracy, efficiency, and alignment with business priorities in partnership with Operations, Finance, and HR.
- Analyzes labor utilization and performance trends to assess deployment effectiveness, identify improvement opportunities, and provide actionable insights to Operations.
- Partners with other teams to develop innovations in automation, analytics, scheduling strategies, deployment models, process improvements, and scalable workforce solutions to enhance labor efficiency.
- Evaluates labor implications of menu, product, process, design, and equipment changes, translating impacts into labor hours, deployment needs, and labor cost considerations.
- Partners with Finance to forecast labor costs, build scenario-based workforce plans, identify savings opportunities, and establish labor efficiency targets.
- Leads change management strategies and training plans to support adoption and optimization of workforce planning systems, tools, and labor efficiency initiatives.
- Leads benchmarking efforts to compare against industry standards, best practices, and emerging trends to inform innovation in scheduling, deployment, and efficiency.
- Enhances workforce planning systems, tools, and models by partnering with IS teams to implement improvements that strengthen labor planning, scheduling, analytics, and decision making.
Work Environment:
- Office conditions; travel up to 20% to domestic stores
How we reward you:
- Hybrid work schedule
- 401K with company match
- Yearly bonus opportunity*
- Full medical, dental, and vision insurance *
- On-site fitness center, biometric screen, and flu shot clinic
- Discounts at Panda restaurants, theme parks, and gym memberships
- Paid time off starting at 15 days with 7 federal holidays*
- Continuous education assistance and scholarships*
- Income protection including Disability, Life and AD&D insurance*
- Bereavement leave*
*Benefits available for eligible permanent full time associates
Your background and experience:
- Bachelor’s degree required
- 10 years of experience in workforce planning, labor analytics, operations finance, or related field, .with increasing management responsibility; experience working cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, HR, and Technology teams and familiarity with workforce systems, scheduling tools, and data platforms
- Successful completion of initial and periodically required trainings.
- Obtaining a valid Food Handler's Card within 30 days of employment is a requirement of this position.
Pay Range: M4: $161,000 - $226,000 / Annual
* Within the range, individual pay is determined using various factors, including work location and experience.
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Panda Strong since 1983:
Founded in Glendale, California, we are now the largest family-owned American Chinese Restaurant concept in America. With close to 2,800 locations globally, we continue our mission of delivering exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives. Whether it’s impacting our team or the communities we work in, we’re proud to be an organization that embraces family values.
You’re wanted here:
Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal opportunity, and does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by law, including but not limited to sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related conditions), gender expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, and veteran status. Additionally, Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. complies with all federal, state, and local laws regarding requests for workplace accommodation. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability. Applicants are entitled to reasonable accommodations, absent undue hardship, to effectively participate in the application and hiring process, for example, sign language interpreters. If you believe you require an accommodation for the application or interview process or for the position for which you are applying, please reach out to TASupport@PandaRG.com.
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Salary : $161,000 - $226,000