Job Summary
The Manager, Learning Innovation is responsible to support the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of workforce learning experiences, technologies, and capabilities across Papa Johns. This role is responsible for modernizing how team members learn through a blended ecosystem of classroom training, digital learning, AI-powered coaching, simulation technologies, and intelligent learning agents. The position assists in identifying emerging learning technologies, ensuring training programs develop the operational, leadership, and digital skills required for future success. A key focus is the creation of AI-enabled learning experiences for restaurant team members, managers, and support center employees, including AI agents, virtual coaches, role-play simulations, operational scenarios, and personalized learning journeys. Working closely with Operations, HR, Technology, and AI Governance stakeholders, the Manager, Learning Innovation helps to drive the evolution of learning from static content delivery to immersive, adaptive, and performance-based development experiences.
Duties and Responsibilities (other duties as assigned)
Simulation-Based Learning
- Assist with the design of immersive simulations and scenario-based learning experiences for frontline restaurant and warehouse operations.
- Develop realistic operational simulations covering:
- Customer service interactions
- Food preparation procedures
- Shift management
- Delivery operations
- Safety and compliance scenarios
- Difficult employee and guest interactions
- Partner with Operations leaders to validate accuracy and business impact.
- Implement practice environments that allow team members to safely learn and fail before applying skills in live restaurant settings.
Training Technology Administration
- Identify and optimize learning technology opportunities including LMS, learning-experience platforms, AI learning tools, content-authoring platforms, and analytics solutions.
- Drive technology integration between learning systems, HR systems, and operational platforms.
- Manage vendor relationships and evaluate emerging technology solutions.
- Develop dashboards and reporting to measure learning effectiveness, adoption, proficiency, and business outcomes.
Learning Content & Curriculum Management
- Oversee traditional and digital content development across operational, leadership, compliance, and professional development programs.
- Establish standards for instructional design, content governance, and learning quality.
- Ensure learning content remains current, relevant, and aligned to business priorities.
- Support development of role-based learning pathways and career progression experiences.
Learning Strategy & Innovation
- Assist with a learning innovation roadmap aligned with business and workforce priorities.
- Execute evaluation of pilots for emerging learning technologies, AI solutions, and digital learning platforms.
- Identify opportunities to improve onboarding, operational training, leadership development, compliance learning, and career development through innovative delivery methods.
- Monitor industry trends in AI, workforce development, simulation technologies, and adaptive learning.
- Monitor and report on success metrics for workforce capability development and learning effectiveness.
AI Learning & Automations
- Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered learning agents or automations that provide just-in-time support, coaching, and knowledge reinforcement.
- Create conversational AI coaches that help restaurant team members practice operational procedures, customer interactions, food safety standards, and leadership skills.
- Partner with Technology teams to build secure and responsible AI learning solutions.
- Ensure all AI-enabled learning experiences align with corporate AI governance standards and responsible AI principles. Assist with creating business cases for AI recommendations.
- Assist with evaluating and implementing AI content generation solutions to accelerate learning-content development
Stakeholder Partnership
- Collaborate with Operations, HR, Technology, Digital, Franchise Services, and Business Leaders to identify capability gaps and training needs.
- Lead pilots and proof-of-concept initiatives to validate learning innovation investments.
- Serve as a thought partner on the future of workplace learning and workforce capability development.
- Facilitate training sessions as needed
Education, Experience & Certifications
- Bachelor's degree in Learning & Development, Organizational Development, Education, Human Resources, Instructional Design, Business, Technology, or related field equivalent related experience.
- 3-5 years of experience in learning, talent development, training technology, instructional design, or workforce development.
- Experience implementing digital learning technologies.
- Experience managing enterprise systems and vendors.
- Strong project-management and stakeholder-management capabilities.
- Experience developing AI-enabled training solutions is preferred.
- Experience with generative AI platforms and AI-agent creation tools is preferred.
Functional Skills
- Experience in training and facilitation
- Learning strategy and workforce capability development
- Instructional design and adult learning theory
- Curriculum architecture and role-based learning pathways
- Generative AI applications for learning and performance support
- Prompt design and AI agent architecture
- Conversational AI and AI-powered coaching design
- AI governance and responsible AI principles
- Adaptive learning technologies and learning-experience platforms
- Learning analytics and data-driven decision making
- Change management and adoption planning
- Cross-functional collaboration with Operations, HR, Technology, and Digital teams
- Executive communication and innovation leadership
