Associate Manager, Product Pipeline Marketing (IHOP)

Dine Brands Global; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Dine Brands Global, based in Pasadena, California, is seeking an Associate Manager, Product Pipeline Marketing for IHOP to drive product innovation and manage market testing across the menu pipeline.

You will collaborate with Insights, Culinary, and Product Marketing to develop concepts, supervise testing plans, and present data-driven recommendations to leadership, helping to deliver craveable experiences at scale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 3–4 years of relevant experience or MBA with 1–2 years of relevant experience.
• Professional experience in product development or brand management in national restaurant or consumer packaged goods environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and strong presentation abilities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and data analysis fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Identify and brainstorm product and value opportunities based on trends, research, sales, and competitive insights.
• Partner with Insights, Culinary, and Product Marketing to brief and bring menu concepts to life.
• Track development status, CI research, and new ingredient formulation.
• Lead bi-weekly alignment meetings for pipeline projects.
• Prepare and present recommendations to department leadership.
• Co-design and implement testing plans including concept screeners and taste tests.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional partners to execute tests and launches.

Skills

Presentation skills

Written and verbal communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

10 West Walnut Street Pasadena, CA 91103

Based in Pasadena, California, Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), through its subsidiaries and franchisees, supports and operates restaurants under the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar®, IHOP®, and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop® brands. As of December 28, 2025, these three brands consisted of over 3,500 restaurants across 20 international markets. Dine Brands is one of the largest full-service restaurant companies in the world and in 2022 expanded into the Fast Casual segment. For more information on Dine Brands, visit the Company’s website located at www.dinebrands.com.

The Role

IHOP is looking for an Associate Manager, Product Pipeline Marketing to facilitate product innovation and execute market testing to deliver craveable experiences for millions of guests. If you’re passionate about food, insights, and bringing bold ideas to life, we want to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities

Product & Pipeline Development

• Identify and brainstorm product and value opportunities based on trends, research, sales, and competitive insights, and articulate how they support IHOP’s business goals
• Partner with Consumer Insights, Culinary, and Product Marketing team leader to brief and bring new menu pipeline product concepts to life.
• Track status of culinary brief development, CI research, and new ingredient formulation development.
• Lead bi-weekly alignment meetings for updates and reviews on all pipeline projects.
• Support food show planning to facilitate reviews of new menu innovation through key stage gates of approval.
• Prepare & present recommendations to department leader.

Testing & Execution

• Co-design and implement testing plans including concept screeners, operational shakedowns, consumer taste tests, and in-market tests.
• Execute tests by collaborating across Restaurant Excellence, Brand Creative, Consumer Insights, Supply Chain, and franchise partners to implement.
• Present test and launch plans with clarity and enthusiasm to internal audiences.
• Analyze results in partnership with Business Analytics to present fact-based recommendations and business cases to department leadership.

Business Acumen

• Provide timely updates on project performance and potential executional flags to your manager and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Develop strong cross-functional relationships for effective project collaboration.
• Monitor business performance and industry trends to become a category expert.
• Apply critical thinking to data to distill product insights comprised of key attributes, consumer benefits, and reasons to believe for briefing to internal and agency creative teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and 3-4 years of relevant experience OR
• MBA Degree and 1-2 years of relevant experience
• Professional experience in product development or brand management in national restaurant or consumer packaged goods (CPG) environments.
• High level of accuracy with an eye for detail and basic understanding of business and performance data analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to establish strong working relationships with internal/external partners
• Passion for food and consumer insights.
• Ability to prioritize, problem-solve and respond quickly to changes in direction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong presentation skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Target Salary $95k-$105k depending on experience

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Dine Brands Global strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, veteran status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act and/or other applicable laws and regulations in other jurisdictions.

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