Jim Reilly

Vice President of People Operations

Jim Reilly is the Vice President of People Operations for Doherty Enterprises. He leads key people functions that support staffing, leadership development, training execution, performance management, and operational growth across the company’s multi-brand restaurant portfolio. His areas of responsibility include Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, performance management processes, people systems and technology, and cross-functional initiatives that support restaurant leaders and teams.

Jim began his restaurant career with McDonald’s in 1986, advancing from Crew Member to Training General Manager. He later moved into training leadership roles with Così, where he supported the brand’s early growth, serving as Regional Training Manager for the New York City market and ultimately as Regional Training Director for the East Coast, supporting markets from Boston to Miami.

Jim joined Doherty Enterprises in 2006 as Regional Training Director for the Panera Bread division, just as it was poised to grow from 10 cafes to its current 50+ locations. As Doherty’s portfolio expanded, his responsibilities grew beyond Panera to include full-service concepts, new restaurant openings, talent acquisition, new brand integrations, and broader cross-functional leadership on companywide people initiatives.

He played a key role in the implementation of UltiPro, Doherty’s HRIS platform, and iCIMS, the company’s applicant tracking system, helping strengthen the infrastructure that supports recruiting, training, performance management, and team member processes across the organization.

Jim’s background in restaurant operations gives him an operator-first approach to People Operations and has helped him build strong credibility with Operations leaders across the company. His work is centered on connecting people strategy to restaurant execution so Doherty’s leaders and teams are supported, developed, and positioned to deliver results.

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