Senior Franchise Operations Manager

We’re working with a fast-growing international hospitality business that is building out its franchise network across multiple markets.

They have ambitious plans for international growth, with several new franchise partners already signed and more territories in the pipeline. As the business grows, they’re now looking for a Senior Franchise Operations Manager to help build the structure, processes and team needed to support that growth.

This is a hands‑on role for someone who knows franchise operations inside out, but who is also comfortable working in a business where not everything is already figured out.

The role

You’ll report into the senior leader responsible for franchise growth and work closely with teams across operations, supply chain, people, food, coffee, marketing, property and technology.

The franchise agreements are being signed. The opportunity now is to make sure the business can properly support those partners once the deal is done.

You’ll take ownership of the journey from signed agreement through to opening and beyond. That means making sure franchise partners know what they need to do, the internal teams know what they need to deliver, and that everyone is working to the same plan.

A big part of the role will be bringing more structure to the way the business operates.

There are lots of good people and a lot of knowledge in the business, but some processes are still being built. You’ll be expected to take a problem, work out how it should be done, document it and then make it repeatable.

You won’t be walking into a finished machine. You’ll be helping build it.

What you’ll be doing

• Own franchise operations from contract signing through to opening and ongoing support
• Lead the mobilisation of new franchise partners across international markets
• Project manage openings from start to finish, working closely with internal teams and franchise partners
• Build clear processes, playbooks and SOPs that can be used across different markets
• Create a consistent way of onboarding, training and supporting franchise partners
• Work closely with supply chain, procurement and operational teams to make sure franchise partners have what they need
• Help build the systems and processes needed to support international growth
• Own franchise audits, brand standards and compliance
• Track franchise performance and identify issues before they become bigger problems
• Act as a senior point of contact for franchise partners and help resolve operational issues
• Work with partners at different levels, from experienced multi‑site operators to smaller groups building their first locations
• Coordinate internal teams and make sure actions are followed through
• Build reporting around openings, partner performance, audits and key operational measures
• Recruit and build a franchise operations team as the network grows
• Develop the people around you and create clear ownership across the function
• Work closely with the senior franchise growth team to make sure development and operations work hand in hand

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who has real franchise operations experience , ideally within hospitality, food, coffee, retail or another multi‑site consumer business.

You’ll probably have:

• Strong experience managing franchise operations across multiple markets
• Experience taking franchise partners from signed agreement through to opening
• A good understanding of franchise mobilisation and what it takes to support partners after they sign
• Experience working with supply chain, procurement, training and operations teams
• Experience creating processes and SOPs from scratch
• The confidence to work with senior franchise partners and business owners
• Experience working across different countries and cultures
• Experience managing or building a team
• The ability to deal with several projects and markets at once
• A practical, hands‑on approach

Most importantly, you’ll be comfortable with a bit of chaos.

This isn’t a role where you’ll be handed a perfect process and asked to manage it. There will be unanswered questions, competing priorities and things that need fixing. We need someone who can work that out without needing everything mapped out for them first.

You’ll need to be confident enough to say, “This isn’t working, here’s how I think we should do it” , and then get on with making it happen.

The opportunity

This is a chance to join a business at an important stage of its international growth.

There is already a franchise pipeline and significant ambition for the number of locations and territories to grow over the coming years. The foundations are being put in place now, so the person joining will have a genuine opportunity to shape how franchise operations works for the business.

You’ll have the autonomy to build the team and structure around you as the network grows.

The role will suit someone who has worked in a larger, more established business and now wants to bring that experience into a growing company where they can actually make a difference.

There will be travel involved, including international travel to work with franchise partners and support new openings.

If you’ve got strong international franchise operations experience and want to help build something rather than simply inherit it, we’d like to hear from you.

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