Business Development Manager - Restaurant Franchise Expansion (Restaurant / QSR Experience Pref[...]

Apex Growth Talent; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading franchise development firm in India is seeking a Business Development Manager to oversee franchise growth and strategic partnerships. You will manage the complete lifecycle from partner evaluation to commercial closure, with a focus on location identification and relationship management. The ideal candidate will have 7-10 years of experience in franchise development, strong real estate knowledge, and excellent negotiation skills. This role requires extensive travel across multiple cities, particularly in Northern and Western India.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of experience in franchise development or business development for QSR.
• Expertise in deep deal closures across franchise and expansion execution.
• Strong exposure to real estate identification and rentals.

Responsibilities

• Manage franchise and JV pipeline, ensuring alignment with brand standards.
• Identify and evaluate locations for franchise setup.
• Coordinate with internal teams for smooth franchise onboarding.

Skills

Franchise development

Business development

Real estate knowledge

Negotiation skills

Commercial acumen

Job description

Please submit your resume in PDF format only, and kindly read the JD in its entirety.

ROLE OVERVIEW

This is a hands-on franchise growth role with real ownership, sitting at the intersection of franchisee selection and real estate decision-making.

You will own the end-to-end lifecycle, from partner evaluation and location identification to commercial closure and early-stage relationship management.

ROLE DETAILS

• Role: Business Development Manager
• Experience Required: 7+ years
• Client’s Industry: Hospitality Group (QSR, B2B Catering, International Dining) | ₹15 to 20 Crore Revenue Range
• Travel Requirements: Extensive (Multi-city, with a focus on Northern & Western parts of India)
• Employment Type: Full-time
• Work Arrangement: Work from Office (WFO) + On-Site Travel
• Working Days: Mon-Sat

ABOUT THE CLIENT’S COMPANY

Our client is a modern South Indian fast-casual brand built for scale.

Operating on a disciplined franchise and JV-led expansion model, they maintain an asset-light structure with strong unit economics and tightly controlled SOPs.

As they enter the next phase of national expansion, the focus is on building the right partnerships and securing the right locations at the right cost.

The brand is specifically targeting non-South Indian markets where category demand is strong and organized players are limited. This role is 100% focused on this specific brand’s growth.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. FRANCHISE GROWTH & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

• Build and manage a high-quality franchise and JV pipeline, evaluating partners for financial capability, operating mindset, and long-term alignment.
• Lead structured discussions, negotiations, and closures with franchise and JV partners to ensure every partnership meets the brand’s financial and execution standards.
• Represent the brand with credibility and clarity in all external conversations.

2. LOCATION IDENTIFICATION & COMMERCIAL FINALIZATION

• Own location identification, evaluation, and final recommendation in parallel with franchisee finalization.
• Work with brokers, landlords, and franchisees to shortlist viable sites by assessing micro-markets, catchments, visibility, and demand potential.
• Lead rental negotiations to ensure timely closures at the right cost structure and ensure location economics align with unit-level profitability benchmarks.

3. PROCESS-LED EXPANSION DISCIPLINE

• Follow and enforce the franchise and JV evaluation process without shortcuts, maintaining strong CRM, documentation, and approval discipline.
• Coordinate closely with legal, finance, operations, and brand teams for sign-offs, ensuring clean handovers from closure to onboarding and launch teams.

4. FRANCHISE ONBOARDING & EARLY RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

• Act as the single-point bridge between franchise partners and internal teams, supporting franchisees through onboarding, setup, and pre-launch readiness.
• Set expectations clearly upfront to avoid post-signing friction and build long-term trust and professional relationships with partners.

5. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COORDINATION & STRATEGY

• Support city prioritization, rollout sequencing, and expansion planning inputs.
• Share structured market and real estate insights with leadership.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

a) Must-Haves:

• Experience: 7–10 years in franchise development or business development for QSR, food retail, or consumer brands.
• Deal Closure Expertise: Deep hands-on experience across franchise closures, partner negotiations, and expansion execution.
• Real Estate Knowledge: Strong exposure to real estate identification, rentals, and commercial negotiations.
• Market Exposure: Significant on-ground exposure in markets outside South India (North & West India focus).
• Capex Handling: Experience working with mid-to-large capex formats (₹40–50L).

b) Nice-to-Haves:

• Candidates from scaled QSR brands with large, disciplined franchise networks.

c) Attributes & Mindset:

• Ownership: High ownership mindset; thinks long-term, not transactional.
• Commercial Acumen: Structured, process-driven, and commercially sharp with strong judgment on partner quality and location viability.
• Credibility: Confident and credible with franchise investors and landlords.
• Founder Alignment: Strong alignment with founder-led, quality-first brand building.

REPORTING STRUCTURE

This role will report directly to the Founder / Growth Leadership.

Apex Growth Talent and/or its representatives never charge any fees or money at any stage of the recruitment process. We will never ask for OTPs, bank details, credit/debit card information, PAN, Aadhaar numbers, tax documents, or investment reports.