Director of Franchise

Emma – The Sleep Company; Lisboa; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Emma – The Sleep Company seeks a Director of Franchise to own the development and expansion of its European franchise business. You will refine the franchise model, optimize economics, and build capabilities to scale across markets while delivering strong commercial results.

You will lead a high-performing franchise team, design processes and governance, and partner with Retail, Marketing, Operations, Product, and Finance to accelerate growth across Europe.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience with at least 2+ years driving franchise growth or scaling.
• Proven track record building multi-market franchise operations in Europe (France or Germany preferred).
• Deep expertise in franchise development, partner management, and commercial negotiations.
• Strong financial acumen with experience owning P&Ls and data-driven investment decisions.
• Builder mentality with ability to create processes, frameworks, and operating models from the ground up.
• Adaptability and learning agility for new business environments.
• Hands-on operator balancing strategy and execution in a fast-paced setting.
• Ability to bring structure and executional rigor to a rapidly scaling franchise organisation.
• Cross-functional collaboration with Retail, Marketing, Operations, Product, and BD.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the next phase of Emma's franchise expansion strategy across Europe.
• Refine the franchise model, including economics, fee structures, growth strategy, and compliance.
• Own and scale a high-performing Franchise team and develop talent.
• Design and implement processes, governance and operating frameworks to scale efficiently.
• Transition partner-operated stores into a structured franchise model.
• Drive expansion by recruiting and developing top franchise partners across Europe.
• Build strong franchisee relationships with a shared growth vision.
• Own the European Franchise P&L and deliver revenue and margin targets.
• Collaborate with Retail, Marketing, Operations, Product, Finance and Legal.

Skills

Franchise development

Partner management

Commercial negotiations

P&L ownership

Financial acumen

Team leadership

Growth strategy

Franchise scaling

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Ready to lead, disrupt and reinvent the sleep industry?

We are Emma – The Sleep Company. Founded in 2015, we have grown into the world’s largest direct-to-consumer (D2C) sleep brand, with a presence in over 20 markets and more than 35 Emma stores across Europe.

Our mission is simple: to develop sleep comfort products that empower our customers to awaken their best every day. Today, our products are trusted by millions and recommended by leading consumer associations worldwide.

It’sour people who bring this mission to life. At Emma,you’lljoin a driven, international team that values ownership, collaboration, and continuous knowledge sharing. With colleagues from over 70 nationalities, we combine diverse perspectives with a shared ambition to learn, grow, and create lasting impact, together.

Ready to awaken your best with us?

As Director of Franchise, you will own the development and expansion of Emma's European franchise business. You will be responsible for refining our franchise model, accelerating network growth, and building the organisational capabilities needed to scale successfully across markets while delivering strong commercial results.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead the next phase of Emma's franchise expansion strategy, building the structure, capabilities, and operating model required to support ambitious growth across Europe.
• Review, refine, and continuously evolve the franchise model, including economics, fee structures, growth strategy, market prioritization, compliance, and franchisee support programs.
• Own and scale a high-performing Franchise team, developing existing talent while growing the organization to support future expansion.
• Design and implement the processes, governance, and operating frameworks required to scale the business efficiently.
• Lead the transition of Emma's existing network of partner-operated stores into a structured franchise model, ensuring successful adoption and long-term sustainability.
• Drive the expansion of Emma's franchise footprint across Europe by identifying, recruiting, and developing high-quality franchise partners.
• Build strong, long-lasting franchisee relationships, creating alignment around a shared vision for growth and profitability.
• Own the European Franchise P&L, delivering against revenue and contribution margin targets.
• Partner closely with Retail, Marketing, Operations, Product, Finance, Legal, and other key stakeholders to accelerate franchise growth.
• Act as a key member of Emma's Offline Leadership Team, reporting directly to the VP Offline Europe.
• Travel regularly across Europe to support franchise partners, business development activities, and market expansion initiatives.

What We Are Looking For:

• 10+ years of relevant experience, with at least 2+ years driving franchise growth or franchise scaling.
• Proven track record of building and scaling multi-market franchise operations, ideally in France or Germany
• Deep expertise in franchise development, partner management, and commercial negotiations
• Strong financial acumen with experience owning P&Ls, evaluating business performance, and making data-driven investment and growth decisions
• Builder mentality with experience creating processes, frameworks, and operating models from the ground up
• Demonstrated adaptability and learning agility, with the ability to challenge past assumptions and build solutions tailored to new business environments
• Hands-on operator who is comfortable moving between strategy and execution in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to bring structure and executional rigor to a rapidly scaling franchise organisation
• Strong cross-functional collaborator who can align Retail, Marketing, Operations, Product, and Business Development teams behind common goals
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams, including other managers and senior individual contributors
• Background in high-growth, international, and performance-driven environments

Become an Emmie

We are on a mission to become No.1 in the world of sleep, and we’re looking for driven, ambitious people to help us shape what’s next. If you’re curious, hands-on, and ready to challenge the status quo, you’ll find the space here to make things happen and create real impact.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to building an inclusive workplace. We celebrate diversity and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or age.

Our aim is to get back to you within a few days. Due to the high volume of applications, there may be slight delays, but we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.