Chief Development Officer - Franchisor

Leap Brands; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Leap Brands is seeking a Chief Development Officer to lead franchise growth, market expansion, development strategy, and overall unit growth across the brand. The ideal candidate will drive strategic franchise development beyond broker management, focusing on site selection, franchise sales, market planning, and scalable growth.

This leader balances brand value with operational readiness to support expansion.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience within franchising, franchise development, real estate, multi-unit growth, or related industries.
• Prior experience in executive-level development roles is preferred.
• Strong understanding of franchise systems, unit economics, and market development.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall franchise development and growth strategy for the organization.
• Oversee franchise sales, development pipeline, territory strategy, and market expansion.
• Drive new unit growth across existing and emerging markets.
• Build relationships with franchise candidates, developers, brokers, landlords, and strategic partners.
• Partner with operations leadership to align development with operational capabilities.
• Oversee site selection, market planning, lease negotiations, and development timelines.
• Improve franchise sales processes, lead generation, conversion, and candidate experience.
• Develop long-term growth plans and white space strategies.
• Evaluate market opportunities, competitive positioning, and growth trends.

Skills

Franchising

Development strategy

Site selection

Franchise sales

Market planning

Growth leadership

Negotiation

Operations alignment

Relationship management

Job description

Leap Brands is partnering with a growing franchisor looking for a Chief Development Officer to lead franchise growth, market expansion, development strategy, and overall unit growth across the brand.

This is not a role for someone who just wants to manage brokers and review pipeline reports. We are looking for a true growth leader who understands franchising, development strategy, site selection, franchise sales, market planning, and how to scale a brand the right way.

The ideal candidate understands that growth is more than just selling franchises. It is about finding the right franchisees, building the right markets, protecting the brand long term, and making sure operations can support the growth being sold.

This role will work closely with executive leadership to drive expansion while balancing franchise development, real estate strategy, operational alignment, and long-term brand value.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall franchise development and growth strategy for the organization
• Oversee franchise sales, development pipeline, territory strategy, and market expansion
• Drive new unit growth across existing and emerging markets
• Build relationships with franchise candidates, developers, brokers, landlords, and strategic partners
• Partner closely with operations leadership to ensure development growth aligns with operational support capabilities
• Oversee site selection, market planning, lease negotiations, and development timelines
• Improve franchise sales processes, lead generation, conversion, and candidate experience
• Develop long-term growth plans and white space strategies
• Evaluate market opportunities, competitive positioning, and growth trends within the industry
• Help refine franchise development messaging, branding, and positioning
• Build and lead development, real estate, and franchise sales teams as the company scales
• Present growth updates, pipeline performance, and development strategy to executive leadership and ownership

Requirements

• Senior leadership experience within franchising, franchise development, real estate, multi-unit growth, or related industries
• Prior experience as a Chief Development Officer, VP of Development, Head of Franchise Development, or similar leadership role preferred
• Strong understanding of franchise systems, unit economics, market development, and site selection
• Proven track record of driving multi-unit franchise growth
• Experience leading franchise sales and development teams
• Strong relationship management and negotiation skills
• Ability to balance aggressive growth with operational discipline
• Experience working in high-growth, founder-led, or private equity-backed environments preferred