Franchise Development Manager

Inspire; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Inspire Brands seeks a Franchise Development Manager to drive growth across the United States by securing development commitments and guiding candidates through the application and approval process. The role requires leading a sales strategy with cross-functional teams, recruiting, and navigating development timelines.

The ideal candidate has 3+ years of franchise development or sales experience, strong interpersonal and negotiation skills, and proficiency with CRM systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum three (3) years franchise development or sales experience.
• Preferred 4+ years in franchise industry; multi-brand experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Territory management: define opportunities, segments, targets and forecasts.
• Sourcing, qualification and advancement of franchisee candidates through approval.
• Navigate development process and Franchise Disclosure Documents.
• Identify opportunities and manage deals from sourcing to close.
• Collaborate with Development, Operations, Finance and Legal teams.
• Maintain timely and accurate administration of tasks.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Sales experience

Written communication

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial acumen

CRM knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

CRM software

Job description

This position will be responsible for growing and expanding Inspire Brands by securing development commitments throughout the United States. The Franchise Development Manager leads the franchise sales process from lead generation and screening, shepherding franchisee candidates through the application process, matching prospective franchisees with the right development opportunities, and successfully navigating the franchisee qualification process, including operational approvals of franchisee candidates. The individual must possess the ability to drive a high level of engagement with cross-functional teams to devise a sales strategy, deploy localized recruitment plans and interact and communicate with existing franchisees and external franchise candidates alike.

Responsibilities

• Territory Management: Develop and execute a strategy that defines opportunities, addresses sourcing and recruitment, includes segmentation/targets, and constructs forecasts
• Inspire Brands Franchisee Targets: Fully understand and consistently apply models, requirements, qualifications, metrics and benchmarks when sourcing and qualifying potential new franchisees and existing franchisee candidates for new opportunities. Advance franchisee candidates through the franchisee approval process.
• Development Agreement Process: Fully understand and navigate Inspire Brands’ Development process, including deep knowledge of the Franchise Disclosure Document, all related document requirements, key stakeholders, processes, and timelines. Ensure timely and efficient management of the process.
• Deal Negotiation:Identify opportunities and navigate deals from sourcing and qualification to close. Conduct a thorough qualification of all prospective franchisee candidates, coordinating internal resources as needed. Ensure deals move through the process effectively and efficiently – ensure all appropriate details and requirements are met.
• Collaboration: Work across all teams (Development, Operations, Finance, Legal, etc.) to ensure alignment and support. Proactively engage stakeholders with updates, challenges and opportunities.
• Administration: Ensure timeliness and accuracy of all administration requirements.

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required.

Experience Qualification

• Minimum three (3) years+ franchise development or sales experience.
• Preferred 4+ years’ experience in franchise industry (restaurant segment in franchise sales a plus).
• Preferred multi-brand experience.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS Or ABILITIES

• Excellent interpersonal skills and proven sales track record.
• Strong written and communication skills, and working knowledge of Customer Relationship Management Systems.
• General business and commercial capabilities including strong financial acumen
• Ability to effectively negotiate with small and medium-sized businesses as well as scaled organizations.
• Familiarity with Franchise Disclosure Documents, as well as Franchise and Development agreements.
• Ability to interface and maintain excellent professional relationships with a variety of constituents that are material to the franchise development process.
• Ability to successfully work on teams with cross-functional partners and field-based team members.
• Ability to multi-task by executing multiple projects with timely follow-through and deliver on deadlines.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Powerpoint, Word and Excel.

Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,300 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide. We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.