Franchise Operations Director – Growth & NSO

Taste Buds Kitchen - HQ; Chester (MD); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Opportunity for advancement

Paid time off

Training & development

Vision insurance

401(k) matching

Competitive salary

Dental insurance

Employee discounts

Job summary

Taste Buds Kitchen - HQ seeks a Director of Operations to lead and scale its franchise network as it grows from 26 to 50+ units. You will bridge corporate strategy with on-the-ground execution, leading an expanding operations team and ensuring profitability and consistency across locations.

You will drive NSO readiness, governance, and cross-functional rollout programs while maintaining strong franchisee relationships and delivering data-driven performance improvements.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years in multi-unit operations leadership.
• 3–5 years leading operations within a fast-growing franchise system.
• Proven track record in franchise coaching, franchisee relationships, unit economics, and NSOs.
• Strong leadership, executive communication, and negotiation skills.
• Fluency in P&Ls, Prime Cost management, and unit economics benchmarking.
• Hybrid work: 2–3 days in-person at Corporate HQ in Chester, MD.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor the corporate operations team to support franchisee success.
• Design and scale regional field coaching model with studio-visit cadences and audit standards.
• Analyze unit economics using monthly P&Ls and system scorecard to drive coaching.
• Oversee NSO execution for 15–20 new studios over 18 months.
• Set annual and quarterly rollout calendars for initiatives, tech updates, and product launches.
• Coordinate cross-functional rollout workflows with Marketing, Culinary, Systems and Onboarding.

Skills

Leadership

Franchise coaching

Franchisee relations

Unit economics

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional leadership

Hybrid work

Job description

Taste Buds Kitchen - HQ seeks a Director of Operations to lead and scale its franchise network as it grows from 26 to 50+ units. You will bridge corporate strategy with on-the-ground execution, leading an expanding operations team and ensuring profitability and consistency across locations.

You will drive NSO readiness, governance, and cross-functional rollout programs while maintaining strong franchisee relationships and delivering data-driven performance improvements.