Vice President, Franchise & Development

Key Responsibilities

• Lead national franchise strategy and market expansion
• Build and manage pipeline, territory plans, and growth forecasting
• Partner with the CEO and executive team on development priorities and investments
• Create scalable systems, reporting, and infrastructure
• Own franchise, real estate, and corporate development budgets
• Build relationships with sophisticated multi-unit operators and developers
• Lead franchise recruitment, networking, and lead generation
• Represent Starbird at industry events
• Evaluate candidates for operational, financial, and cultural fit
• Lead discovery, presentations, and approval processes
• Serve as primary executive contact through the development lifecycle
• Lead real estate strategy, market prioritization, and site approvals
• Partner with franchisees, brokers, and landlords to secure strong locations
• Support site selection, LOIs, lease review, and development timelines
• Collaborate with Construction, Design, and Operations on openings
• Establish scalable development standards and market criteria
• Oversee development from agreements through openings
• Ensure franchisees meet development schedules and commitments
• Manage accurate reporting on deals, pipeline, and market growth
• Oversee FDD updates, agreements, and regulatory compliance with legal
• Support renewals, transfers, restructures, and terminations
• Build systems and tools to support long-term franchise expansion

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred
• 10–12+ years of executive leadership in restaurant, food & beverage, or multi-unit consumer brands
• Proven experience scaling brands across corporate and franchise systems
• Strong relationship builder with a track record of influencing franchise partners
• Expertise in franchise recruitment, territory planning, and restaurant real estate
• Strong financial acumen, negotiation skills, and data-driven decision-making
• High integrity and professionalism
• Experience building scalable franchise infrastructure and systems
• Deep knowledge of restaurant unit economics and development ROI