Chief Marketing Officer - Restaurant Franchisor

The Mission

As our inaugural CMO, you will be responsible for taking a proven proof-of-concept and architecting the global "operating system" for its expansion. Your primary objective is to drive system-wide sales while lowering the cost-per-acquisition for new franchise partners. You will bridge the gap between private equity-level strategic planning and the "grit" required for local store marketing execution.

Core Responsibilities

1. Franchise Development Marketing (B2B)

• Pipeline Generation: Develop and execute high-precision lead generation campaigns targeting multi-unit developers and private equity-backed operators.

• Brand Authority: Position the founder and the brand as thought leaders within the franchise industry to drive organic interest and "earned" media.

• Sales Enablement: Create the "Franchise Disclosure Document" (FDD) support materials, discovery day presentations, and investor decks that convert leads into signed agreements.

2. Consumer Brand & Performance (B2C)

• National Brand Architecture: Refine the visual identity, tone of voice, and value proposition to ensure the brand is "exportable" across diverse geographic markets.

• Digital Ecosystem: Oversee the 2026-standard marketing stack, including AI-driven loyalty programs, super-app integrations (Grab, UberEats, etc.), and first-party data collection.

• Menu & Innovation: Work alongside the R&D team to ensure new products or services are not only operationally viable but possess high "viral velocity" for social commerce.

3. Franchisee Support & Field Marketing

• The Playbook: Develop a standardized "Grand Opening" and "Local Store Marketing" (LSM) playbook that allows new franchisees to hit breakeven within their first six months.

• Ad Fund Management: Establish and manage the System-wide Marketing Fund, providing transparent reporting to the Board and the Franchisee Advisory Council.

• Compliance & Consistency: Implement brand-compliance software to ensure thousands of local social media accounts maintain global standards while allowing for necessary local flavor.

Candidate Profile & Requirements

• The "Dual-Brain" Marketer: You must possess the analytical rigor to report on ROAS and EBITDA multiples while having the creative intuition to lead a brand-defining campaign.

• Franchise Fluency: Minimum of 7–10 years of senior marketing leadership, preferably with experience in a high-growth franchise system or a private equity-backed startup.

• Tech-Forward: Expert-level understanding of 2026 marketing technologies, including automated CRM workflows, hyper-local SEO, and influencer-led social commerce.

• Communication: Exceptional ability to influence franchisees (who are independent business owners, not employees) and the Board of Directors.