Carl's Jr. Franchise Operations Vice President

About the Company

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., a privately held company based in Franklin, Tennessee, runs and operates Carl's Jr.® and Hardee's® restaurants, two beloved brands, known for premium and innovative menu items such as iconic charbroiled burgers, Made from Scratch™ Biscuits and Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™. With both a U.S. and international footprint, Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardee's Restaurants LLC have over 3,800 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states and more than 35 international markets and U.S. territories.

About the Role

The VP of Carl’s Jr. Franchise Operations is responsible for providing strategic brand direction to the franchise business while leading teams to drive sales and profitability, while protecting brand integrity, upholding standards, and delivering system compliance. This role has direct ownership, oversight, and accountability for brand franchise performance targets including operating standards, P&Ls, growth plans, market level execution, guest satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and franchisee health.

Responsibilities

• Deliver P&L targets for franchise business verticals at the market, regional, and brand level including SSS, variable margins, expense management and EBITDA.
• Oversee market, and regional franchise performance to support overall brand goals for revenue growth, new restaurant growth, and overall operational performance.
• Provide leadership, insight, and direction to develop, communicate and implement strategy to drive operational effectiveness, guest experience and service quality in company and franchise restaurants.
• Lead and collaborate with cross-functional teams to activate strategic initiatives that are prioritized based on the needs of the business to continuously improve guest, franchisee, and team member experience.
• Lead continuous improvement in restaurant level performance as measured by an Operations metrics including financial KPIs, operational assessments, guest satisfaction, quality assurance audits, and speed of service.
• Lead high-performance teams by clearly defining strategic purpose of role(s), establishing individual performance expectations, providing continuous feedback, coaching, developing, conducting ongoing recognition, succession management and talent scenario planning. Holds direct reports and franchisees accountable.
• Partner with the Restaurant Excellence Team to develop and maintain operating standards while successfully executing initiatives to drive revenue growth while supporting operations efficiency and mitigating risks.
• Collaborate with senior managers and business leaders to identify opportunities that increase revenue, build capacity, and reduce operational costs.
• Test new products/processes/tools developed by the Culinary/Operations Team and makes recommendations based on operational results.
• Ensure calendar actions and product implementations fit Carl’s Jr. service model for delivered quality and speed.
• Oversee the implementation of business initiatives in collaboration with functional departments to ensure alignment with business value, growth drivers and consistent practices.
• Lead Carl’s franchise support team to deliver guest and franchisee value through successful implementation of Carl’s Jr. systems and standards in franchise restaurants.
• Ensure the protection of the Carl’s Jr. brand through consistent execution in franchise restaurants and compliance with food safety and brand operating standards.
• Ensure the collection of royalties, ad funds and trade receivables to meet the financial objectives of the franchise business.
• Oversee the franchisee business review process, driving business results and compliance with brand standards through detailed analysis of profit and loss, sales analysis, systems implementation, and compliance with company initiatives, brand standards, and trademark requirements.
• Work with the development team to support growth opportunities for qualified operators and onboard new franchise prospects that enter the system.
• Manage a variety of communication methods to ensure franchisees receive the right information in a timely and accurate manner to promote financial health, compliance and understanding of company initiatives.
• Continuously seek to attract, retain, and actively develop talent to meet future growth and business needs of the company.
• Partner with Human Resources to ensure the optimal structure for the franchise organization to support business needs.
• Build the unified capabilities of the organization by establishing a culture focused on growth, execution, performance, and operational excellence. Promotes Carl’s Jr. Culture by leading and living our values.
• Coach, develop, and focus on the people who create Carl’s Jr. guest experience within our restaurants and foster a talent ready organization to meet current and future needs.

Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Food Industry Management, or a related field is required. Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience managing restaurant or franchise operations at a regional level or national level.
• Proven track record of brand growth, P&L management, restaurant growth, and team building.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-unit company and franchise operations delivering continuous operating improvements, franchisee health and operational compliance.
• Proven track record of successfully managing and leading multiple divisions in a large organization (over 1,000 restaurants, spanning diverse geographic regions)
• Ability to Travel (50%)