Director, Franchise Development & Strategy

EWC Corporate LLC•Plano, TX

About The Position

The Director of Franchise Development and Strategy leads strategic growth initiatives for European Wax Center, including market optimization, new center expansion, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic planning. The role is directly accountable for new center openings, pipeline development, renewals, transfers, and closure mitigation. It builds and manages relationships with internal and external stakeholders, drives franchise development, and provides strategic oversight of franchise incentives, policies, processes, and long-term growth planning. The Director helps shape the franchise system’s strategic direction to support sustained market leadership and oversees the Manager of Real Estate, Manager of Market Planning, and Franchise Development Specialist. The role supports the Chief Development Officer in defining strategies for net new center growth, leads franchise network optimization across approximately 170 franchisees with a lean team, evaluates geographic expansion and corporate M&A initiatives, and supports development of a remodel catch-up program. It develops a decision tree to identify centers at risk of closure, leads closure review meetings with Finance and Operations, establishes consistent closure processes, and coordinates with Legal on contractual rights and remedies. The Director cultivates relationships with assigned larger franchisees and manages their development activities, including new center openings, renewals, transfers, remodel planning, and M&A. The role leads territory agreement and multi-unit development negotiations and develops franchise incentive programs. It also leads cross-functional collaboration to align development priorities, resolve issues, advance growth initiatives, and coordinate documentation and approvals with Development, Operations, and Legal.

Requirements

15+ years of experience in franchise business development.
Understanding of franchise regulations and ability to partner with Legal on compliance matters.
Strong work ethic and business acumen.
Ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders and navigate challenging conversations with franchisees.
Proactive approach and ability to adapt to changing business conditions and work successfully in a dynamic environment.
Ability to lead complex contract negotiations.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
Ability to use resources effectively, take initiative, and resolve problems.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to lead and implement innovative business solutions.
Analytical mindset and strong financial acumen.
Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
Ability to deal with ambiguity and add structure to decision-making.
Positive attitude and commitment to building a collaborative, inclusive culture.

Nice To Haves

Experience with FranConnect or a similar franchise management tool.

Responsibilities

Support the Chief Development Officer in defining development strategies and initiatives for net new center growth.
Lead franchise network optimization for approximately 170 franchisees with a lean team.
Evaluate and advance growth initiatives, including geographic expansion and corporate M&A.
Support development of a remodel catch-up program.
Develop and apply a decision tree to identify centers at risk of closure and prioritize mitigation actions.
Lead weekly and monthly closure review meetings with Finance and Operations.
Ensure consistent closure processes and coordinate with Legal on contractual rights and remedies.
Cultivate relationships with assigned larger franchisees.
Manage assigned franchisees’ development activities, including new center openings, renewals, transfers, remodel planning, and M&A.
Lead territory agreement and multi-unit development negotiations and develop franchise incentive programs.
Lead cross-functional collaboration to align development priorities, resolve issues, and advance growth initiatives.
Coordinate documentation and approvals with Development, Operations, and Legal.
Oversee the Manager of Real Estate, Manager of Market Planning, and Franchise Development Specialist.