Director, New Store Openings
About The Position
School of Rock is seeking a Director of New Store Openings to own the end-to-end construction and project management execution of new school openings across our corporate and franchise-operated portfolio. This role is the single point of accountability from signed lease through grand opening — driving construction, permitting, and buildout timelines, franchisee readiness, and cross-functional coordination with legal, marketing, and operations. The role also manages our relationship with our national real estate broker, directing site-search efforts on behalf of franchisees, though it is not itself a site-selection or lease-negotiation role. The ideal candidate is a strong construction and project manager who thrives on hitting dates, solving field-level problems in real time, and keeping a portfolio of simultaneous openings on track.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience in construction project management, retail/restaurant new store openings, or franchise development; franchise industry experience strongly preferred
- Demonstrated track record managing multiple simultaneous construction or buildout projects on time and on budget
- Working knowledge of commercial construction, permitting processes, and general contractor management
- Working knowledge of commercial real estate and site-selection criteria, sufficient to direct and evaluate the output of a national broker relationship (prior direct site-selection or lease-negotiation experience not required)
- Strong project management skills, with comfort using project tracking tools to manage a multi-site pipeline
- Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership and supporting franchisee-facing conversations
- Ability to travel occasionally (1–2 trips per month) for site visits, construction walkthroughs, or store openings
- Bachelor's degree in construction management, business, real estate, or a related field preferred
Responsibilities
- Own the master opening timeline for each new location, from lease execution through grand opening, tracking construction and buildout milestones and flagging at-risk dates
- Manage the construction and buildout process in partnership with architects, general contractors, and the construction/facilities team, from initial scope through final punch list
- Track permitting, inspections, and code compliance milestones across jurisdictions, escalating delays early
- Own construction budgets for each opening, tracking spend against plan and flagging overages
- Maintain and refine standard opening playbooks, prototype specs, budgets, and timelines to drive consistency across markets
- Serve as the primary point of contact for franchisees and corporate stakeholders throughout the construction and opening process
- Serve as the primary internal point of contact managing our national real estate broker relationship on behalf of franchisees seeking new sites
- Direct and prioritize the broker's site-search activity across markets, ensuring franchisee criteria and timelines are clearly communicated
- Review incoming site options from the broker for basic fit (size, condition, budget) before handoff to legal/leadership for lease negotiation
- Coordinate the transition from secured site to construction kickoff, ensuring lease and site-condition information transfers cleanly to the buildout team
- Guide franchisees through the pre-opening checklist, including staffing, training, marketing launch, and systems setup
- Coordinate with marketing on local launch campaigns and grand opening events
- Partner with operations and training teams to ensure each location is fully ready to open on day one
- Provide regular opening-pipeline status reporting to senior leadership
- Coordinate with the international development team to adapt opening playbooks and timelines to local market and regulatory requirements abroad
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
