Director Of Franchise Operations

Toppers Pizza•Whitewater, WI

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Toppers Pizza is hiring a full-time Director of Franchise Operations to lead its Franchise Business Coaches and franchise operations function. Through the coach team and direct partnerships with franchise owners, the Director drives sales, profitability, guest experience, and brand-standard execution across franchise restaurants while carrying out operational strategy. The role connects corporate leadership with franchise owners and helps owners understand their businesses, identify opportunities, build action plans, and achieve measurable results through coaching and accountability. The ideal candidate is a strong restaurant operator and business leader who can build genuine relationships with franchisees while holding them accountable to performance expectations and Toppers Pizza standards. The position is based in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and is hybrid, with three days in the office and two days remote each week. The ideal candidate is located in South-Central or Southeastern Wisconsin. The role reports to the VP of Operations and requires regular travel, including overnight travel across a multi-state region, up to 40% of the time.

Requirements

Must be legally eligible to work in the United States.
At least 7 years of progressive restaurant operations leadership experience, including multi-unit responsibility, in QSR, fast-casual, or delivery-focused concepts.
At least 3 years of experience leading, coaching, and developing multi-unit or field leaders.
Experience working with franchise owners or within a franchise system.
Strong understanding of restaurant P&Ls and the drivers of sales, labor, food cost, and profitability.
Proven record of improving operational and financial performance across multiple restaurants.
Proven ability to coach and influence leaders, including people who do not report directly to you.
Ability to hold others accountable while maintaining strong professional relationships.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to travel regularly, including overnight, across a multi-state region, up to 40% of the time.
Valid driver's license and ability to travel independently.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and restaurant reporting systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience working for a restaurant franchisor in a franchise-facing role, such as Franchise Business Coach, Franchise Business Consultant, or Director of Franchise Operations.
Experience leading a team of franchise business coaches or consultants.
Experience as a District Manager, Area Manager, or Regional Director in a multi-unit restaurant organization.
Pizza or delivery-focused QSR experience.
Experience supporting new restaurant openings.
Experience rolling out new programs, technology, or processes across multiple restaurants.
ServSafe Manager certification.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Hospitality, Restaurant Management, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop Franchise Business Coaches, setting expectations for franchisee support, field visits, follow-up, and results.
Assign franchise restaurants and markets to coaches and balance workloads as the system grows.
Establish consistent field-visit standards, evaluation tools, and reporting across markets.
Review coach performance against franchisee results and goals, provide feedback, and conduct performance evaluations.
Regularly join coaches in the field to observe and model coaching and support difficult conversations.
Build trusted relationships with franchise owners, with direct involvement in multi-unit owners, key markets, and escalated situations.
Partner with owners and coaches to create plans that improve sales, profitability, guest experience, and operational execution.
Help franchise owners use Toppers systems, tools, programs, and resources, and connect them with internal support-center resources.
Monitor sales, labor, food cost, guest experience, and other metrics to identify trends and restaurants or markets needing support.
Ensure coaches use financial and operational data with franchise owners to identify root causes of performance issues.
Coach franchise owners on sales growth, labor and food cost management, controllable expenses, and profitability.
Oversee improvement plans for underperforming franchise restaurants and track progress.
Identify successful practices across the franchise system and share them with owners and coaches.
Oversee monitoring of brand standards, including food quality, food safety, cleanliness, service, and guest experience.
Ensure deficiencies are communicated clearly and consistently, with corrective action plans and timelines; document compliance concerns and escalate significant or unresolved issues to the VP of Operations in accordance with franchise agreement processes.
Coach franchise owners on building and developing restaurant leadership teams.
Deliver and support brand-standard training, operational programs, and system initiatives for owners and their management teams.
Model and reinforce Toppers culture, values, and hospitality in franchisee interactions.
Lead field rollout of system-wide initiatives, including new products, technology, promotions, and operational programs.
Provide the VP of Operations and senior leadership with field-level insight into franchisee needs, challenges, and opportunities.
Support new restaurant openings, remodels, ownership transfers, and other transitions.
Participate in franchisee meetings, advisory councils, conferences, and company events.
Perform other duties as assigned.