Franchise Business Consultant (FBC) II in Fort Lee, New Jersey at CJ Foodville USA Inc

SUMMARY
The Franchise Business Consultant (FBC) serves as the primary operational partner and field consultant between Tous les Jours franchisees and the corporate office. Reporting to the Regional Manager (or Sr. Regional Manager), the FBC is directly responsible for a portfolio of assigned franchise locations. The core mission of this role is to drive sustainable revenue growth and ensure strict adherence to brand standards across the assigned stores. This is achieved through hands-on support for New Store Openings (NSO), in-depth sales performance analysis, operational consultation to improve store efficiency and QSC compliance, and acting as the central point of contact for all franchisee communications and issue resolution. The FBC is instrumental in executing corporate strategies at the store level and ensuring the financial health and operational excellence of the franchise system.

JOB DUTIES

1. Brand Standard Compliance & Oversight

• Audit & Remediation: Conduct quarterly Quality, Service, and Cleanliness (QSC) audits for all assigned stores, identifying operational deficiencies and managing the franchisee to ensure timely correction and improvement.

• Policy Implementation: Monitor and guide franchisees to ensure adherence to all corporate policies and standards regarding Brand Identity (BI), Store Identity (SI), and operational procedures.

• Policy Coordination: Serve as the intermediary between franchisees and corporate departments (e.g., Marketing, SCM) to coordinate the rollout of new or changed company policies, addressing franchisee inquiries and ensuring smooth implementation.

• Initial Policy Feedback: Contribute constructive, low-level operational feedback to relevant corporate departments regarding the feasibility and impact of potential new policies on franchisees before final implementation.

2. Sales Performance Analysis & Consulting

• Sales Monitoring: Manage a portfolio of 10 to 15 assigned franchise locations, daily monitoring their sales, and key operational metrics to ensure targets are achieved and maintained.

• Data-Driven Consultation: Conduct in-depth analysis of POS sales data and Sales Mix composition to diagnose performance gaps and provide strategic recommendations to franchisees for continuous revenue growth.

• Menu Optimization: Provide consultation on adjusting the product mix and display strategy within the standardized franchise menu to ensure the offering is optimally aligned with the local trade area and customer demographics, driving higher sales for preferred categories.

• New Product Launch (NPL) Adoption: Proactively communicate with and encourage franchisees to place initial orders for new products and consistently follow up with non-ordering stores to drive rapid adoption and proliferation of newly launched menu items.

3. Franchisee Revenue Activation

• Revenue Growth Planning: Develop and execute sales activation strategies based on data analysis. This includes planning and implementing local promotions (for the entire portfolio or specific stores) and analyzing their effectiveness.

• Local Market Penetration: Propose and support area marketing activities such as collaborating with local influencers, seeking media exposure, or engaging with community organizations to increase brand awareness and foot traffic.

• Optimized Menu Strategy: Provide consultation on market-specific menu configuration to ensure the product offering is optimally aligned with the local trade area and customer demographics.

4. New Store Opening (NSO) Support & Stabilization

• Pre-Opening Coordination: Collaborate with the Interior Design team and the franchisee on operational aspects of the Floor Plan and store design. Coordinate initial product selection, menu planning, and logistics (w/SCM team) to ensure a smooth pre-opening phase.

• On-Site Setup & Training: Travel to the NSO site to directly manage and execute the operational setup, including equipment testing, inventory organization, and securing necessary smallwares and supplies.

• Staff Training: Conduct comprehensive, on-site, pre-opening training for the newly hired store staff on all necessary job functions.

• Opening Day Support: Provide direct operational support during the store's initial opening days, offering hands-on coaching and training to the franchisee and staff in a live customer environment.

• Post-Opening Follow-Up: Provide extensive remote support and follow-up consultation to the new franchisee to ensure smooth operational stabilization, including addressing inquiries and requests related to daily store management.

• Initial Sales Consultation: Monitor daily sales performance and conduct preliminary Sales Mix analysis immediately following the opening to identify early opportunities and consult on strategies for maximizing initial revenue.

5. Risk Management

• Issue Resolution: Act as the first responder to store-level operational issues and conflicts between the franchisee and the company to prevent escalation.

• Escalation & Action: Report significant issues through the established reporting structure and execute necessary actions or sanctions, as directed by management, to resolve the situation.

• Legal Compliance: Consult with the Legal team on initial steps regarding potential compliance breaches that may lead to significant risk.

• Financial Collection Support: Collaborate with the Accounting team to communicate with franchisees regarding overdue payments (e.g., product payments, royalties) and execute necessary actions to collect long-term receivables.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Administration

• Project Participation: Participate in corporate initiatives or projects related to franchise business operations, such as manual updates or system overhaul task forces (full-time or part-time capacity).

• Primary Point of Contact: Serve as the central Point of Contact (POC) for all general franchisee inquiries and requests, effectively bridging communication between the franchisee and all other corporate departments.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: High School Diploma or GED required. An associate's Degree or relevant training in Hospitality or Business is preferred. A bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field is preferred.

• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of progressive, direct experience in multi-unit operations, QSR, or franchise consulting is required. Demonstrated ability to independently manage a portfolio of stores and drive sales performance.

• Skills: Proficiency in basic computer skills (MS Office, Email) and POS systems. Strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills. Proven ability to learn new operational standards quickly and train others effectively.

• Other: Valid driver's license and reliable transportation required. Willingness to travel domestically for NSOs and regular store visits (Up to 75% travel).