Director, Franchising

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Detroit, MI, USA
In-Office
Food
Family. Fun. Pizza.
The Role

Build a Bigger, Better, Bolder Future

Imagine working for a company that measures its success based off the growth of its colleagues, a company that invests in its future by investing in you. Little Caesars is a company where our colleagues make an impact.

Your Mission:

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Franchising and Business Development, the Director plays a critical executional and leadership role in driving franchise growth and optimizing portfolio health in assigned markets. This role is responsible for identifying and recruiting qualified franchise partners, managing end-to-end candidate evaluation and onboarding, facilitating buy/sell and renewal transactions, and collaborating cross-functionally to support Little Caesars’ domestic growth objectives.

The Director ensures consistent application of franchise qualification standards, maintains accurate pipeline visibility, and leads efforts to mitigate at-risk locations. This position also serves as the primary relationship manager for new and expanding franchisees during the development and transition process. Success in this role requires strong cross-functional collaboration with Legal, Real Estate, Franchise Services, and Finance to ensure strategic alignment and operational readiness.

How You’ll Make an Impact:

  • Partner with VP of Franchising to execute market-level development strategy, including new unit growth and franchisee expansion opportunities.
  • Source, screen, and evaluate prospective franchisees using a rigorous qualification process, ensuring alignment with brand and financial standards.
  • Facilitate the entire approval lifecycle, including background checks, documentation, interviews, final recommendations, and FDD coordination.
  • Conduct in-depth discussions with candidates regarding company history, business model, support systems, and brand expectations.
  • Maintain accurate tracking of trade area availability, franchisee interest, and development opportunities in collaboration with the Real Estate team.
  • Own pipeline reporting and applicant status visibility using tools like FranConnect; regularly update leadership on progress and activity.
  • Provide hands-on leadership and coaching to the development team, fostering professional growth and driving accountability for performance goals.
  • Lead the cross-functional coordination of store renewal and closure processes; proactively identify and resolve issues that could impact portfolio health.
  • Manage the buy/sell process from initial inquiry to Finance Committee approval, ensuring all internal stakeholders are informed and aligned.
  • Work with franchisees, legal, and finance to structure and execute transactions including Right of First Refusal, ownership transitions, and pre-term resolutions.
  • Administer the Store Opportunity Network (SON) platform and ensure current, actionable deal flow is maintained.
  • Support existing franchisees with growth planning, succession strategies, and acquisition targets.
  • Stay current on industry trends and competitive dynamics to identify new growth opportunities or potential risks.
  • Represent the brand at regional and national development events, franchise expos, and business forums to source qualified leads and elevate brand visibility.
  • Champion best practices and continuous improvement in franchise development processes, documentation, and performance evaluation.

Who You Are:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Sales, Real Estate, or related field; equivalent experience in franchise development may be considered.
  • Minimum 7 years of direct experience in franchise development, QSR expansion, or multi-unit retail real estate.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage full-cycle franchisee development, from sourcing to approval to onboarding.
  • Strong understanding of FDD compliance, real estate site selection, and buy/sell transactions.
  • Proven relationship-building and communication skills with both internal stakeholders and external candidates.
  • Working knowledge of FranConnect or similar CRM platforms.
  • Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to manage multiple high-impact projects simultaneously.
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced, matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders.
What Will Make You Standout:
  • Advanced knowledge of franchise transaction types (renewal, resale, pre-term, ROFR).
  • Experience managing or mentoring team members across regional markets.
  • Ability to travel 50–75% as needed for market visits, franchisee meetings, and development events.

Where You’ll Work:

You will work in a remote office environment with significant travel expected. Must have the ability to travel via commercial air and other transportation modes. Passport and or the ability to secure necessary business travel credentials required

All items listed above are illustrative and not comprehensive.  They are not contractual in nature and are subject to change at the discretion of Little Caesars Enterprises Inc.      

Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to that individual’s race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.                                   
The Company will strive to provide reasonable accommodations to permit qualified applicants who have a need for an accommodation to participate in the hiring process (e.g., accommodations for a job interview) if so requested.  
This company participates in E-Verify. Click on any of the links below to view or print the full poster.
E-Verify and Right to Work.

PRIVACY POLICY

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The Company
Detroit, Michigan
27,882 Employees
Year Founded: 1959

What We Do

ABOUT LITTLE CAESARS® Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959 as a single, family-owned restaurant. Today, Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain in the world, with stores in each of the 50 U.S. states and 27 countries and territories. Little Caesars recently introduced contactless options for both delivery and carry-out through the Little Caesars app. Pizzas are baked in 475-degree ovens to ensure food safety and never touched after baking. The chain has also reinforced cleanliness and sanitization procedures, increasing the frequency of cleaning commonly touched surfaces including door handles, glass, countertops, Pizza Portal surfaces, phones, and cash registers. Known for its HOT-N-READY® pizza and famed Crazy Bread®, Little Caesars has been named “Best Value in America” for the past twelve years (based on nationwide survey of national quick service restaurant customers conducted by Sandelman & Associates - 2007-2019 entitled “Highest Rated Chain – Value for the Money”). Little Caesars products are made with quality ingredients, like fresh, never frozen, mozzarella and Muenster cheese and sauce made from fresh-packed, vine-ripened California crushed tomatoes. An exceptionally high growth company with 60 years of experience in the $145 billion worldwide pizza industry, Little Caesars is continually looking for franchisee candidates to join our team in markets around the world. In addition to providing the opportunity for entrepreneurial independence in a franchise system, Little Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized and appealing characters in the country, Little Caesar

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