Franchise Development Manager / Licensing Manager / Channel Expansion Director

The Franchise Development Manager / Licensing Manager / Channel Expansion Director develops commercial partnerships that extend an organisation’s market reach through franchise networks, licensing agreements, and distribution channels. This role evaluates expansion opportunities, identifies suitable partners, and establishes commercially viable arrangements that support revenue growth while protecting brand standards and operational quality.

The position works closely with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Operations, Real Estate, Product, and external partners. Responsibilities include researching target markets, assessing prospective partners, preparing business cases, coordinating due diligence, supporting commercial negotiations, and planning partner onboarding. The role monitors development pipelines, evaluates partner economics, and coordinates the resources required for successful launches and ongoing network performance.

For Franchise Development Managers, the emphasis is on recruiting qualified franchisees, assessing territories, and coordinating franchise openings. Licensing Managers focus on commercial rights, permitted uses, royalty arrangements, renewals, and intellectual-property stewardship. Channel Expansion Directors define broader expansion strategies, prioritise markets and partner models, and lead teams responsible for network growth. Across these positions, the role balances expansion targets with partner capability, customer experience, brand consistency, and sustainable commercial returns.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Commerce, Finance, International Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience in franchise development, licensing, channel development, strategic partnerships, distribution, or commercial expansion.
• Strong ability to research markets, evaluate customer demand, assess competition, and identify suitable expansion territories.
• Experience sourcing, screening, and developing relationships with franchisees, licensees, distributors, or other channel partners.
• Ability to assess partner financial capacity, operational capability, management experience, and alignment with brand expectations.
• For Franchise Development Manager positions, experience managing franchise recruitment pipelines and coordinating development milestones through opening.
• Understanding of franchise business models, territory planning, site assessment, investment requirements, and unit economics.
• For Licensing Manager positions, experience managing licensing opportunities, rights portfolios, commercial terms, and agreement renewals.
• Understanding of intellectual-property licensing, permitted uses, exclusivity, royalty structures, reporting obligations, and approval processes.
• For Channel Expansion Director positions, demonstrated experience defining expansion strategies, leading commercial teams, and managing market-development priorities.
• Strong financial and commercial skills, including business-case preparation, profitability analysis, revenue forecasting, and investment evaluation.
• Experience coordinating due diligence and working with legal advisers on agreements, disclosures, and market-specific requirements.
• Ability to negotiate commercial arrangements and establish clear partner responsibilities, performance expectations, and escalation procedures.
• Proficiency in CRM systems, development-pipeline reporting, partner-performance analysis, and executive presentations.
• Excellent relationship-building, communication, leadership, and project-management skills, with sound judgement when balancing growth opportunities and execution risks.

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