The Vice President of Operations will report to the CEO and assist in overseeing the operational activities for The Dog Stop companies. The dog Stop is a rapidly growing dog care franchise with 32 locations currently open, another 30+ under development and many more to follow in a very active pipeline.
A key member of the executive team, the Vice President of Operations will direct operational performance, sales management, dog care operations, franchisee systems and support for open franchise stores in the USA and international markets. This position will also work alongside the Director of Franchise Sales and Opener to support the growth of the Dog Stop franchise system in the USA (including franchise sales, real estate, construction, presales and new franchisee training).
The Vice President of Franchise Operations will develop and execute policies and strategies to support corporate objectives and the long-term growth of existing franchise partners. This position will be responsible for, but not limited to, improving store economics, store membership growth, and customer satisfaction; along with enhancing the overall service model to maximize effectiveness and alignment with CEOs established policies.
Finally, the Vice President of Operations will be responsible for the Company’s Corporate store holdings in Pittsburgh, PA. The Dog Stop Holdings operates 6 corporate stores in the Pittsburgh area and the Vice President of Operations will be tasked with reviewing financials, tracking store performance, assisting in high level recruitment for key store employees and overseeing Regional and General managers.
Franchise Operations and Store Level Performance
- Oversee a team of Franchise Support Managers who act as the main line of support for franchisees.
- Oversee the Franchisee System’s learning management system, in conjunction with the Director of Training.
- Streamline and optimize operational processes to ensure efficiency;
- Manage and align all resources, including technology and people, to support strategic corporate objectives;
- Responsible for driving achievement of critical financial targets, including franchise membership sales, renewals, and retention rates in the franchise stores;
- Be a key point of contact for franchisees and support operational activities for the franchise partners, including accurate and timely reporting of required metrics;
- Ensure compliance to the franchise and AR agreements;
- Develop strategic management initiatives; offer input and guidance on decisions regarding expansion or cost containment;
- Collaborate with parallel The Dog Stop department heads to define and execute strategic, market expansion programs;
- Responsible for monitoring and tracking the progress of all established goals and KPI’s amongst the department heads, while ensuring the distribution of meeting minutes and reports;
- Liaise with Controller and review the company’s financial position overall; examine department-specific financial health/performance, including budgets, cash flow statements, balance sheets, debt information, receivables aging reports, and income statements.
- Compile financial and operational KPI reports for executives and shareholders
- Assist in identifying new revenue opportunities, drafting prospective programmatic budgets, and determining cost effectiveness of prospective service delivery.
Franchise Development
- Interview and Vet potential franchisee candidates in conjunction with the CEO.
- Post agreement and simultaneous to site selection, oversee the franchise training, construction and design, Presale, Launch Training, Grand Opening and Field Ops and Opener handoff
- Develop a presale program for stores to implement during the pre-opening phase and analyze KPIs that indicate future performance.
Corporate Store Operations
- Director of Operations will be tasked with overseeing the Company’s six corporate stores in the Pittsburgh area
- Manage and lead a team of General Managers and potential Regional Managers
- Review store financials and audit KPIs
- Ensure store level compliance in conjunction with operations team
- Through understanding of the corporate store financials and audit monthly financial performance
- Analytical & problem-solving skills
- Communication; verbal & written
- Coaching & staff development
- Innovation & change leadership
- Strategic leadership
- Relationship management & business development
- Operational management
- Financial control and thorough understanding of financial metrics
- Negotiation
- Strong with MS Office Suite
- Seasoned sales and marketing executive with a minimum of 10 years at senior management level preferred
- Bachelor’s degree is required; MBA is an asset.
- Strong experience in the analysis, implementation, and evaluation of IT systems
- Strong ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines using strong organization skills
- Experience with franchising preferred and/or the dog care industry is a bonus.
This position will be based out of our Pittsburgh corporate office. The successful candidate will need to be in Pittsburgh frequently or re-locate to Pittsburgh.
This is a full-time executive position with The Dog Stop Companies
This position requires 20% travel. The successful candidate needs to be flexible and eligible to travel within the United States and potentially internationally as well.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.