Afl, Bk Apac

**Job Overview**:
The Area Franchise Lead manages franchisee relationships for BURGER KING® within Asia Pacific and supports the implementation of global and regional strategic priorities while providing best in class advisory and strategic development for locally defined projects. This role specifically supports the Japan and Korea markets. They are responsible for the holistic performance of the franchisees’ businesses and operated restaurants within their territory, including: franchisee profitability; sales growth via marketing strategy and communication, new product development, new channel development, and digitalization; restaurant operations; procurement; quality assurance; network planning and new restaurant development, and improving restaurant operations and guest experience. The AFL reports directly to the General Manager, BURGER KING®, Asia Pacific North & South. Being cross-functional in nature, the AFL works closely with other functions within the organization including: Marketing, Development, Operations, Finance, Marketing, Profitability, Technology, Procurement, Quality Assurance and Legal teams.

**Responsibilities**:

- Manages Franchisee Relationships _
- Liaise between corporate and franchisees
- Serves as the first point of contact for brand initiatives that affect franchisees and restaurants, and for franchisee needs across multiple functions (marketing, development, operations, procurement, and quality assurance)
- Directs compliance of franchisees; operational activities with established company policies for all functions of the business as per the above
- Prepares and presents formal performance reports of the region
- Conducts monthly business reviews with franchise owners and heads of functions of franchisees
- Drives Profitability & Sales growth _
- Creates growth strategy for the region and gains buy in with internal stakeholders and franchisee management teams to execute against
- Assesses effectiveness of strategic initiatives including the impact of sales, offline and online promotional activities
- Understands and influences marketing calendar and initiatives
- Builds understanding of competitive landscape and industry trends within region to determine necessary changes to strategic initiatives
- Responsible for completing any required business and/or financial reports such as ROI analyses, food cost analyses, pricing impact, and breakeven analyses
- Improves Restaurant Operations & guest experience _
- Uses global and regional insights and tools to support and coach franchisees to improve operations metrics as they relate to overall guest satisfaction, speed of service, including digital and off premise channels
- Problem-solves through root cause identification of operational opportunities across franchise organizations and implements change via business reviews, action plans, call cadences, and other tactics
- Work & People Management _
- Coordinates with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to deliver against milestones for key project timelines
- Leads Restaurant Development _
- Supports franchisees execution of development opportunities
- Manages pipeline of openings, closures, and remodels and helps incentivize, problem solve, and trouble shoot projects to deliver Net Restaurant Growth and Image

**Preferred Skills**:

- Bachelor’s degree in business or related field - MBA beneficial, but not required
- **5 years + experience in franchise operations - ideally within the Japan and Korea region and restaurant industry**:

- Knowledge of marketing, operations, development, and finance
- Great organizational, communication and problem solving skills
- Experience in client facing / relationship building roles
- Exceptional analytical skills and creative problem solving skills
- Advanced skill level using Excel and PowerPoint
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with ability to build meaningful business relationships
- Highly organized, motivated and a team player
- Strong leadership skills and ability to influence others
- Ability to thrive in an autonomous, fast-paced and deadline-driven environment
- Japanese and Korean language proficiency is a plus