El Pollo Loco, Inc. · 1 month ago
Sr. Director/VP Franchise Sales
575 Anton Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$215K/yr - $235K/yr
10+ years expEl Pollo Loco, Inc. is a well-established restaurant chain known for its citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken. The Sr. Director/VP Franchise Sales is responsible for driving system growth by leading all franchise development activities and ensuring a coordinated, data-driven approach to franchise recruitment and market expansion.
Food and Beverage
Responsibilities
Identifies, cultivates, manages and tracks new franchise opportunities, overseeing the full pipeline from lead generation through qualification, financial review, discovery process, and final agreement execution. Conducts business case analysis and market potential assessments to prioritize high-value opportunities
Develops and implements strategic initiatives and tactics to identify and increase franchise lead generation strategies, optimizing digital channels, broker partnerships, referral programs, and events to increase qualified lead volume, improve cost-per-lead, and expand the top of the funnel
Leads all franchise-level growth initiatives and cross-functional projects across Marketing, Operations, QA, Supply Chain, IT, Real Estate, and Finance to ensure alignment, clear communication, and consistent execution of brand standards supporting franchise recruitment and system expansion
Directs the development of the franchise growth and revenue plan, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy, unit-economics goals, territory targets, and annual operating plans
Oversees the creation, enhancement, and adoption of franchisee performance scorecards and reporting tools, ensuring meaningful KPIs (e.g., sales growth, guest metrics, labor productivity, operational compliance) are consistently tracked and utilized across the network
Partners with Franchise Business Directors (FBDs) to improve franchisee performance, ensuring franchisees understand and adopt key operational and financial reporting tools. Works collaboratively to drive execution of systemwide initiatives, strengthen unit-level economics, and improve brand-wide consistency
Reviews sales, guest counts, and operational metrics regularly, identifies performance variances, conducts root-cause analysis, and leads cross-functional action planning to support challenged franchisees and improve performance across assigned territories
Serves as co-leader of the Annual Leadership Conference ensuring franchisees receive clear communication on brand direction, strategic initiatives, growth priorities, and operational expectations. Develops and delivers training where applicable
Ensures timely, accurate, and transparent reporting systems for tracking leads, sales performance, funnel conversion, franchise application progress, and other critical indicators that inform strategic decisions and forecast accuracy
Coordinates the multi-departmental review, approval, and execution of franchise agreements, ensuring legal, financial, operational, and development requirements are met before final approval
Manages the complete franchise application and onboarding process, including candidate due diligence, financial capability review, legal documentation, pro forma evaluation, and internal approval workflows to ensure timely and accurate processing
Collaborates with Franchise Business Directors and functional partners to continuously enhance programs, tools, and processes that drive franchisee success. Proactively gathers field feedback and converts insights into practical, franchise-friendly solutions
Ensures Annual Business Reviews are completed for franchisees, establishing performance priorities, reviewing results, and aligning on strategic plans to improve unit-level profitability and operational execution
Communicates company policies and standards effectively, maintains strong franchise relationships, and evaluates prospective market expansion and franchise candidate suitability to protect long-term system health
Develops and executes a business plan to achieve or exceed annual franchise sales and unit-growth goals, directly identifying, advancing, and closing qualified franchisees and multi-unit operators
Models professional, ethical, and collaborative leadership, promoting teamwork, accountability, and shared success across the franchise system and corporate organization
Performs additional duties as assigned by executive leadership
Qualification
Required
BA/BS required
Minimum of 10+ years' franchise sales and operations management experience required, preferably in multi-state/multi-unit restaurants
Excellent track record of sales achievement, including multi-unit agreements of 10 or more units
Experience with successfully recruiting, building, and developing a team (based on current and future needs)
Confidence in execution of strategic initiatives
Must be decisive and able to make fact-based decisions
Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset and skills; meticulous attention to detail
Ability to effectively communicate with internal and external business partners
Ability to prioritize and plan work assignments and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines
Ability to read, write, and interpret complex reports, documents, and correspondence
Adept at managing and prioritizing competing time sensitive requests while working well in a team atmosphere that may be under pressure
Ability to exercise independent judgment on matters of significance to the company
Ability to work weekends and extended work schedules as needed
Ability to travel to the Restaurant Support Center for discovery days and quarterly franchise board meetings
This role will require extensive travel over 50% of the time or more depending on business needs
Preferred
Master's degree a plus
Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) strongly preferred
Benefits
Hybrid work schedule
Competitive pay and bonus
Restricted Service Awards (RSAs)
Medical + Dental + Vision Insurance + HSA Savings Account
401(K) Plan with match and immediate vesting
Vacation + Sick Pay + 12 Paid Holidays
Amazing office culture
Free El Pollo Loco food (Dine Out Card) + Restaurant Discount
Discounts on theme parks, movie tickets, sports events, hotels and more...
Company
El Pollo Loco, Inc.
In 1980 the first American El Pollo Loco opened on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles, quickly becoming a destination for the best citrus-marinated, fire-grilled pollo in town.
5001-10000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$59.7MKey Investors
CapitalSpringFreeman Spogli
2025-05-21Private Equity· $14.7M
2014-07-25IPO
2007-12-27Private Equity· $45M
Leadership Team
Elizabeth Williams
Chief Executive Officer
Recent News
2026-01-11
Talk Business & Politics
2025-12-21
Company data provided by crunchbase