Senior Director, Franchise Operations

Job Description

The Senior Director Franchise Operations leads the Operations function across the South Region and is responsible for execution of the full portfolio across Coca-Cola United and all South Region Mainstream bottlers, translating aligned business strategies into integrated operating plans, disciplined marketplace execution, and sustainable performance. The role shapes regional operating priorities, recommends resource allocation, and aligns bottler regional operations teams and cross-functional partners to deliver volume, revenue, transactions, share, and profitable growth objectives. The role connects strategic planning with frontline execution, leads the regional performance agenda, and resolves cross-market execution barriers within delegated authority. As the direct people leader of the Franchise Operations team, the Senior Director sets clear accountabilities and develops Directors’ commercial judgment, financial acumen, and general management capabilities. The role partners with commercial, strategy, and transformation leaders to incorporate aligned initiatives into core operating plans without duplicating their functional mandates.

What You’ll Do for Us

• Lead the South Region Franchise Operations performance agenda for the full portfolio across Coca-Cola United and all South Region Mainstream bottlers, driving profitable volume, revenue, transactions, and share growth through clear priorities, integrated operating plans, and accountable execution with bottler partners.

• Expand market potential through Share of Visual Inventory (SOVI), Cold Drink Equipment (CDE), day one minute one innovation execution, and best-in-class conversion of category and commercial plans into outlet-level growth.

• Strengthen bottler operating partnerships by aligning regional, division, and sales-center teams on growth corridors across customers, channels, brands, and packages, securing shared execution commitments through influence rather than direct authority over bottler operations.

• Lead the Franchise Operations contribution to annual and long-range business planning, translating aligned South Region growth priorities into geography-specific operating plans, capability requirements, execution milestones, and measurable business outcomes.

• Assess differences in market potential and performance across bottlers and geographies; recommend operating priorities, resource deployment, and short- and long-term interventions to the VP, and lead implementation of agreed choices.

• Directly lead the Franchise Operations team, setting individual objectives and decision rights, managing performance, and holding Directors accountable for business commitments, bottler partnership, and execution follow-through across their assigned geographies.

• Develop the next generation of franchise leaders through regular coaching, actionable feedback, individual development and succession plans, and cross-functional assignments that build commercial judgment, financial acumen, strategic problem-solving, and general management capabilities while delivering current-role results.

• Lead weekly and monthly regional performance routines, integrating revenue, volume, share, transactions, and execution indicators into clear diagnoses, decisions, named owners, and time-bound actions—not reporting alone.

• Hold Directors accountable for identifying root causes of performance gaps and agreeing corrective actions with bottler regional operations teams; track recovery, adjust plans, and escalate unresolved risks and material trade-offs to the VP with clear recommendations.

• Manage discretionary budgets and deploy resources within approved authority, balancing growth potential, regional business needs, expected returns, and bottler execution capacity; recommend investment trade-offs and additional resource needs

• Lead regional deployment of aligned commercial strategies and growth initiatives, partnering with commercial, strategy, and transformation leaders to establish operational readiness, clear sequencing, ownership, and adoption within core business plans.

• Lead development and activation of contingency plans with bottler and cross-functional partners to protect annual business plan delivery across revenue, volume, share, net outlets, SOVI, and pricing execution; define recovery milestones and monitor results.

• Build execution capability with bottler regional operations teams through targeted training, effective scorecards, and disciplined business routines; identify successful market practices and lead adoption across relevant South Region geographies.

• Partner with franchise commercial leaders to lead the bi-monthly planning process, integrating customer, channel, marketing, finance, and supply-chain inputs into a coherent regional execution agenda with clear priorities and bottler commitments.

• Maintain a regular in-market cadence with Directors and bottler regional operations teams to validate outlet execution, learn from frontline teams and customers, and understand execution barriers; bring the voice of the market into regional decisions, capability priorities, and future business plans.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with a Master’s degree is preferred.

• 10 or more years in a CPG organization across sales, key account, franchise management, or operations, including P&L responsibility, direct people management, and leadership of business execution across multiple geographies.

• Demonstrated success translating annual and long-range strategies into integrated operating plans, forecasting business performance, managing customer and distributor relationships, and leading corrective actions that deliver sustained growth.

• Strong commercial and financial judgment, including experience with revenue and operating P&Ls, investment trade-offs, resource prioritization, selling, and negotiation in a complex franchise or entrepreneurial environment.

• Strong understanding of channel marketing, customer and outlet execution, syndicated research, and competitive analysis, with the ability to combine data and frontline insights to identify growth opportunities and execution priorities.

• Proven ability to lead and develop experienced individual contributors through clear expectations, performance management, coaching, individual development plans, and succession planning.

• The ability to influence outcomes and be persuasive.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.