VP, Strategy

Church's Texas Chicken

Employee Job Description

Job Title: VP, Strategy

Reports to: SVP, Strategy & Growth

Department: Strategy & Growth

Location: Atlanta, GA

Revised: July 2024

Reporting to the SVP of Strategy & Growth, the VP of Strategy is laser focused on EBITDA growth opportunities for the company, while acting as a key thought partner supporting several aspects of the enterprise. This role will partner with CEO and ET-leader visibility and exposure. This role is designed to lay the groundwork for a broader strategy capability for Church's and will have a hand in shaping the Strategy team.

The VP, Strategy will support the company's growth strategy through partnership with key executive leaders. They will be responsible for translating the strategy to execution by helping the organization create timelines, milestones, and impact objectives for business transformation.

This position will also lead several strategic projects to drive EBITDA growth and provide targeted support to business lines and functions on an as needed basis. A few examples of these initiatives include, but are not limited to:

• Analysis and project management for the acquisition and sale of company restaurants
• Examining enterprise M&A opportunities
• Supporting International in analyzing, developing, and executing market growth initiatives
• Supporting analysis and cross-functional prep for upcoming Board of Directors meetings
• Additional strategic projects related to driving the business transformation

Responsible for understanding the most critical needs of the business, franchisees, and company operations and quickly supporting deployment of tactics to manage sustainable EBITDA growth.

A strong people leader that collaborates well across the organization and someone that provides regular and ongoing feedback to develop and lead a high performing Strategy organization.

Key Duties / Responsibilities

• Leadership: Acts as a key thought leader and partner across the entire enterprise. Additionally develops the foundation for a broader Strategy organization
  • Develops strong relationships across the organization and with franchisees, investors, and current/prospective partners
  • Manages and prioritizes incoming requests for analytics including load-balancing analyst/engineering working time
• Strategy: supports the company's growth strategy in partnership with the VP, Strategy & Growth, CEO, and key executive leaders, including organic and inorganic growth
• Thought Partnership: Serves as a sounding board for the CEO and other business leaders through quantitative and qualitative analysis/support from all aspects of the business.
• Analytic Rigor: Evangelizes the use of data to drive decision-making across the organization through either deployment of analytics resources into functions/business lines or via support in structuring and simplifying complex analytical issues.
• Data: Pushes the organization to leverage data to make informed decisions
• Transformation: Drives translation of long-term strategy to implementable initiatives with key milestones and impact objectives.
• Collaboration: Facilitates cross-functional partnerships across the entire organization to drive change and implement new business processes and analysis.
• Annual Planning: Supports the consolidation of annual budget in partnership with Finance and leaders of each business line.
• Board Strategy: Supports key communications with the Board of Directors and other investor stakeholders, including quarterly and off-cycle board meetings, weekly standing meetings, and special projects (acting in the stead of the VP of Strategy & Growth when needed)
• Financial: Develop and be accountable to annual operating budgets
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements (Education, Qualifications, Experience)

• Bachelor's degree required and at least 5-10 years related experience at a senior management level or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience within corporate and business strategy, consulting, investment banking, or related fields
• Ability to foster and build strong relationships with other executive leaders in the organization
• Strong communication and presentation skills including ability to express complex technical concepts in business language.
• Proven leadership experience in multiple enterprise sizes and scenarios
• Experience leading and supporting successful business transformations with a strong working knowledge of transformation execution tools
• Strong business planning skills to execute strategic projects with implications for business areas with rapidly evolving business processes. Must possess a balanced perspective on strategic and tactical issues.
• Ability to manage multiple senior-level and high stakes relationships including key executives, current/prospective investors and franchisees
• Proven ability to select talent and created a productive environment that promotes initiative, innovation, and continual learning and development of key personnel
• Strong ability to manage through highly dynamic business situations with the capability to "learn on the fly"
• Strong executive leader presentation, organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or related master's degree a plus
• Restaurant and franchise experience a plus
• Must have prior experience in roles that require ability to flex as business needs change

Competencies

The VP must be self-confident and able to network and influence behaviors/actions through listening, persuasion, and diplomacy. This individual should have developed management skills, in addition to strong analytical and reasoning skills. The successful candidate must have a strong sense of commitment to the position and be enthusiastic about the opportunity to make a substantial contribution to the company's continued growth.

• People Leadership - Provides guidance and direction to team members and sets expectations accountability for standards of performance. Serves as a role model to staff and other team members for creating a respectful, productive work environment. Serves as one of the main drivers of the company's mission, values and culture, as well as be an advocate for the employees and business alike.
• Critical Thinking - Defines and resolves a situation or problem by analyzing issues involved, weighing options, and evaluating alternatives; maintains objective attitude; approaches situations and problems systematically; uses observation, experience, reflection, and/or reasoning to drive business forward.
• Influencing Others - Convinces and persuades others in either positive or negative circumstances to accomplish goals and objectives; responds to objections successfully; uses tact when expressing ideas or opinions.
• Initiative - Takes action proactively; addresses issues or opportunities without supervision; focuses on desired results and accomplishments; demonstrates clear purpose, enthusiasm, and a "can-do" attitude.
• Innovative and Creative - Looks for ways to improve oneself, the job, the project, the system, and the organization; challenges conventional practices, generates new ideas to create novel solutions to problems.
• Managing Execution - Manages multiple projects and effectively prioritizes tasks and goals; uses goals to guide actions and create detailed action plans; organizes and schedules people and tasks; utilizes resources effectively to meet goals.
• Negotiating - Presents issues or ideas in a clear and influential manner; maintains an open-minded and non-judgmental attitude; listens to others' views and empathizes.
• Relationship Management - Initiates and develops relationships with others; demonstrates credibility; confronts conflict quickly and professionally; inspires confidence in others including franchisees.
• Strategic Thinking - Gaining perspective on critical and complex issues and is able to formulate recommendations and clearly present recommendations.

Core Values & Behaviors

• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, teamwork, focus, discipline, professionalism, organizational stewardship, performance standards & rewards. Look for ways to improve ourselves and inspire others to do the same.
• High Level of Guest Service - Internal & External - Show we care.
• Accountability & Ownership.
• Emotional maturity to "get it right" vs. "be right." Keeps our commitments and acts with integrity.
• Willingness to serve the organization, its employees and guests, celebrates differences, respect all cultures and works together.
• Self-Awareness of our leadership style and impact to others. 'We' versus 'Me' perspective.
• Adaptability to needs of situation, nimble and flexible. Action oriented.

Physical Requirements

• Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of time.

1. If you're hungry for a career that's fun, fast-paced and loaded with opportunity, then you've come to the right place. At Church's®, we're not your typical quick service restaurant. We make real comfort food that makes a difference in peoples' lives. And for over 60 years, our restaurant has been a place where hard-working people can get ahead and go on to do amazing things by serving others.

2. Church's Chicken is an equal employment opportunity employer and makes hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.

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