Franchise Marketing Manager

The Opportunity Slim Chickens is one of the UK’s fastest-growing fast-casual restaurant brands, bringing our signature fresh, hand-breaded chicken tenders, house sauces and unmistakable Southern hospitality to guests across the country. As our franchise estate continues to grow, we’re looking for a commercially minded, proactive and hands-on Franchise Marketing Manager to help drive marketing excellence across our franchise restaurant network.

Reporting to the Marketing Director and working closely with the Franchise Operations Director, you’ll play a pivotal role in connecting our national marketing strategy with local execution, ensuring our franchise partners have the tools, support and direction they need to deliver brilliant marketing activity that drives awareness, footfall and sales.

This is a role for someone who can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery, build strong relationships and take real ownership of making things happen. This role requires 2 days in the Birmingham office.

Key Responsibilities

1. National Campaign Implementation Lead the rollout and implementation of national marketing campaigns across the UK franchise estate, ensuring consistent, timely and effective execution. Act as the key marketing link between the central Marketing team, Franchise Operations and our franchise partners. Translate national marketing plans into clear, actionable guidance for franchisees and their restaurant teams. Coordinate campaign toolkits, point-of-sale materials, digital assets and communications to support successful launches. Work closely with the wider Marketing team to ensure campaigns are operationally practical and commercially relevant to our franchise partners. Monitor campaign implementation, identify opportunities for improvement and share best practice across the estate. Ensure franchise restaurants deliver a consistent brand experience while recognising the needs of individual locations and markets.
2. New Restaurant Openings (NSOs) Take ownership of the marketing workstream for new franchise restaurant openings, from initial planning through to launch and post-opening activity. Develop and execute local launch marketing plans that build awareness, excitement and footfall. Work collaboratively with franchise partners, the Franchise Operations team and internal stakeholders to ensure successful openings. Coordinate launch assets, local media, influencer activity, community engagement, sampling and opening events where appropriate. Manage opening marketing timelines, budgets, agency support and delivery against agreed objectives. Ensure every new restaurant opening is supported by a clear, structured marketing plan that reflects the Slim Chickens brand. Review opening performance, capture learnings and continually improve the NSO marketing playbook.
3. Franchise Partner Support & Engagement Build strong, collaborative relationships with franchise partners, becoming their trusted point of contact for marketing support and guidance. Work alongside the Franchise Operations Director to understand franchisee priorities, commercial challenges and opportunities. Provide practical marketing support that helps franchise partners drive restaurant performance and local guest engagement. Lead regular marketing communications and updates with franchise partners, ensuring visibility of national campaigns, upcoming activity and key priorities. Support franchise partners in developing effective local restaurant marketing initiatives, ensuring alignment with national brand guidelines. Identify and share successful local marketing initiatives that can be replicated across the wider estate. Support franchise partner meetings, business reviews and planning sessions, providing relevant marketing updates and recommendations. Balance the commercial needs of franchise partners with the importance of protecting and strengthening the Slim Chickens brand.
4. Local Restaurant Marketing & Commercial Performance Work with Franchise Operations and franchise partners to identify restaurants that would benefit from targeted local marketing support. Develop practical, commercially focused initiatives that drive awareness, guest frequency, footfall and sales. Support local community engagement, partnerships, sampling and activations that build meaningful connections with guests. Analyse restaurant performance, campaign results and market opportunities to inform local marketing recommendations. Work with internal digital, CRM, social and delivery teams to ensure franchise partners benefit from relevant national and local opportunities. Champion guest-first thinking, brand consistency and a strong focus on return on marketing investment.
5. Planning, Budget & Brand Standards Support the Marketing Director in developing the franchise marketing calendar, aligned with the wider UK brand strategy. Manage allocated campaign and new restaurant opening budgets, ensuring effective spend and commercial accountability. Maintain brand standards across franchise marketing activity, providing guidance and constructive challenge where needed. Work cross-functionally with Operations, Commercial, Digital, Creative and external agency partners to ensure smooth delivery. Produce clear performance updates, campaign evaluations and recommendations for the Marketing Director and Franchise Operations Director. Proactively identify opportunities to improve processes, communication and marketing effectiveness across the franchise network.

About You

We’re looking for a marketing professional who understands the unique challenges and opportunities of working within a franchise business. You’ll be a confident relationship builder, a strong communicator and someone who enjoys seeing their work come to life in restaurants. Essential experience and skills Proven marketing experience within the hospitality, restaurant, foodservice or fast-casual sector.

Experience working with franchise partners or within a franchise-led business, with a strong understanding of franchise relationships and operating models. Experience delivering multi-site marketing campaigns and coordinating activity across multiple stakeholders. Experience supporting new site openings, local restaurant marketing or regional marketing initiatives.

Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple campaigns, deadlines and priorities simultaneously. Commercial awareness, with an understanding of how marketing activity can influence restaurant performance. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including the confidence to influence franchise partners and senior internal colleagues.

A practical, solutions-focused approach and the ability to move comfortably between planning and execution. Confidence managing budgets, agencies and external suppliers. Willingness to travel regularly across the UK franchise estate. Desirable Experience within a high-growth, multi-site restaurant brand. Knowledge of local digital marketing, CRM, paid media and influencer activity.

Experience managing restaurant launch events and community activations. Familiarity with franchise brand governance and approval processes. What Success Looks Like Success in this role means: National campaigns are consistently and effectively implemented across the franchise estate. New franchise restaurants open with well-executed marketing plans that build awareness and drive strong initial trading.

Franchise partners feel informed, engaged and properly supported by the central Marketing team. Local restaurant marketing becomes more structured, proactive and commercially effective. Stronger collaboration between Marketing, Franchise Operations and our franchise partners. The Slim Chickens brand is consistently represented while continuing to grow its presence and relevance in local markets.

The Person You’ll be equally comfortable presenting a marketing plan to a franchise partner, challenging an idea that isn’t right for the brand, reviewing restaurant performance or getting stuck into the detail of a new restaurant opening. You’ll understand that great franchise marketing isn’t just about developing brilliant ideas centrally — it’s about ensuring those ideas are understood, embraced and executed brilliantly across every restaurant.

Above all, you’ll bring energy, accountability, commercial thinking and a genuine passion for hospitality, with the ability to make things happen.