Benefits:- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Competitive salary
- Dental insurance
Chief Development Officer (CDO)
Fitness & Wellness Industry | Executive Leadership Position
Position Overview
The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is responsible for leading and executing the company's overall growth strategy, with a primary focus on franchise development, new market expansion, real estate strategy, and strategic partnerships.
The ideal candidate is a proven development executive in the fitness, wellness, hospitality, or multi-unit franchise industry who has demonstrated the ability to sell and award franchise territories or development agreements for a high investment level concept (over $3 million/unit)
This individual must be a strategic thinker and a highly effective sales leader who can build a world-class franchise development organization, attract sophisticated multi-unit operators, establish relationships with private equity groups, and create sustainable growth opportunities while protecting the long-term health of the brand.
The CDO will work closely with the CEO and executive leadership team to establish and execute the company's short- and long-term development objectives.
Key Responsibilities
1. Franchise Development & Sales
- Lead the company's franchise sales and development strategy to achieve aggressive but sustainable growth objectives.
- Demonstrate a proven track record of selling multi-unit franchise agreements for high investment concepts
- Develop relationships with qualified franchise prospects, high-net-worth investors, multi-unit operators, and strategic investment groups.
- Build a disciplined sales process from lead generation and qualification through discovery, validation, negotiation, and execution.
- Develop strategies to attract larger, more sophisticated franchise groups capable of developing multiple locations.
- Establish franchise sales targets, pipelines, conversion metrics, and accountability standards.
- Personally participate in high-value sales presentations and negotiations.
2. Strategic Growth & Market Expansion
- Develop and execute a comprehensive 1- 3-year development strategy.
- Identify priority markets based on demographics, competition, household income, population density, and existing brand penetration.
- Establish market entry strategies that balance new market expansion with opportunities to optimize existing territories.
- Identify opportunities for area developers, master franchisees, and regional development partnerships.
- Develop strategies to attract private equity-backed franchise groups and institutional investors.
- Evaluate opportunities for strategic acquisitions, conversions, and nontraditional growth channels.
3. Real Estate & Site Development
- Oversee the real estate strategy, including market planning, territory allocation, site selection, and lease negotiations.
- Establish relationships with national and regional landlords, brokers, developers, and commercial real estate groups.
- Create a repeatable site selection process that improves speed to market and development economics.
- Work collaboratively with construction, operations, and finance to ensure new locations meet financial and operational return requirements.
- Establish development standards and approval processes that protect the brand and franchisee investment.
4. Franchisee & Investor Relationships
- Build strong relationships with existing franchisees to encourage reinvestment and multi-unit expansion.
- Identify high-performing operators capable of becoming area developers or regional growth partners.
- Develop strategies to increase franchisee confidence in the brand's growth model and long-term opportunity.
- Work with operations to ensure development commitments are supported by the resources necessary for successful openings.
- Maintain strong relationships with franchisee leadership groups and advisory councils.
5. Development Organization & Leadership
- Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing franchise development team.
- Establish clear roles, responsibilities, performance expectations, and compensation structures.
- Implement CRM systems, sales reporting, and pipeline management tools.
- Build a culture of accountability, urgency, and execution.
- Establish consistent communication and coordination between development, real estate, construction, finance, marketing, and operations.
- Develop a scalable infrastructure capable of supporting significant unit growth.
6. Financial Performance & Development Economics
- Establish development budgets, annual franchise sales goals, and unit opening targets.
- Evaluate franchisee financial qualifications and capitalization.
- Ensure prospective franchisees have the financial resources and operating capabilities to execute their development commitments.
- Work with finance to evaluate new market opportunities, franchise economics, payback periods, and return on investment.
- Monitor development fees, royalty growth, opening schedules, and overall development performance.
- Balance near-term franchise sales with long-term system profitability and franchisee success.
Qualifications & Experience
Required Experience
- 5+ years of progressive experience in franchise development, multi-unit expansion, or business development.
- Demonstrated success in the fitness, wellness, hospitality, restaurant, retail, or other multi-unit franchise industries. With achieved success in closing multiple individual transactions each exceeding $2 million.
- Proven track record of closing substantial franchise development transactions, including at least one multi-unit development agreement or territory sale.
- Experience selling multi-unit development agreements, area development rights, or large franchise packages.
- Established relationships with franchise investors, multi-unit operators, and private equity groups.
- Experience building and leading a franchise sales or business development organization.
- Strong understanding of franchise economics, FDDs, franchise agreements, territory rights, and development schedules.
- Demonstrated ability to negotiate complex transactions and close high-value deals.
Preferred Experience
- Experience with a national or emerging wellness or fitness franchise brand.
- Experience working with private equity-backed franchise organizations.
- Experience developing area developer and regional franchisee programs.
- Familiarity with real estate development, site selection, and lease negotiations.
- Experience scaling a franchise system from regional to national presence.
- Understanding of the wellness/fitness industry's competitive landscape, membership economics, and club-level profitability.