What are the responsibilities and job description for the Manager, International Strategic Initiatives position at Inspire Brands?
Critical role on the International team to support strategic initiatives of Inspire Brands International platform, particularly in the assessment, development, deployment, and scaling of new brand-market combinations across the world. Supports the creation and cultivation of business processes, new capabilities, culture, etc.
This individual will play a significant role in drafting executive level presentations to ensure the ongoing International Performance and Strategy is clearly communicated to business leaders and team members across the international organization.
The role reports to Director, International Business Strategy & Omnichannel, working closely with the International Leadership Team, and International Field / Support Centers (Across time zones), gaining significant exposure to executives/ leaders within the team and across the organization – opportunity to use position as a launching pad for future roles within Inspire Brands.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
• OKRs: Manages Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) for the International Team, crafting the annual OKRs to ensure they are right for delivering our long-term growth plans, ensuring they are aligned across Leadership, Regions and Functions. Responsible for writing OKRs with the team, prioritizing, reporting & updating, scheduling mid-year check-ins & retrospectives, and providing consultative support on all OKR related matters.
• Strategic Initiatives: Identify, analyze, evaluate and champion strategic initiatives for Inspire International. Responsible for driving initiatives to answer business needs – work with stakeholders across all levels / functions to translate strategies into initiatives, provide strategic oversight, and monitor progress during implementation. Coordinate and serve as project manager across strategic initiatives. Create and maintain executive-level reporting. Guide outcomes and capture opportunities. Resolve and/or escalate issues as required. Largely platform-level initiatives, though some instances likely brand-specific. Potential initiatives include:
Support the development and continual iteration of Inspire International’s playbooks (strategy, principles, standards, templates & tools) to include go-to-market strategy, brand concept and format localization, and operating model analysis
Provide short-term incremental analytical and project support across the team to drive our differentiating capabilities
Engage with franchisees and investors to assess and vet potential partnerships based on mutual interest levels and capabilities
Support International team inorganic market entry opportunities, including business case development & new-market strategy. Continuously serving as a thought-partner for International team leadership in new deal development.
• Growth Opportunities: Own Partner assessments for existing Franchisees & Licensees, evaluating capabilities and performance to support improvements or cycle-out under performing Partners. Tracking Franchisee initiatives across the Functions, owning annual Partner Calibration, and holding regular check-ins.
• International Engagement: Drive cross-Functional & Region engagement through managing Director Connects, Virtual Kick-Offs, Regional Conferences, and Sip N’ Shares – Owning the Strategic messaging while liaising with relevant teams on execution.
• Strategic Communication: Support the International President and the LT in drafting executive level presentations to ensure the International Strategy/Performance is clearly communicated across the Brand Leadership teams, IET, the Board and our Tier I business partners.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelors degree required
Minimum of 2 years of investment banking or strategy consulting experience
Ability to show prior Project Management / financial analysis experience
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS or ABILITIES
Strong analytical, quantitative, and presentation skills
Project management expertise – ability to manage multiple workstreams in parallel, effectively prioritize work and coordinate with collaborators within the team and across the organization
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills – ability to develop rapport and influence stakeholders
Significant time spent abroad, living/working/traveling, a plus
Foreign language proficiency preferred, but not required
Thrives in a fast-paced environment, while working autonomously
Passionate about building the Inspire Brands International platform and bringing its brands and guest experiences to people around the world
We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.
