Grand Opening Marketing Manager

Company Background

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is an iconic brand, steeped in history. It is a 77-year-old company in a start-up growth phase with great upside opportunity. Named as one of the 10 fastest growing restaurant brands in 2021, according to the NRN Top 500, this is an exciting time to join Handel’s. Since 2020, Handel’s has more than doubled its footprint to over 100 stores, with plans to open up to 40 new stores in 2023. Along with this tremendous growth comes the need to continue building the operational capabilities and talent necessary to achieve Handel’s short and long-term goals.

The Opportunity

The Grand Opening Marketing Manager will oversee the marketing planning and execution for the grand opening of all stores for the Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream brand. The manager will interact with the Real Estate, Design, Construction, Operations, Field Marketing, PR, and Supply Chain teams to ensure a successful opening of all company and franchise operated stores. The manager will be the main point of contact on-site; to assist where needed with marketing project management and offer marketing support to cross-functional business partners and throughout the new store opening (NSO) process. The role will design and execute the grand opening process from end to end, to ensure successful store openings and consistent execution of individual brand standards. Reporting into the Vice President of Marketing.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the corporate PR firm in preparation for media outreach/pitching, influencer identification, food drops, etc. to garner press for grand opening activities to promote the store and set the location up for future success
• Work with cross-functional teams on continuous improvement initiatives
• Grand opening project lead and main point of contact to ensure consistency and best practices acrossstore openings
• Travel to each grand opening location and canvas the market to promote grand opening events
• Lead the on-the-ground cadence of events for the grand opening week, especially the day of event for each store grand opening, including “the First 100” promotion
• Design, create and follow new Grand Opening marketing procedures and playbooks for the completion of successful branded grand openings
• Daily interface with franchisee and/or corporate operator to align on daily workload throughout the opening process (pre-opening, during opening week, and post-opening)
• Design, create and complete the New Grand Opening scorecard, including reporting and analysis of the event
• Create 30-60-90 day grand opening marketing plan
• Schedule and lead Grand Opening calls/meetings with the franchisee and/or corporate operator team

Your Recipe for Success

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with superior editing skills
• Ability to build strong collaborative relationships, both internally and externally
• Strong financial acumen and attention to cost value to maximize ROI and stay on/under budget
• Technology acumen: Microsoft Office suite; strong Excel, strong PM software
• Minimum of 2 years’ event and marketing experience including new store openings or promotions
• Proven track record with on time and on budget store openings and or special projects/events
• Strong organizational, problem solving, and negotiating skills
• Ability to communicate effectively with franchisee management teams and corporate stakeholders
• Strong project management skills
• Ability to work with and within collaborative cross-functional relationships
• Sound decision-making ability
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously with high attention to detail
• Ongoing travel to new store openings, as assigned
• A highly motivated self-starter able to work independently in a fast-paced environment
• Quality-minded with a commitment to excellence

Location

The Grand Opening Marketing Manager will be based in Atlanta, Georgia. Candidates must live near the area or be willing to relocate.This role will be a hybrid role with both work from home privileges and in-office requirements, with an average of 3 days/week in office, when not in the field.

Travel Requirements

Frequent travel required, 50%-70% (may fluctuate based on business needs)

Travel to new store openings as assigned

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: Competitive base salary, commensurate with candidate experience and demonstrated skills

Bonus Plan: May range from 0% - 15% of annual base salary, with target of 10% of base salary

Generous medical, dental and vision benefit plans

Employee life insurance plan

2 weeks of paid time off (PTO) + paid holidays

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream provides equal opportunity without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, or other legally protected characteristics. EOE/AA.