Franchise Business Consultant - Ontario GTA East (Contract)

Location: Markham, Ontario
Job Description:

Position: Franchise Business Consultant – Ontario GTA East
Type: Full-Time | Contract
Location: Markham, ON
Reports to: Regional Director, Franchise Store Operations

About Us:
Pet Valu is Canada’s leading pet specialty retailer, dedicated to strengthening the bond between dedicated pet lovers and their pets. With 50 years of animal care expertise, we operate over 800 stores across Canada under several banners, including Pet Valu, Bosley’s, Total Pet, Paulmac's Pet, Tisol & Chico. Guided by our mission to deliver products, care, expertise, and memorable moments, Pet Valu is a place where people build meaningful careers while making a positive impact on pets and communities.

Job Summary
Reporting to the Regional Director, the Franchise Business Consultant (“FBC”) is responsible for all operational activities and sales results in the district. Key areas of focus will be successful district system wide sales growth while meeting financial and operational objectives.

Key Responsibilities:
Driving system wide and wholesale sales. Achieving targets set by the company. Communicating to franchisees; product knowledge, showing metrics/benefits of a product/initiative; new product launches, pre-books, store cost deals, seasonal initiatives, utilizing tools provided by the company for consistent delivery of messaging/standards, optimizing opportunities to increase sales
Best Practices Consultant. Through the review of store practices, sales and trends (merchandising, staffing, training, promotion of new products, etc.), FBC will recommend customized “best practice” solutions to franchisees with the goal of improving sales/profitability for the store and operational excellence.
Retail Operations Excellence. Training, Monitoring & Enforcement of brand/operational standards outlined in the Franchise Agreement and Operations Manual. Documenting and escalating appropriately if SOP’s and policies not followed. Ensures that new franchisees are properly oriented & trained; ensures all applicable company policies and operating procedures are followed.
Corporate Office Liaison. Acts as principal contact point between franchisees and head office departments to communicate or solicit information, collect data, resolve issues, etc.
Enforce Outside Purchases compliance. Training, monitoring, enforcement of regulations and SOP’s/brand standards.
Identify common issues and collaborate with cross functional teams to resolve in a timely and efficient manner.

Education & Experience:
College level graduate (preferably from a Business, Retail or Marketing program) and/or extensive retail experience
Minimum of 2 to 3 years’ retail chain experience at a District or multi-store management level in a large retail chain; ideally gained in a progressive franchise-based operations role.
Demonstrate strong retail visual merchandising skills.

Job Specifications:
Best Practices Consulting
Works with franchisees to develop and implement individual business -operational strategies and tactics aligned with company brand standards. Analyses reports gather insights and inform recommendations. Critical thinking to assess current state and offer tailored recommendations.
Promote new marketing initiatives, tying it back to Franchisee’s business goals.
Consult on merchandising store to support new product launches and/or to adhere to company brand standards (e.g. store resets, ongoing suggestions to support sales)
Identifies and documents “best practices” for general distribution and communication within their district; this contributes to the knowledge sharing process (run by the RDs). Transfers “best practices” from one franchisee to another within their region (staffing, training, event planning, wholesale sales- right product in the right place – product recommendations – ability to adjust/flex recommendations based on the store and context
Expectation of being in stores to actively coach franchisees 3.5-4 days per week. Regular cadence of in-person store visits (minimum every 6 weeks) & monthly (email/phone) follow-up on wholesale visits.

Corporate Liaison
Acts as an escalation contact between the franchisee and various Head Office departments to communicate changes, resolve difficulties, gather information and advocate on behalf of franchisees (e.g. with common issues occurring across franchisees)
Monitors local competition and reports to their Regional Director on relevant market activity, i.e., vacancies in center, construction, anchor tenant changes, mall renovations and new home development.
Coordinate key store activity tasks in collaboration with cross-functional partners (e.g. real estate, corporate Regional Director/District Manager, store-set-up, Human Resources) – follow up on any deficiencies.

Retail Operations Excellence
Works confidently with and trains all aspects of the Point of Sale and Web Ordering + Merchandising.
Works with new and existing franchisees to ensure all franchisees and their staff are adequately trained in procedures and product knowledge, including following up with franchisees to ensure all mandatory learning has been completed.
Thoroughly follows the FBC Monthly Visit checklist to ensure all items are completed per cadence;
Through a combination of formal Store Audits and informal audits of pricing/marketing (quarterly), etc.; Submits appropriate documentation of non-compliance issues with Franchise Agreement to Regional Director
Conducts quarterly Safe and Ready or Brand Standards Audits
Complete all mandatory learning assignments.

Communication
Prepare and distribute information to the franchisees as required, including store-specific reporting.
Review Pet Connect regularly for updates and/or action items.
Works on special projects as required.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS:
Able to work independently, organize their work.
Able to multi-task and move from day to day-operational activities to planning level activities as required.
Able to prioritize day-to-day activities (per business priorities)
Able to negotiate and influence others through effective communication skills (both written and verbal)
Able to adjust messaging to the audience.
Able to manage conflict.
Sales focused (+ sales specific skills)
Results driven; willingness to strive for improvements.
Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Strong customer service skills and a sense of urgency
Organized with excellent follow up to quickly close off issues.
Technical proficiency
Must hold a current driver’s license and be able to drive. Overnight trips may be required.
Must be able to work occasional evenings/weekends/holidays when required.

Compensation:
The targeted salary range for this position is $70,000 - $80,000 annually. The final offer will be based on factors such as market location, relevant skills, experience and internal equity.

Ready to join the team?
We’re looking for passionate people who bring strong skills and live our core values of safety, compassion, expertise, and efficiency every day. If you’re energized by doing meaningful work, taking pride in what you deliver, and making a real impact for pets, people, and communities, you’ll feel right at home here. Join us and build a career where purpose, care, and excellence come together - because love lives here™.

Why work for us?
At Pet Valu, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We’re passionate about creating an environment where you feel supported, included, and empowered to grow - both personally and professionally. Some of the perks of working with us include:

Hybrid, Flexible Work Options
Comprehensive health and dental benefits
Employee Share Purchase Plan with company matching
Learning and Development support tailored to you
An inclusive, collaborative culture where your voice matters
Fun company events that keep us connected
Preferred rates for car rentals, hotels, phone plans and gym discounts
Generous employee discounts on our products

Pet Valu is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and accessibility. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

At Pet Valu, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our hiring practices. This posting is for an existing vacancy. Pet Valu may use AI enabled technology to assist in the recruitment process for positions. The use of AI helps us ensure we are providing an equitable and streamlined recruitment experience for all applicants. While AI tools support our recruitment process, all decisions throughout the process are made exclusively by Pet Valu’s hiring team. At no stage does AI determine recruitment outcomes