Overview:
Founded in 1990 as Fawaz Alhokair Fashion Retail Co., Cenomi Retail has introduced more than 80 international retail and F&B brands to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These include some of the world’s most loved including Zara, Mango, Aldo, Cinnabon, Subway and more. Cenomi Retail operates more than 1,600 stores across 100 shopping centers in 11 countries. We are dedicated to growth and breaking down boundaries to offer a truly unique brand partnership proposition.
Position - Brand Manager
Reporting To - Operations Director
ROLE PURPOSE:
To lead the assigned QSR brand as an end-to-end business, ensuring consistent brand standards, outstanding guest experience, disciplined day-to-day operations, capable and engaged teams, sustainable sales growth, and delivery of the approved profit and loss (P&L) plan. The Brand Manager is the primary point of contact between Cenomi Retail and the Brand Principal/Franchisor and is accountable for translating brand strategy into strong store-level execution across the market.
01 KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
Brand Principal & Stakeholder Management
- Act as the primary and accountable point of contact for the Brand Principal/Franchisor on all business matters, including operations, training, product, quality, marketing, development, supply chain, and financial performance.
- Own the governance rhythm with the Brand Principal, including business reviews, action trackers, performance updates, approvals, escalations, and closure of agreed actions.
- Translate franchise standards, strategic priorities, and brand initiatives into clear local execution plans while protecting brand identity and contractual obligations.
- Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders and ensure one aligned, accurate, and timely company response to the Brand Principal.
Day-to-Day Operations
- Lead daily brand operations across all assigned restaurants and ensure safe, efficient, guest-focused execution during all trading periods.
- Establish and monitor operating routines covering opening and closing, staffing, production, service flow, order accuracy, speed of service, cleanliness, maintenance, delivery channels, cash controls, and shift management.
- Review performance dashboards and exception reports daily; identify gaps, assign corrective actions, and verify sustainable closure through store visits and follow-up.
- Partner with Area/Multi-Unit Managers to improve underperforming restaurants and replicate best practices across the network.
- Lead operational readiness for new restaurant openings, remodels, seasonal peaks, promotions, and major brand initiatives.
P&L, Commercial Performance & Growth
- Own the brand P&L and deliver approved targets for sales, gross margin, restaurant contribution, EBITDA, and cash performance.
- Build annual budgets, forecasts, and recovery plans in partnership with Finance and Operations; explain variances and take timely corrective action.
- Drive profitable sales through traffic growth, average transaction value (ATV), units per transaction (UPT), product mix, beverage/add-on attachment, delivery performance, and effective local store marketing.
- Control food cost, waste, labor cost, overtime, discounts, refunds, inventory variance, controllable expenses, and maintenance spend without compromising guest or brand standards.
- Evaluate the operational and financial impact of menu, pricing, promotion, equipment, and expansion proposals and provide fact-based recommendations.
01 KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES - CONTINUED
Guest Experience & Brand Standards
- Own delivery of a consistent end-to-end guest journey across dine-in, takeaway, drive-thru, and delivery channels, as applicable.
- Ensure compliance with food safety, quality, service, cleanliness, product, recipe, visual identity, and franchise operating standards.
- Review guest feedback, ratings, complaints, mystery shop results, and operational audit findings; lead root-cause analysis and preventive action.
- Maintain readiness for Brand Principal visits, internal audits, regulatory inspections, and operational excellence reviews.
Training, Capability & People Leadership
- Own the brand training agenda in partnership with Learning & Development and the Brand Principal, including certification standards, training materials, new product training, and train-the-trainer activity.
- Ensure all restaurant employees and managers are trained, assessed, and certified before independently performing their roles or launching new products and procedures.
- Build a strong pipeline of Store Managers, Multi-Unit Managers, and brand experts through succession planning, coaching, talent reviews, and individual development plans.
- Set clear performance expectations, conduct regular reviews, coach direct reports, and address capability, conduct, engagement, and retention issues with HR.
- Promote a culture of ownership, recognition, inclusion, safety, continuous improvement, and accountability for results.
Menu, Product & Marketing Execution
- Coordinate menu innovation, product trials, operational validation, costing, training, launch readiness, and post-launch performance reviews.
- Ensure approved campaigns, pricing, merchandising, packaging, and point-of-sale materials are implemented accurately and on time across all restaurants and channels.
- Provide operational insight to Marketing and the Brand Principal on guest needs, competitor activity, product performance, and market opportunities.
Supply Chain, Assets & Compliance
- Partner with Supply Chain to protect product availability, approved sourcing, inventory health, and continuity of critical ingredients, packaging, and equipment.
- Ensure restaurants comply with company policies, franchise agreements, local regulatory requirements, food safety, occupational health and safety, and municipality requirements.
- Monitor asset condition and preventive maintenance, prioritize capital needs, and minimize downtime that affects sales or guest experience.
- Maintain accurate business records and ensure operational, financial, HR, and training data are submitted on time and with integrity.
Strategy, Network Development & Continuous Improvement
- Develop and execute the annual brand business plan, translating company strategy into measurable priorities, owners, milestones, and store-level actions.
- Support site feasibility, restaurant portfolio reviews, new opening plans, relocations, remodels, closures, and market expansion decisions.
- Benchmark performance, identify scalable improvements, simplify operating processes, and lead initiatives that improve productivity and restaurant economics.
02 DECISION RIGHTS & ACCOUNTABILITY
- Recommend and execute actions required to achieve the approved brand strategy, budget, and operating plan within delegated authority.
- Approve routine operating decisions and expenditure within the approved budget and delegation-of-authority limits.
- Stop or escalate any practice that creates a material food safety, people safety, legal, financial, reputational, or brand compliance risk.
- Recommend pricing, menu, promotion, manpower, capital expenditure, supplier, and portfolio actions through the relevant governance and approval process.
- Remain accountable for brand results even when delivery depends on cross-functional teams; proactively resolve dependencies and escalate unresolved risks.
03 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Financial - Net sales and same-store sales growth; budget/forecast accuracy; gross margin; restaurant contribution/EBITDA; food cost; labor cost; controllable expense; cash and inventory variance.
Commercial- Transactions/traffic; ATV; UPT; add-on and beverage attachment; product mix; promotion ROI; delivery sales and profitability; new product performance
Guest- Guest rating/NPS or approved measure; complaint rate and resolution; order accuracy; speed of service; repeat business indicators.
Operational- Brand audit/OER score; food safety score; quality, service and cleanliness; equipment uptime; availability; waste; execution of launches and action-plan closure.
People & Training- Training and certification completion; manager bench strength; succession coverage; employee turnover/retention; engagement; productivity; internal promotion rate; safety performance.
Brand Partnership- Quality and timeliness of reporting; closure of Brand Principal actions; compliance with franchise standards; successful business reviews and visits.
04 KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
INTERNAL- Operations leadership; Area/Multi-Unit Managers; Restaurant Managers; Finance; HR; Learning & Development; Marketing; Supply Chain; Quality & Food Safety; Projects & Development; IT; Legal; Procurement; Facilities and Maintenance.
EXTERNAL- Brand Principal/Franchisor; suppliers and distributors; delivery aggregators; landlords/malls; consultants; service providers; auditors; regulatory and municipality authorities, as required.
05 QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Operations Management, Finance, or a related discipline; a relevant postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
- Typically 8-12 years of progressive experience in multi-site QSR/F&B operations, including at least 3-5 years in a brand, business unit, multi-unit, or comparable leadership role.
- Demonstrated ownership of a multi-unit P&L, budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and delivery of profitable sales growth.
- Strong experience managing franchise or international brand relationships and implementing brand standards across multiple restaurants.
- Proven track record in operational excellence, guest experience, people development, restaurant openings, and performance turnaround.
- Strong command of Microsoft Office and business intelligence/restaurant systems; ability to convert data into clear commercial and operational actions.
- Fluent English is required; Arabic is strongly preferred for effective operation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Willingness and ability to travel frequently and work flexibly in line with restaurant trading requirements.
