Overview

This position is responsible for developing comprehensive, location-based market plans that drive strategic and tactical growth priorities across Regions/Area Support Teams (“ASTs”). The role includes working in close collaboration with partners across the business in order to influence and drive the most effective strategic location solutions (new site selection, existing restaurant asset strategy, cross-platform) that will best support our Owner/Operators and the communities they serve. The position requires ownership and communication of comprehensive local, regional, and national strategic plans, enabling Chick-fil-A to make the best decisions possible for short and long-term restaurant growth. This role will help lead and influence through the following capabilities: market expertise (local knowledge, context, perspective), growth strategy ownership, data interpretation (details big-picture thinking), strategic-level guidance for larger bodies of work (including enterprise-level strategic bets), objective insights and recommendations, competitive intelligence, and portfolio management (perspective on broader network strategy and financial metrics).

Our Flexible Future model offers a healthy mix of working in person and virtually, strengthening key elements of the Chick-fil-A culture by fostering collaboration and community.

Responsibilities

Partnerships/Collaboration

• Drive and influence decisions around the AST table. This person will serve as the integrated strategy leader and will help determine, educate, and communicate the growth strategy for this team.
• Engage with teams across the business. This responsibility is critical to our group as it connects us to longer term projects and initiatives within the organization and offers the Strategists an opportunity to increase their scope and grow their influence.
• Represent Market Strategy for the region in cross-functional, strategic-level meetings, teams, and initiatives.
• Key partner with the Strategic Insights Leadership team bringing timely updates and helping shape future work.

Growth Strategy

• Develop, adapt, and update an integrated location strategy for new and existing markets, in conjunction with New Restaurant Growth and Existing Restaurants.
• Evaluate, drive, and influence innovative solutions and platforms through the complex lens of the market ecosystem. This role requires the Strategist to explore pioneering methods and sales channels to serve the ever-growing customer demand for the brand.
• Champion the adoption of submarkets across RD and the broader enterprise, including Operators.

Market Expertise

• Market-Level Expert: have an intimate understanding of the trade areas within the entire AST including demographic and psychographic makeup, customer patterns, traffic drivers, and future growth and development opportunities for the area.
• Equip business leaders across RD with understanding around key concepts such as Guest Movement Data, Capacity Index, and Shared Customer Base.
• Provide critical market strategy insights/maps/data to key leaders to help inform strategy.
• Understand and communicate the competitive landscape across local areas, markets, and regions.
• Crucial role as a “story-teller”, providing context and perspective for markets that help drive key decisions.

Forecasting and Scenario-Building

• Generate sales forecasts and financial analyses for potential and existing Chick-fil-A location scenarios.
• Accomplish sales transfer studies leveraging internal customer data.
• Evaluate multi-scenario situations for existing and potential future deployment strategies, as needed.
• Create and complete other strategic analyses and innovative business solutions as requested by Restaurant Development Leadership, Chick-fil-A’s Planning Teams, and Executive Committee.
• Perform mapping functions and spatial analyses, including management of the existing restaurant strategy and site characteristics layers, utilizing GIS capabilities.
• Provide analyses and recommendations for existing restaurant strategies (remodels, relocations, rebuilds) and potential cross-platform market solutions

Data Strategy/Interpretation

• Communicate strategic insight and growth recommendations for Chick-fil-A markets and locations to end-users across the business, including Restaurant Development, Region Teams, and Operators.
• Produce input and strategic guidance around the tools and models that could impact location-based strategies, in conjunction with analytics in Existing Restaurants.
• Play an active role as the conduit between our team’s data-driven insights and recommendations, and the teams we interact with across the business.

Portfolio Management/Stewardship

• Measure financial return of asset and capital deployment options on a broad scale, gauging potential ramifications.
• Consistently implement a forward-thinking approach toward resource stewardship through integrated market deployment strategies.
• Foster “impact” thinking around non-financial resources, stewarding Operators, team members, and communities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• 8 years of relevant work experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree preferably in Business, Finance, Real Estate, Analytics, Geography, or other relevant area of study
• Experience in retail site selection
• Real Estate site selection, financial analysis background, previous leadership role
• Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving
• Strong communication skills
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• Relationship building skills and ability to influence
• Collaborative team player
• Enterprise mindset
• High comfort level with computer usage/new software, technology & tools
• Prefer aptitude with GIS software and Microsoft Excel modeling
• Builds Organizational Trust & Collaboration
• Forward Thinking
• Understands return on investment and investment analysis principles
• Self-starter with the ability to work both independently and on teams

Minimum Years of Experience

Travel Requirements

Required Level of Education

Preferred Level of Education