Come join our Goddard Systems, LLC (GSL) corporate team! Goddard is consistently named one of the top childcare franchises in the United States. Franchise Business Review, a third-party market research firm that provides rankings for franchise companies, has named it the No. 1 franchise in the education category. GSL, is the manager of the Goddard School franchise system, supports over 600 schools which delivers a high-quality, play-based learning program to families all over the United States. Our successful franchise business model supports franchisees through partnerships and has grown into an institution that parents and families trust, reaching more than 80,000 students in 38 states – and growing.

Position Summary:

We are actively seeking a highly motivated and experienced professional to join our team as the Manager of Franchise Relations. This role is responsible for providing unwavering support to our valued franchisees, Education Directors, and parents within the Goddard community. The Manager of Franchise Relations serves as the linchpin of our franchise relations department, where responsibilities encompass not only managing a two-person contact center but also adeptly navigating through crisis situations and spearheading the implementation of cutting-edge contact center technologies. The ideal candidate will have prior crisis management experience and possess excellent communication and leadership skills, be able to conduct thorough data analysis, project management skills and have a strong background in emergency management, or a related field.

Responsibilities:

Crisis Leadership

• Facilitate crucial conversations while leading a variety of stakeholders through crisis situations through cross -department collaboration to provide timely and effective solutions to mitigate any potential challenges or risks to the brand.
• Lead the crisis response team, ensuring a coordinated and unified response.
• Identify opportunities to improve crisis management processes and implement solutions to minimize future risk.

Stakeholder Relationship Building & Expert Guidance

• Crisis Management – Knowledge of crisis management concepts and techniques; ability to predict, avert, mitigate, and recover from an event that has or could have a severely negative impact on the brand.
• Build and maintain relationships with franchisees, directors, and GSL colleagues by listening and providing consistent, accurate and insightful information and guidance by drawing upon deep functional expertise related to crisis management health and safety standards
• Provide guidance to stakeholders to ensure a clear understanding of the situation, reach a resolution and facilitate compliance.
• Professionally represent GSL while interacting with parents that have questions or concerns related to the brand by listening and providing guidance to reach a resolution.

Team Oversight and Project Management

• Provide oversight to ensure effective communication and support from the franchise relations specialists. Ensure franchise relations managers provide accurate advice and demonstrate effective management of calls from start to finish.
• Influence and continuously improve each franchise relations team members’ operations and crisis management skills.
• Manage projects related to franchise relations team, ensuring timely completion and adherence to budgetary constraints.

Communication and Technology

• Conduct thorough analysis of call data to determine potential risks or concerns within the system or specific School, identifying areas for improvement and implementing appropriate strategies to enhance performance and minimize risk.
• Monitor and communicate emergency/weather alerts and health advisories that may impact the system.

Experience and Competencies

• Bachelor Degree in Emergency Management, Disaster Management, Safety & Health, or a related technical field required.
• Training in FEMA Incident Command System, IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800 required, FEMA ICS-300 and ICS-400 training strongly preferred.
• Minimum 2 years people management experience.
• Minimum four years work experience developing emergency operations plans, designing and conducting emergency training exercises, and leading incident responses.
• Ability to think and act quickly with decisiveness under stressful situations.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders at all levels throughout the organization.
• High analytical proficiency, with the ability to conduct thorough analysis and make data-driven decisions.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities with successful outcomes.
• Proficiency in learning and utilizing technology to support goals.

Highly Desired

• Master’s Degree Emergency Management, Disaster Management, Health & Safety or Related Field; Certified Safety Professional Certification
• Familiarity and experience in developing tools and resources to support the functions of a call center, such as a 911 communications center.

There will be periodic requirements to travel for in-person events, at the discretion of your manager or the requirement of the company.