Chief Marketing Officer - Restaurant Franchisor

Leap Brands leapbrands.io Open · verified Sep 19, 2026

Malaysia Full-time C-Suite Marketing Leadership

Leadership Marketing Leadership role at Leap Brands. Malaysia · full-time.

Role brief

Growth Roles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

Build global marketing infrastructure that grows system sales and reduces the cost of acquiring franchise partners
Generate qualified interest from multi-unit developers and private equity-backed operators, then equip sales with conversion materials
Shape the consumer brand across markets while overseeing loyalty, delivery integrations, CRM, and first-party data efforts
Work with R&D to give new products and services strong social-commerce potential without sacrificing operational practicality
Create franchisee launch and local-marketing playbooks, manage the system marketing fund, and enforce brand standards across local channels

What you bring

At least seven to ten years in senior marketing leadership, ideally within a fast-growing franchise or private equity-backed startup
Strong command of ROAS, EBITDA multiples, automated CRM, hyper-local SEO, and influencer-led social commerce
Ability to pair analytical decision-making with creative leadership for major brand campaigns
Exceptional influence with independent franchise owners and the Board of Directors

Who this fits

You will suit a first marketing executive who can move between private-equity strategy, consumer brand building, franchise sales, and hands-on local execution. The role calls for someone comfortable influencing franchisees who do not report to you and reporting to the Board and Franchisee Advisory Council. The listing identifies Malaysia but does not provide a clear specific location or other work-location constraints.

From the employer

The Mission

As our inaugural CMO, you will be responsible for taking a proven proof-of-concept and architecting the global "operating system" for its expansion. Your primary objective is to drive system-wide sales while lowering the cost-per-acquisition for new franchise partners. You will bridge the gap between private equity-level strategic planning and the "grit" required for local store marketing execution.

Core Responsibilities

1. Franchise Development Marketing (B2B)

Pipeline Generation: Develop and execute high-precision lead generation campaigns targeting multi-unit developers and private equity-backed operators.
Brand Authority: Position the founder and the brand as thought leaders within the franchise industry to drive organic interest and "earned" media.
Sales Enablement: Create the "Franchise Disclosure Document" (FDD) support materials, discovery day presentations, and investor decks that convert leads into signed agreements.

2. Consumer Brand & Performance (B2C)

National Brand Architecture: Refine the visual identity, tone of voice, and value proposition to ensure the brand is "exportable" across diverse geographic markets.
Digital Ecosystem: Oversee the 2026-standard marketing stack, including AI-driven loyalty programs, super-app integrations (Grab, UberEats, etc.), and first-party data collection.
Menu & Innovation: Work alongside the R&D team to ensure new products or services are not only operationally viable but possess high "viral velocity" for social commerce.

3. Franchisee Support & Field Marketing

The Playbook: Develop a standardized "Grand Opening" and "Local Store Marketing" (LSM) playbook that allows new franchisees to hit breakeven within their first six months.
Ad Fund Management: Establish and manage the System-wide Marketing Fund, providing transparent reporting to the Board and the Franchisee Advisory Council.
Compliance & Consistency: Implement brand-compliance software to ensure thousands of local social media accounts maintain global standards while allowing for necessary local flavor.

Candidate Profile & Requirements

The "Dual-Brain" Marketer: You must possess the analytical rigor to report on ROAS and EBITDA multiples while having the creative intuition to lead a brand-defining campaign.
Franchise Fluency: Minimum of 7–10 years of senior marketing leadership, preferably with experience in a high-growth franchise system or a private equity-backed startup.
Tech-Forward: Expert-level understanding of 2026 marketing technologies, including automated CRM workflows, hyper-local SEO, and influencer-led social commerce.
Communication: Exceptional ability to influence franchisees (who are independent business owners, not employees) and the Board of Directors.