Executive Summary
A premier franchise management organization, owner and operator of over 300 franchise chains across fast food, spa, and health concepts, needed a Sr Director of IT who could do more than manage technology—they needed a strategic leader capable of bridging day-to-day operations with C-suite vision. The ideal candidate required experience with large-scale franchise environments, MSP oversight, system integrations, and data governance. Through a focused partnership with nexus IT group, they secured a highly capable IT leader in under four weeks who met every requirement and immediately began driving enterprise-wide technology strategy.
Client Profile
The client is a premier franchise management organization, owning and operating over 300 locations across multiple concepts, including fast food restaurants, spas, and health and wellness brands. With a diverse portfolio of brick-and-mortar locations, they require an IT leadership structure capable of supporting disparate systems, POS environments, and enterprise-wide initiatives across a complex, multi-brand ecosystem.
The Challenge: Finding a Leader Who Could Bridge Operations and Strategy
The Sr Director of IT role required a rare combination of technical breadth, executive presence, and franchise-specific experience.
- C-Suite Ready: The client needed an astute, polished IT leader who could translate technical complexity into business strategy and communicate effectively with C-suite executives.
- Broad Operational Expertise: The role demanded recent experience managing RFP/RFI reviews, MSP selection and oversight, system integrations, security, infrastructure, and data governance—a comprehensive leadership skillset.
- Franchise-Scale Experience: Candidates needed current or previous experience managing IT environments for a minimum of 75 chains or franchised organizations. The client’s 300+ location footprint required someone who understood scale.
- Hybrid and Travel Requirements: A hybrid work model with occasional travel further narrowed the qualified talent pool, requiring candidates who were both flexible and geographically adaptable.
The Solution: Targeted Search for a Multi-Site IT Strategist
nexus IT group partnered directly with the client’s VP of IT to refine the role requirements and execute a search strategy tailored to the unique demands of franchise management.
- Collaborative Role Refinement: We worked closely with the VP of IT to identify transferable skills that would translate effectively to the 300+ location, multi-brand franchise model, ensuring no qualified candidates were overlooked due to overly narrow job descriptions.
- Industry-Focused Sourcing: Our search specifically targeted IT leaders from franchise and hospitality management groups, prioritizing professionals with cross-discipline knowledge of infrastructure, networking, and cybersecurity in distributed environments.
- Brick-and-Mortar Expertise: We emphasized candidates with prior experience supporting disparate systems at POS and physical locations, recognizing the unique challenges of retail and service-based franchise operations.
- Executive Presence Screening: Beyond technical qualifications, we rigorously evaluated communication style, adaptability, and client service orientation to ensure the candidate could represent IT at the highest levels of the organization.
Results & Metrics
The partnership delivered a strategic IT leader efficiently and effectively.
- Candidates Submitted: 5
- Hires Made: 1
- Time-to-Fill: Under 4 Weeks from initial intake to offer acceptance
The Outcome
The client successfully filled the Sr Director of IT role on the third submission, securing a highly capable IT leader who met all industry and enterprise-scale requirements.
- Strategic Bridge Established: The new hire immediately began bridging the gap between day-to-day IT operations and C-suite strategic priorities, ensuring technology investments aligned with business goals.
- Enterprise-Scale Readiness: With experience managing environments at the required scale, the leader was prepared to oversee IT across 300+ locations, including MSP relationships, system integrations, and security initiatives.
- Seamless Integration: The candidate’s polished communication style and client service orientation ensured smooth integration with both executive leadership and operational teams.
Client Testimonial
“Thank you Slava, yes it (sourcing, screening, offer negotiations) went extremely well! I will pass your information on in a separate email to a colleague that needs help filling BI Developer positions!”
— VP of IT, Franchise Management Group
About nexus IT group
nexus IT group is a specialized technical recruiting firm that partners with organizations to build elite, high-impact technology teams. We combine deep market knowledge with a rigorous process to deliver candidates who drive long-term success.