Vice President of Franchise Marketing

We don’t feel like it’s a job at Hounds Town. 

This isn't your typical job post because we aren't a typical company.

Let’s be honest: most job posts are challenging at best, with long descriptions that don’t clarify the role, the commitment, or what the company truly stands for. They often contain a list of generic criteria filled with legal jargon and HR language, none of which connect to the core of the company.

We live in a world where work and personal boundaries overlap, with no clear separation anymore. Our work and personal lives naturally and passionately connect when team members share similar values. When a team member's strengths match their role, it results in outstanding outcomes. Most importantly, both the company and the team members grow more quickly in their journey.

Ready to get started?

General Guideline of the Role

We’re looking for an experienced and dependable 

Vice President of Marketing

 to join our pack.

Your role, broadly speaking, will be to accelerate our 10 Year target that every dog in America has access to Hounds Town. Specifically, you will grow unit sales and profitability at franchise locations through brand strategy, marketing initiatives, franchisee support, and by serving as a key member of the leadership team. 

Our VTO

Core Focus™

Purpose/Cause/Passion 

To change the way the world understands and connects with dogs—humbly and without judgment.

Niche

We Let Dogs be Dogs the best

10 Year Target 

Every Dog in America has Access to Hounds Town

Our Culture

We live a Townie For Life (T4L) culture. Just as important as our purpose is the belief that every team member at the retirement ceremony will say, “Hounds Town was the best place I ever worked — the place that grew me the most, professionally and personally.” Whether you’re here today or have moved on, once you’re a Townie, you’re a Townie for life.

Values

The following are the values we live by. The more these sound like you and describe the people you want to work with, the more likely you will thrive at Hounds Town.

We Create as a Pack 

·      We Succeed as a Team 

·      We Stumble as a Team

·       We Forgive and Grow as a Team 

We Embrace Extreme Ownership -

We Grow from our Mistakes, and Celebrate our Successes 

·      It May Not be Our Fault, but it is Our Problem to Solve 

·      We Know There are Only Three Choices to Any Situation - We Can Leave It - We Can Work to Make it Better - We Can Accept It Anything else is complaining 

We Are Humbly Confident

 - Boldness Born From Consideration 

·      We Exude Confidence to Built Trust 

·       We Trust our Strengths, and are Aware of Our Weaknesses 

·      We Believe We Know, or Will Know, the Correct Path 

We Are People Smart

 - Kind Heart. Firm Hand 

·      We are Self Aware. 

·      We Always start by asking how we affect a situation 

·      We Stay Curious

·      We Seek First to Understand by asking questions

·      We Know our Audience and the Most Effective Way to Communicate 

We Speak the Truth 

We Find the Shared Truth

·      We Build Trust by Communicating the Truth 

·      Speaking the Truth allows People to Evolve and Grow

What We’re Looking For

This role is designed for someone who has been in the seat before — an experienced VP of Marketing who knows what it feels like to move a fast-growing franchise system from an entrepreneurial to a scalable model. 

Roles and Responsibilities

LMA

·      Maintain EOS standards within the department.

·      Ensure department team health through effective leadership and accountability.

·      Foster cross-department collaboration to drive strategic initiatives.

·      Oversee project management execution via 90.io & ClickUp.

·      Lead department’s annual and quarterly planning sessions.

·      Conduct Quarterly Conversations (5-5-5) to assess team performance and alignment.

·      Manage Performance Improvement Plans (PIP) using a structured approach.

Brand Steward

·      Maintain and protect Hounds Town’s brand identity, positioning, and messaging.

• Ensure franchisees comply with brand guidelines to maintain consistency across locations.
• Oversee brand development initiatives, including creative direction, storytelling, and messaging updates.

Brand/Marketing Strategy and Execution

·      Develop and execute scalable marketing strategies for consumer and franchise recruitment aligned with Hounds Town’s long-term vision and revenue goals.

·       Maintain a 3-year Marketing Roadmap that guides brand growth, consumer trends, and market differentiation.

·       Own the Brand Fund in collaboration with WR3 to ensure marketing investments align with the 3-year-plan and 10-year-target.

Townie Marketing Performance & Partnership

·      Monitor and analyze Townie marketing performance, identifying locations that fall below key benchmarks for two consecutive quarters.

·       Provide the structure for training, coaching, and marketing templates to support franchisees in local campaign execution.

·       Oversee the Marketing Performance Improvement Plan (MPIP), ensuring at-risk franchisees receive targeted support from Marketing.

Core Qualifications:

Be prepared to:

• Lead a marketing team to help our franchisees drive top-line growth.

• Build, develop, and implement all marketing and brand strategies.

• Manage the Brand Fund.

• Lead and manage MarTech Projects.

• Oversee turnkey tools such as marketing plans, calendars, and templates.

• Oversee and monitor website; optimize website/channels for SEO and SEM; create and monitor landing pages and lead generation campaigns.

• Contribute to social media strategy, content, and advertising campaigns.

• Lead, manage, and groom an existing Senior Director of Marketing and Marketing Manager.

• Own the Marketing Scorecard - analyze conversion rates and other KPIs. 

• Be a member of the leadership team and have a voice and a vote in our five-year plan.

• Communicate and mentor franchisees on their marketing plans.

YOU

You Like to Tell a Good Story

You are a brand champion and can communicate our brand promise through multiple marketing channels. You know how to develop the brand story, identify a target audience, and leverage our brand in channel and product marketing campaigns.

You are Versatile in Many Mediums and Platforms

You are comfortable with search engine optimization, social marketing, display advertising, direct mail, Google AdWords, and email marketing. You are also comfortable writing blog posts, growth hacking guerrilla tactics, or anything that drives results. You create partnerships with our marketing vendors and know how to keep them accountable. You stay curious about new tools and technology and are comfortable using AI in Marketing. 

You Embrace Diverse Communication Styles

You love franchising and relish the opportunity to work with our franchise partners to create local marketing campaigns. You know that franchise relationships are built on trust, and when you have met one franchisee, you have met one franchisee. You find creative solutions to engage franchisees in the required and suggested marketing campaigns.

You Know What You’re Doing

You love being creative and the bigger picture, but you also enjoy rolling up your sleeves and building the systems for strategic growth. You like to use marketing analytics and quantify and articulate how successful a campaign is, why, and at what cost. This is not your first rodeo.

You Have a Team Mentality and Independent Drive

We are a highly aligned / loosely connected team. You thrive in a creative, inventive, fast-paced startup environment with team members passionate about their work and mission. You’re not just excited to work cross-functionally; you demand it. You understand the importance of coordinating tactics between Operations, Supply Chain, Training, and Finance. You are also comfortable working independently, getting it done, and owning your role. 

You Love Franchising

No one grew up thinking, “I want to be in Franchising!” For those of us in the industry, we love the growth model. We get excited to visit stores and find unique and creative ways to connect to individuals pursuing their dream of business ownership. It isn’t always easy, but there is just something about franchising that gets you excited. You can drop the ego to listen to our franchise partners' ideas and pain points and know when to hold the line.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of franchise marketing experience

• 5+ years of brand management

• Can demonstrate strong strategic planning skills, can craft and lead with the brand vision

• Exceptional creative thinking skills with a clear track record of generating compelling marketing ideas and strategies, leading successful brainstorming sessions, and managing creative processes.

·    Demonstrated ability to influence, challenge, and partner with senior executives

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary and benefit plans.  Salary between $150,000 to $180,000
• Unlimited PTO
• Healthcare, Dental, Vision
• 401k

US 

The franchising model drives brand growth. We view our franchisees as partners in our brand growth. 

Currently, we have 100 locations, and we intend to have 150 locations open by 2028. Oh yeah, and to have a house in Maui. Because that would be awesome. 

While our mission is significant, we also believe it isn’t worth doing if you can’t have fun at work.   

The Details 

·      Work remotely 

·      Ideal if you live between Boulder, CO, and Colorado Springs, but are open to the right fit living elsewhere in the country

·      Salaried position reporting to the Chief Franchise Officer with direct collaboration with the CEO. Salary based on experience 

·      45-55 hours a week. We value getting the job done, not burning the midnight oil.