REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - MAINSTREAM

Bringing True Hospitality to the world.

We want to welcome you to a world of bringing True Hospitality to everyone. When you join us at IHG®, you become part of our global family. A welcoming culture of warmth, honesty and a passion for providing True Hospitality.

We pride ourselves on letting your personality and passions shine, recognizing the individual contribution you make and supporting your ambition to learn and create your own career path. In making a difference to our guests and owners, colleagues and communities, every day is a chance to create great and unique experiences, in your own way.

With over 370,000 colleagues in nearly 100 countries sharing our values, there’s countless opportunities at your fingertips.

We’re growing; grow with us.

Execute franchise sales and business development strategies for assigned territory to achieve sales and development quotas. Expand and maintain the distribution of assigned brand portfolio. Lead key stakeholders in the deal process to prospect, qualify, structure, negotiate and close franchise deals. Demonstrate behavioral proficiencies as defined in the Developers Competency and Skill Matrix to include Business Development Expertise, Organizing, Market Knowledge, Technical Skills and Managing Relationships.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities – (Key Activities)

• Effectively execute a regional development plan for assigned brands that promotes the maximization of each brand’s distribution within the territory, drives earnings and fee income, and promotes the growth of shareholder value. Attain annual territory growth quotas as developed by management. Utilize proven strategies to aggressively improve results that fall below plan.
• Prospect, negotiate, and/or close specialized franchise sales deals in assigned geographical territories and target markets. Utilize knowledge of all major owners, developers and decision makers in assigned territory. Continuously research developments in related industries (e.g. office, retail, etc) to recognize emerging markets and opportunities.
• Provide leads for potential joint ventures and management contracts. Use a wide variety of resources to research territory and identify qualified prospects.
• Coordinate application/licensing process with Franchise Administration to ensure proper licensing agreements on franchised hotels. Monitor financial and administrative parameters surrounding franchise agreements as necessary.
• Within assigned territory, assist in developing short and long-term franchise acquisition and disposition strategies/identifying targets that are consistent with brand growth, profitability and strategic objectives. Prepare and maintain annual business plans that align with development activities and timetables.
• Call on investment groups, financial institutions, insurance companies, asset managers, individual investors, etc. to develop a network of contacts, build customer relationships that yield deal leads, and keep abreast of hotel development opportunities in the assigned marketplace.
• Participate in the evaluation of financial opportunities of prospective applicants to determine viability of prospect. Use the P&Ls of hotels in the market, average costs of development, etc. to determine the strength of the market to support deals. Research and utilize interest rates, financing options, operating costs, and other data required to pencil out and drive deals.
• Manage deals through closing to ensure coordination of all financial and legal documentation and the resolution of issues as they pertain to contractual agreements prior to hotel opening; and follow the completion and implementation of deal and hand-off to VP of Asset Management/Owner Relations and/or Operations as appropriate.

Education –

Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Business, Real Estate, Finance, Hotel Management or a relevant field of work, or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience.

Experience –

8-10 years progressive work related experience in franchise sales and/or development, with demonstrated proficiency in multiple disciplines/technologies/processes related to the position as well as 5-7 years managing significant complex projects, typically in hotel operations or a similar environment.

Technical Skills and Knowledge –

• Demonstrated project management experience in organizing, planning and executing large-scale financial and sales projects from conception through implementation.
• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication skills for the purpose of providing information to clients, vendors, senior management and staff. Gets clients involved and engaged by asking questions, consistently relating to client’s goals, and building the value of the opportunity.
• Demonstrated business/financial negotiation and influencing/consensus building skills
• Demonstrated ability to understand financial structures and deal valuation concepts
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of effective sales and marketing strategies such as client prospecting and cultivation, new product evaluation, brand positioning and strategic fit
• Demonstrated experience in franchise contract negotiation from prospecting investors to closing the deal.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the hotel operations market, competitive market trends and factors, and financial feasibility analysis.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Decision making responsibilities (Key Decision Rights):

• Erroneous decisions or recommendations would normally result in critical delays and/or modification to projects or operations causing a substantial expenditure of time, human resources or funds.
• Significant impact on relationships with potential franchisees, and on negotiations for franchise sales affecting the Company’s revenue streams.
• Significant impact on incremental revenue growth by executing sales and development strategies in assigned territory.
• Significant impact on negotiations with hotel owners, on working with banks and lenders to gain financing for potential franchisees, and on the outcome of fees, revenues, and other negotiating points.

Join us and you’ll become part of the global IHG family – and like all families, all our individual team members share some winning characteristics. As a team, we work better together – we trust and support each other, we do the right thing and we welcome different perspectives. You need to show us you care, that you notice the little things that make a difference to guests as well as always looking for ways to improve - click here to find out more about us.

At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. IHG Hotels & Resorts provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to an individual’s, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or familial status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

IHG is committed to promoting a culture of inclusion where everyone feels safe, respected and valued. We seek talent from all backgrounds to join our teams, and encourage our colleagues to bring their authentic and best selves to work.

Not Applicable for Colorado Applicants.