Business Development Manager - GSM (Franchise)

Job Description

Strategic Growth

• Define GEMS School Management’s Franchise growth strategy and framework.
• Develop long-term expansion plans, identify new markets, and recruit qualified franchisees.
• Monitor network performance, enforce brand standards, and implement strategies to boost franchisee profitability.
• Act as the primary liaison between corporate leadership and franchise owners.

Market Intelligence And Pipeline Development

• Conduct market research to identify priority markets and potential opportunities.
• Lead outreach to potential schools and school groups who might be open to exploring GSM’s franchise model.
• Build and manage a qualified pipeline in Monday CRM, with clear stage definitions, probabilities, next actions and expected value.
• Produce monthly executive ready reports and board packs that highlight progress, risks and decisions required

Brand, Events, and Thought Leadership

• Represent GSM at priority conferences and government roundtables; secure speaker slots and partner meetings.
• Work with marketing to develop targeted narratives, case studies and collateral aligned to the ASPIRE framework.
• Oversee the onboarding of new locations and deploy targeted marketing and training programs.

Governance, Risk, and Compliance

• Implement due diligence frameworks covering counterparties, environmental social and governance, safeguarding, sanctions and data privacy.
• Maintain risk registers for major pursuits with mitigations, decision gates and executive visibility.
• Ensure all franchise agreements and operations comply with regulatory requirements and corporate policies.

Job-Specific Knowledge & Skills

Qualifications And Expected Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Education, or related field.
• 8 to 10 years of progressive experience in partnerships or business development, ideally in education, public private partnerships, real estate development or impact sectors.
• Track record of originating and closing complex multi stakeholder deals with governments and institutional partners.
• Advanced financial literacy, including profit and loss modelling, scenario analysis and investment cases.
• Fluency in English.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and negotiate agreements.
• Proficiency in CRM and executive reporting.
• Desirable
• Master’s degree (MBA, Public Policy, Education Leadership) or equivalent.
• Fluency in Arabic
• Experience across international markets.
• Familiarity with school operations, regulatory approvals and procurement processes.
• GEMS Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all of its students and staff.
• A UK-enhanced DBS or equivalent police check is a pre-requisite for all appointments.