OverviewThe Construction Project Manager (CPM) leads and supports Smoothie King franchisees through the new store construction process, working in partnership with the New Store Opening (NSO) Project Manager from site approval through store opening. Unlike traditional, field-based construction roles, this is an in-office position: the CPM manages projects through regular phone and video communication, guidance, and progress tracking rather than routine on-site supervision. The CPM provides construction expertise, vendor coordination, and project oversight to ensure franchisee stores are completed on time, within budget, and in compliance with Smoothie King standards and requirements.
- Serve as the primary construction resource, expert, and point of contact for franchisees throughout the permitting and construction phases of the store opening lifecycle, partnering closely with the NSO Project Manager to keep each project aligned with the overall store opening timeline.
- Regularly communicate with and assist franchisees by phone, video, and email to keep projects on schedule, sharing expertise, offering alternative solutions, and guiding them through the process.
- Maintain thorough project notes, checklists, and task trackers across a high volume of daily meetings and calls; this role carries a significant administrative workload in addition to regular franchisee and vendor communication.
- Develop and manage vendor relationships for all key partners in the development cycle, including equipment and materials vendors, architects, contractors, and others.
- Manage General Contractors via weekly calls, video conferences, and email.
- Request and receive contractor bids and assist franchisees with bid review, including translating landlord work letter requirements into requests for bid revisions when initial bids are not compatible with the full scope of work.
- Maintain a working knowledge of basic MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) systems to help identify and clarify landlord work requirements when franchisees or general contractors have questions.
- Maintain and improve existing processes for franchisees to easily order, secure, and install all required equipment and materials needed for store opening.
- Coordinate and facilitate franchisee order placement, deliveries, and installs with Smoothie King-approved vendors.
- Manage construction progress and scheduling of all project-related work, coordinating by phone and through regular status updates with landlords, contractors, and vendors to keep projects on schedule and per plan.
- Provide project quality oversight through weekly vendor and franchisee check-in calls, review of job-site photos and documentation, and coordination with the GC on all inspections.
- Provide oversight of landlord required work and possession of leased premises to begin tenant improvements.
- Provide value engineering and creative support to the project team to ensure project financial targets are met.
- Partner closely with the Design Team to complete plan reviews for each project.
- Manage overall project close out and turnover to Training and Operations teams for all new store openings, re-openings, and relocations.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Real Estate, Design, Marketing, and IT, in addition to Operations, throughout the store opening and facilities process to ensure alignment across teams.
- Support ad hoc departmental and cross-functional initiatives as assigned, beyond core franchisee and vendor management work tied to new store openings.
- Utilize and leverage Smoothie King's enterprise instance of Claude (AI) to create efficiencies in day-to-day work.
Responsibilities- In depth knowledge of all facets of retail construction, QSR experienced, preferred.
- Outstanding interpersonal skills with an emphasis on building partnerships with internal and external partners, at all levels within the brand.
- Self-starter with ability to work independently.
- Outstanding organizational skills with the ability to juggle multiple projects with accuracy.
- Comfortable managing multiple franchisee relationships and projects without regular on-site presence.
- Friendly attitude in the face of adversity.
- Attention to detail while working in fast-paced environment with multiple projects.
- Strong sense of urgency and a "can-do" attitude.
- Advanced communication skills including oral, written, and presentation.
- Willingness and ability to work in a collaborative, fast paced environment.
- Operates with a calm sense of urgency.
- Takes professional pride and personal ownership of his/her work and accomplishments.
- Honest, open communication with all internal and external team members.
- Ability to work cross-functionally and to coordinate communication across diverse work groups.
- Promote the culture, values, and mission of Smoothie King.
Qualifications- A Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architectural, Communications, or a related field, and/or a minimum of five (5) years' experience working in a construction-based role; relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. Franchise restaurant experience preferred.
- Experience working directly with real estate and design team members, including experience conducting or supporting plan reviews.
- Scheduling, estimating, budgeting, and procurement experience.
- Intermediate to advanced experience with MS Office (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel).
- Ability to travel occasionally (less than 15% of the time) for training, industry events, or vendor meetings, as needed.
- Personal passion for health and fitness is a plus.
What We OfferJoin our team and enjoy an unusually fun work environment with an upbeat atmosphere and great team members. It is our purpose to maintain an environment our team members can brag about, where our focus and belief are built on our core values:
We Are Better Together, We Keep Evolving, We Live Our Mission, We Do the Right Thing, and We Focus and Finish. With our core values at the forefront of every decision we make, it allows for collaboration, passion, and a no-limits mindset when it comes to your future! We keep our team happy with our great benefits package, free smoothies, flexible work schedules, office lunches and parties, monthly fitness challenges, free gym access, and more fun activities to make Smoothie King a happy and healthy place to work.
