Industry Marketing Lead, Franchises

What You'll Own

This role has two distinct motions, and you'll be accountable for both.

Net new franchise acquisition. Sign new franchise networks to Pilot. Build the integrated programs across paid, partnerships, events, content, and outbound that bring franchisor decision-makers into our pipeline. Own the number.

Adoption expansion within signed franchises. Once a franchise network signs, drive adoption across their franchisees. This is a different motion: smaller audiences, deeper personalization, longer relationships. You'll partner with our Sales and Customer teams to convert known franchisee universes into Pilot customers, network by network.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute Pilot's franchise industry marketing strategy
• Build deep expertise in franchise business models, financial operations, unit economics, and industry trends
• Identify growth opportunities across franchise segments, including multi-unit operators, franchisees, franchisors, and emerging brands
• Monitor competitive activity and industry developments to inform positioning and campaigns
• Develop franchise-focused value propositions, messaging frameworks, and content that clearly articulate Pilot's differentiation
• Translate accounting, bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services into outcomes that matter to franchise operators, including profitability, cash flow visibility, expansion readiness, and multi-location reporting
• Partner with Product Marketing to create verticalized sales and marketing assets
• Design and execute integrated campaigns that combine paid media, content, partnerships, events, lifecycle, and field marketing into coherent plays
• Build expansion plays that activate franchisee bases inside signed networks
• Create industry-specific nurture programs and conversion strategies across the customer lifecycle
• Partner with Sales to improve engagement and pipeline generation within the franchise segment
• Develop content including webinars, research reports, customer stories, playbooks, blog posts, and executive presentations
• Establish Pilot as a trusted voice in franchise finance and operations
• Work with subject matter experts and Pilot's CFO Services team to produce educational content for franchise operators
• Identify speaking opportunities at franchise conferences, industry events, and association programs

Requirements

• 7-10+ years of experience in one of the following areas:
  • B2B marketing, vertical marketing, product marketing, or demand generation to franchises
  • Franchise Operator - You are an owner of a franchise
  • Franchise Developer - You have extensive experience developing franchises through sales, marketing and recruiting of franchisees
  • Other franchise expertise such as an influencer, association leader, keynote speaker, etc.
• Expertise of franchise economics, franchise operations, and multi-unit business models
• Experience working with franchise associations and industry events
• Experience marketing to franchise businesses, multi-location operators, SMBs, or professional services organizations

Nice to Haves

• Proven ability to develop and execute integrated marketing programs that drive measurable business outcomes
• Strong storytelling and content development skills
• Experience partnering closely with sales teams and revenue organizations
• Excellent project management and cross-functional leadership abilities
• Experience in fintech, accounting, financial services, SaaS, or business services

First Year Goals

• Establish a clear franchise vertical marketing strategy
• Increase qualified pipeline sourced from franchise businesses
• Expand Pilot's visibility within key franchise communities and events
• Build a scalable content and thought leadership engine for franchise operators
• Strengthen alignment between marketing, sales, and partnerships around franchise growth