Manager Franchise Management, Graphic Communications
Position Profile
The Director Franchise Management, Graphic Communications is a senior strategic leadership role responsible for the overall performance, growth, and profitability of Ricoh’s Franchise Print Network business across both Direct and Dealer sales channels.
The role serves as a P&L-driven business leader who objectively determines the optimal go-to-market motion for franchise print customers, direct or dealer, based on customer needs, geographic economics, partner capability, and Ricoh profitability.
Success in this role requires executive-level business judgment, financial acumen, and channel credibility, with the ability to balance franchise relationships while consistently making decisions that are in the best interest of both the client and Ricoh.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
Franchise Strategy & Channel Direction
- Own the end-to-end strategy for assigned Franchise Print Networks.
- Act as the single point of accountability for franchise print performance across both Direct and Dealer channels.
- Establish and govern channel routing decisions (Direct vs. Dealer) using objective criteria, including:
- Geographic cost-to-serve and coverage
- Account size, complexity, and solution requirements
- Dealer capability, scale, and execution maturity
- Margin, contribution, and long-term P&L impact
- Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to franchise corporate leadership, clearly articulating Ricoh’s channel decisions and value proposition.
- P&L Ownership, Pricing & Business Governance
- Apply P&L-level thinking to all franchise print decisions, balancing growth, margin, SG&A efficiency, and long-term annuity value.
- Own and manage franchise-specific pricing books, programs, and discount structures across Direct and Dealer sales motions.
- Partner with Finance, Pricing, and Sales Leadership to:
- Ensure pricing discipline and margin integrity
- Align franchise programs with Ricoh financial objectives
- Identify opportunities for margin expansion and cost-to-serve optimization
- Provide data-driven recommendations on where Ricoh should invest, scale, or selectively limit exposure within franchise print segments.
- Direct & Dealer Channel Orchestration
Define and enforce clear operating models between Direct Sales teams and Dealer partners supporting franchise print customers. Establish expectations for:
- Deal registration and protection
- Pricing governance and approvals
- Reporting requirements and cadence
- Conflict resolution and escalation paths
- Serve as the final point of coordination when channel conflict arises, ensuring outcomes are fact-based, transparent, and enterprise-aligned.
- Enable Dealers with clear guidance on when Ricoh expects them to lead, support, or defer to the Direct channel.
- Reporting, Analytics & Business Rhythm
Design, implement, and own a consolidated franchise print reporting model combining:
- Direct sales performance
- Dealer sales performance
- Pipeline, backlog, and installed base
- Hardware, software, services, and aftermarket
- Require and manage dealer reporting compliance to ensure full franchise visibility.
- Lead regular franchise print business reviews with senior leadership, highlighting:
- Growth performance vs. plan
- Channel mix effectiveness
- Margin and profitability trends
- Strategic risks and expansion opportunities
- Use analytics to proactively course-correct strategy and channel deployment.
- Executive Engagement & Cross-Functional Leadership
Build and maintain executive-level relationships with franchise corporate leadership teams. Partner closely with:
- Direct Sales and Dealer Channel leadership
- Finance, Pricing, and Legal
- Marketing, Programs, and Strategy
- Services and Operations
- Influence without authority in a highly matrixed environment, aligning stakeholders around the optimal enterprise outcome.
- Represent Ricoh at franchise print conventions, leadership summits, and strategic planning sessions as required.
Key Performance Indicators
- Franchise print revenue growth (combined Direct + Dealer)
- Franchise print gross margin and contribution performance
- Channel mix optimization and cost-to-serve improvement
- Pricing compliance and margin discipline
- Franchise customer retention and satisfaction
- Accuracy, timeliness, and insightfulness of franchise reporting
- Effectiveness of channel coordination and conflict resolution
Qualifications (Education, Experience, and Certifications)
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or equivalent business experience strongly preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in:
- Commercial Print / Graphic Communications preferred
- Strategic Channels, Franchise Management, or Complex Sales Leadership
- Demonstrated success operating across both Direct and Dealer/Reseller channels.
- Proven experience engaging at the executive and enterprise level, beyond transactional selling.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong financial and business acumen, including understanding of P&L, margin drivers, and cost-to-serve.
- Ability to make objective, disciplined decisions in a dual-channel environment.
- Executive-level communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
- Deep understanding of production print hardware, workflow software, services, and aftermarket models.
- High degree of professional maturity, judgment, and credibility with internal and external leaders.
- Comfort operating in ambiguity and building structure where none previously existed.
- Advanced proficiency with CRM, Excel, PowerPoint, and business analytics tools.
