Network & Licensee Manager - Norway

The Licensee Manager for Norway is responsible for developing the Avis Budget Group brands portfolio. The portfolio currently includes 22 partnerships across Norway. Licensee Manager is responsible for the delivery of the Plan royalty. They are also accountable for developing the licensee portfolio in terms of geographies, revenues, profit, capabilities, quality of operations, and market coverage.

Key Accountabilities

Portfolio Management

• Manage a portfolio of licensees, and ensure the performance of the portfolio 
• Support licensees to capture  incremental revenue and profit opportunities through benchmark of KPIs and sharing of best practices
• Oversee licensee transfers and safeguard Avis Budget by protecting its interests (fleet, supplier debt, and royalty receivables)
• Facilitate corporate acquisition of licensee operations (if required)
• Challenge business plans and negotiate Franchise Agreement renewals
• Manage performance, close licensee operations and terminate the agreement when required

 Business Development

• Identify new territories alongside the development of existing partnerships
• Prospect, Identify, and select licensees in new territories o Assist in developing business plans and negotiate agreements o Coordinate due diligence of new licensees
• Support and project manage the launch and set-up of new partnerships o Gather market intelligence and monitor competition

 Commercial

• Ensure overall licensee alignment with ABG global licensee strategy through selected initiatives
• Own and drive selected strategic initiatives across the full licensee portfolio
• Advise licensees on Commercial strategy: business lines, channels, pricing, business seasonality
• Support and raise yielding, revenue management, customer service and ancillary sales capabilities
• Ensure branding quality and consistency across the network
• Launch and develop partnerships with the commercial team
• Support licensees to develop marketing plans with the highest ROIs
• Initiate, drive and support the implementation of product innovation

 Operations

• Monitor and review licensee operations and performance
• Develop the network, and advise licensees on the network footprint
• Identify and introduce operational improvements such as demand and fleet forecasting, on-request processes
• Identify customer service issues and ensure corrective actions
• Support licensees to enhance airport operations: negotiation, set-up, signage, facilities, and processes

Success Indicators 

• Royalty income
• Profit
• Number of Partners managed
• The success of IT & Process Integration
• Number of new partnerships
• Quality of new licensees
• Development of the portfolio
• Licensee satisfaction
• Brand strength
• Cross-border reservations
• Branch network size
• Customer satisfaction
• Introduce changed mind-set in the licensee organizations to improve capabilities and grow an appetite for new opportunities
• Encourage and support succession plans for management
• Advise licensees on organization design, recruitment, job specifications, and incentives
• Support the L&D team in planning and delivery of training sessions for country licensee teams to enhance their capabilities

 Fleet

• Advise licensees on fleet utilization, fleet rotation, and remarketing
• Educate licensees on the fleet total cost of ownership to refine purchasing and planning capabilities
• Monitor fleet condition and ageing
• Drive and coordinate regional marketing activities/support with OEMs

Finance

• Develop royalty Plan and Forecasts with all underlying business drivers o Ensure timely royalty collection
• Strengthen licensee financial planning processes
• Support licensees to analyses customer and network profitability o  Understand licensee cash flow situation where required

Legal

• Monitor the licensee adherence to Franchise Agreement terms and Operating Manual
• Protect the interests of Avis Budget in case of licensee bankruptcy litigation/acquisition in coordination with Legal

 Events

• Organize Regional and Annual Conference to motivate and educate o Raise sponsors to mitigate the cost of Conferences
• Organize and coordinate Avis Budget participation to trade/tourism fairs
•  Increase penetration of Avis Budget core applications in the network
•  Benchmark licensee  Internet performance and develop digital

Capabilities

• Promote the Integration of IT systems in licensee operations
• Identify opportunities to Trial new systems (Pronto / WizGUi)

 Team

• Contribute to Licensee team building by supporting peers and more junior team members
• Develop a positive working relationship with the Licensee board o Improve ways of working with Licensee partners

Experience

• Strong generalist with good rental car knowledge, excellent understanding of business drivers, and expertise in either Business Development, Commercial, or Operations
• Recent experience with one relevant functional area of car rental (e.g. Operations, Revenue Management, etc.)
• Ability to create and develop relationships, to network o Curiosity, multicultural awareness and sensitivity
•  Flexible and adaptable
• Managerial skills
• Experience of project/team management
• Change management
• Management of multiple priorities
• Analytical skills
• Helicopter view with the ability to drill down In details, understanding of market dynamics
• Understanding of financial statements, and key commercial, financial and operational KPIs
• Sales and Negotiation skills
• Understanding of bargaining power, the experience of sale and negotiations o Good understanding of power bases, coalition building, and influence
• Requires travel, exceptionally also during week-ends