Sr. Operations Support Manager (Individual Contributor

• Full-time
• Job Duration:
  Regular

Since 1940, Dairy Queen® has been one of the world’s best known and loved brands. Based in Minneapolis, MN, International Dairy Queen Inc., (IDQ), is the parent company of American Dairy Queen Corporation. As a leading franchisor, there are more than 7,000 independently owned and operated restaurants in the U.S., Canada and more than 20 countries around the world. IDQ is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

(Berkshire) which is led by Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire.

Here at IDQ, we create extraordinary Fan experiences every day and we do this through our commitment to hiring and retaining only the best in class talent. We firmly believe that our employees are the catalyst to the success of the company where their initiative, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurial spirit are recognized and rewarded. We're looking for motivated, passionate and dedicated individuals with an inherent need and ambition to go after bigger challenges.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Sr. Operations Support Manager supporting our international business. This individual contributor role will serves as a strategic partner to International Operations leadership by overseeing the execution, optimization, and continuous improvement of operational support programs, tools, and vendor partnerships that support Dairy Queen's international franchise system.

Working across International Operations, Concept Support Services, Training, Marketing, Technology, Finance, external vendors, field teams, and franchisees, this role ensures assigned programs remain effective, scalable, globally aligned, and valuable to both franchisees and internal stakeholders.

The position balances program management, vendor oversight, stakeholder influence, continuous improvement, and business insights while acting as a globally connected resource that identifies opportunities to strengthen operational effectiveness, improve the franchisee experience, and support long-term brand growth.

In addition, the Senior Manager is expected to leverage business and operational data to identify trends, model opportunities, evaluate program performance, and provide recommendations that support strategic decision‑making across the international business.

Success in this role requires strong operational judgment, comfort navigating ambiguity, the ability to influence without direct authority, a continuous improvement mindset, and the ability to turn data and stakeholder feedback into practical business action.

Key Accountabilities Include:

Serve as the primary day‑to‑day business owner for assigned International Operations support programs, tools, and third‑party partnerships. Manage vendor relationships, recurring business reviews, performance discussions, issue resolution, roadmap follow‑up, billing coordination, invoicing processes, stakeholder updates, and action tracking. Partner with leadership on strategic vendor reviews, contract renewals, and major business planning discussions.

Global Operations Alignment & Stakeholder Partnership

Collaborate with International Operations leaders, Franchise Business Managers, regional teams, franchisees, vendors, and cross‑functional business partners to support consistent delivery of operational priorities. Serve as a central point of coordination across markets, identify opportunities for standardization, recommend appropriate market‑specific adaptations, and reinforce brand stability while considering operational realities and franchisee needs.

Continuous Improvement & Strategic Support

Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, reduce duplicated efforts, simplify processes, and increase program value. Evaluate emerging tools, technologies, feedback themes, and industry practices that could support franchisee success and operational performance. Support pilot programs, testing initiatives, and new program launches through planning, execution, measurement, and transition to ongoing ownership.

Business Analytics, Reporting & Strategic Insights

Develop and maintain reporting, scorecards, dashboards, implementation…