Chief Development Officer Executive Search
Development Leadership That Turns Growth Strategy Into Expansion
Wray Executive Search helps organizations recruit Chief Development Officers who can turn ambitious growth strategies into disciplined expansion. Our Chief Development Officer executive search process identifies proven leaders with the development expertise, business acumen, and cross-functional leadership required to build sustainable growth.
For more than 50 years, Wray has recruited senior executives for restaurant, franchise, hospitality, and other consumer-facing organizations. We understand that the right development executive must do more than open locations. They must understand where and how the organization should grow—and build the team and systems to make that growth possible.
Trust Earned Through Decades of Success
96%
Search Completion Rate
94%
Offer Acceptance Rate
50+
Years as Industry Specialists
Restaurant & Franchise Executive Search
92%
Placement Retention Rate
21 Days
Average to 1st Vetted Slate of Candidate
The Chief Development Officer Role Has Evolved
Why Wray Search for Chief Development Officer Executive Search?
Hiring a Chief Development Officer requires more than identifying executives who have previously held a development title. Organizations need to understand how candidates have grown businesses, the environments in which they have succeeded, the quality of that growth, and whether their experience translates to the company's next stage.
Wray Executive Search brings more than five decades of experience recruiting executives across restaurant, franchise, hospitality, and multi-unit organizations. Our consultants understand the relationship between development, operations, finance, real estate, marketing, and franchisee performance, allowing us to evaluate candidates within the context of the entire business.
Our relationships also extend beyond executives actively looking for their next position. Many accomplished development leaders are already building brands, opening markets, managing pipelines, and leading teams. Reaching those candidates requires proactive market research, direct outreach, industry credibility, and relationships developed over time.
That combination of specialization and access allows Wray to identify development executives whose experience aligns with the organization's growth strategy—not simply candidates whose résumés contain the right keywords.
Development leadership has become increasingly strategic as restaurant and franchise organizations pursue growth across new markets, formats, ownership models, and channels. A Chief Development Officer may oversee far more than real estate or franchise sales, depending on the structure and growth strategy of the organization.
Today's CDO may be responsible for franchise development, market planning, real estate, new-unit development, site selection, construction, partnerships, acquisitions, and other strategic growth initiatives. The role frequently requires close collaboration with the CEO, CFO, COO, marketing leadership, franchise operations, and investors to ensure expansion decisions support the broader business strategy.
For franchise organizations, the mandate can be even more complex. Development leaders must balance the pace of expansion with franchisee quality, unit economics, available whitespace, market potential, operational readiness, and the long-term health of the franchise system.
Typical Chief Development Officer responsibilities may include:
Developing and executing enterprise growth strategies
Leading franchise development and expansion
Identifying priority markets and whitespace opportunities
Building and managing development pipelines
Evaluating franchisee and multi-unit operator candidates
Leading real estate and site-selection strategy
Overseeing new-unit development
Aligning development goals with operations and finance
Evaluating strategic partnerships and acquisition opportunities
Building development teams and organizational infrastructure
Establishing growth metrics and accountability
Communicating development strategy to CEOs, boards, and investors
The exact mandate varies by organization, which is why successful Chief Development Officer recruiting begins by defining what the business actually needs the executive to accomplish.
Trusted by the Leading Restaurant
and Franchise Organizations
Why Organizations Partner with Wray Executive Search
Finding exceptional development leadership requires more than identifying candidates with strong credentials.
Successful development executives combine strategic vision, operational expertise, and industry knowledge.
6 Points of Distinction
-
Our Leadership
Our consultants have decades of industry specialization in restaurant, franchise, and food service.
-
Wide Scope
Wray Executive Search offers a wide scope of industry knowledge and experience. We provide a wide array of services and have an extensive network in these arenas.
-
Impactful Expertise
The cross-functional, wide-reaching expertise our company provides can have a deep impact on your business. We serve client needs internationally, nationally, regionally and locally.
-
Unique Guarantees
We offer a full one-year replacement guarantee ensuring that our candidates will bring value long term. If, for some reason, the hired candidate does not work out, we will find a replacement.
-
Diverse Consultants
Our consultants bring varied experience from all segments of the industry. We offer broad-based, cross-functional expertise to enhance our partnership.
-
Competitive, Comprehensive Rates
There are no surprises when it comes to our fees. We maintain highly competitive performance-based rates founded upon our robust executive search record.
Our Team of Chief Development Executive Recruiters
-
![]()
Kevin Stockslager
Managing Partner
-
![]()
Ray Kelley
Managing Partner
-
![]()
Rebecca Patt
SVP & Partner
-
![]()
Bob Gershberg
Executive Advisor
-
![]()
Joe Radice
Advisor
-
![]()
Jonathan Kelley
Vice President of Recruiting
Chief Development Officer Executive Search for Restaurant Companies
Restaurant development requires leaders who can connect market opportunity with real estate, capital, operations, customer behavior, and unit economics. A development strategy that works for a small regional concept may not translate to a national restaurant system, just as the development infrastructure required for 50 locations may not support a company targeting several hundred.
Through our experience in restaurant executive search, Wray understands the leadership requirements associated with restaurant expansion. We help organizations identify development executives capable of evaluating new markets, building disciplined pipelines, supporting new-unit openings, and collaborating across the organization to ensure growth can be executed successfully.
The right leader must understand that development is not simply about opening restaurants. It is about opening the right restaurants, in the right markets, with the right economics and organizational support.
Chief Development Officer Executive Search for Franchise Organizations
Franchise growth creates a distinct development mandate. Adding units means adding franchisees, entering markets, expanding the brand footprint, and creating additional demands on the systems that support the network. Growth that moves faster than the organization's operational infrastructure or franchisee economics can create challenges even when unit counts are increasing.
Wray's experience in franchise executive search allows us to evaluate development executives within that broader system. We look for leaders who understand how franchisee selection, market development, real estate, unit economics, operations, and brand strategy work together.
For emerging franchisors, the right development leader may need to build the development function itself. For established systems, the mandate may center on accelerating unit growth, improving franchisee quality, entering new markets, strengthening the pipeline, or bringing greater discipline to an already substantial development organization.
Find Your Next Chief Development Officer
Growth creates opportunity, but it also creates complexity. The right Chief Development Officer can help an organization determine where to grow, how quickly to expand, what infrastructure is required, and how development decisions support the broader business strategy.
Whether you're building a development function, accelerating franchise growth, entering new markets, expanding a restaurant system, or preparing a private equity-backed organization for its next stage, Wray Executive Search can help identify the executive leadership required to move forward.
If you are looking to be considered for opportunities, go to our candidate page and submit your resume.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chief Development Officer Executive Search
What does a Chief Development Officer do?
A Chief Development Officer leads an organization's development and expansion strategy. Depending on the company, responsibilities may include franchise development, real estate, market planning, new-unit growth, construction, strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and other initiatives related to enterprise expansion.
What does a Chief Development Officer do in a franchise organization?
Within a franchise organization, a Chief Development Officer may oversee franchise development, franchisee recruitment, territory strategy, market expansion, real estate, and new-unit development. The role often connects franchise growth objectives with operations, finance, unit economics, and long-term system health.
When should a company hire a Chief Development Officer?
A company may need a Chief Development Officer when expansion becomes a major strategic priority, development responsibilities become too complex to remain distributed across other executives, the organization is entering new markets, or existing development performance requires stronger executive leadership.
What is the difference between a Chief Development Officer and a VP of Franchise Development?
A VP of Franchise Development generally has a more focused mandate centered on franchise growth, franchisee recruitment, pipeline management, and unit commitments. A Chief Development Officer may have broader responsibility across franchise development, real estate, market planning, new-unit development, partnerships, acquisitions, and enterprise growth. The distinction varies by organization.
What should companies look for in a Chief Development Officer?
Companies should evaluate development results alongside the context in which those results were achieved. Important factors may include growth strategy, market development, franchise experience, real estate knowledge, unit economics, cross-functional leadership, team building, executive communication, and experience at a comparable stage of organizational growth.
How do executive search firms recruit Chief Development Officers?
Executive search firms define the leadership mandate, research the relevant executive market, identify qualified development leaders, directly engage active and passive candidates, assess their experience, and guide the organization through interviews and selection.
Does a Chief Development Officer need franchise experience?
For a franchisor, direct franchise experience can be particularly valuable because franchise development involves franchisee selection, territory strategy, unit economics, system relationships, and growth through independently owned businesses. The importance of direct franchise experience depends on the specific responsibilities of the position.
Can Wray recruit both Chief Development Officers and VP Franchise Development executives?
Yes. Wray conducts searches for Chief Development Officers, Vice Presidents of Franchise Development, franchise growth executives, real estate and development leaders, and other senior executives responsible for organizational expansion.
How is Chief Development Officer executive search different from traditional recruiting?
Chief Development Officer executive search proactively identifies and engages development leaders across the relevant market, including executives who are not actively looking for another position. This gives organizations access to a broader pool of potential candidates than relying primarily on job postings or active applicants.
Does Wray recruit Chief Development Officers nationally?
Yes. Wray Executive Search conducts senior-level searches across the United States based on each client's industry, growth strategy, leadership requirements, and geographic needs.