Francis graduated from the Cadet School as a Second Lieutenant in 1999. During his service he completed overseas missions in West Africa, Kosovo and Liberia and was promoted Commandant in 2013.

As a Procurement expert, he has led teams that were successful at the National Procurement Awards in 2014 and 2015. He is a Chartered Management Accountant and holds a Masters in Strategic Procurement (DCU) and a Masters in Management Accounting (UCD). Francis is part of the KPMG Infrastructure and Government team. He has held senior appointments in finance and procurement. He is a Non-Executive Director of Volunteer Ireland, the national volunteer development agency.