JR BRAND MANAGER – SOCIAL MEDIA
WELCOME TO KFC, HOME OF THE REAL ONES.
We sell the world’s best chicken. Seriously. And we’ve done it since 1939, when the idea of crispy, original recipe chicken took Kentucky by storm. Now, we’re proud to serve 1000+ communities across the UK and Ireland, bringing the grit, pride and iconic reputation that we started with, all those years ago.
Across the Restaurant Support Centre (RSC), we come to work to be ourselves, and to make something of ourselves. We want to see our potential go that little bit further, as part of one of the world’s most iconic brands.
What’s the gig? Well, you support our restaurants — and we’ll support you every step of the way. Simple. Our doors are open — and they can take you anywhere.
All we ask is that you be you. Because that makes us, us. Sound good?
Great. Let’s find out about that job.
THE TEAM
Our Marketing team is a 50-strong crew of bold thinkers, culture shapers and creative doers - from Brand and Digital to Strategy, Food Quality and Innovation. We’re here to keep KFC at the heart of culture across the UK & Ireland, blending our iconic roots with fresh, fearless ideas that connect with real people.
We don’t just make ads - we build love, drive growth, and stay one step ahead of what’s next.
ABOUT THE ROLE
KFC are on the lookout for a brilliant JR Brand Manage - Social Media (and real-life chicken connoisseur!) to join the Marketing team at KFC.
We’re not looking for a Social “Guru”, “Ninja” or other made-up nonsense title. We want someone who genuinely gets the space and understands the way it works. We want KFC to be embedded in culture naturally and in an authentic and credible way, not forcing our way into everyone’s feeds.
So, we’re on the hunt for a witty, dynamic and enthusiastic person who always has their finger firmly on the pulse of culture to work hand-in-hand with our exceptional Social Media agency (Uncovered), coordinate our Social strategy & help bring campaigns to life. Someone who ‘gets’ the iconic & bold KFC brand personality and applies that across all of their work, helping to keep us relevant for the Next Gen. You’ll work as part of our brilliant, award-winning Brand team and sit within KFC’s broader Marketing function, working closely with industry-leading agencies and partners.
As well as being an expert in Social, we also want to find someone who has a passion for the wider world of Brand Management and a great understanding of what it takes to build and launch disruptive Brand Comms, partnerships & PR activations. You’ll need to be a bit of a Maverick – after all, we are the team that drives Fame & talkability for KFC! There’s also buckets of opportunity to grow as part of an ambitious brand and we’d love you to be keen to adapt and advance your career within KFC and across wider Yum! brands.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU:
We offer benefits that make your life that little bit easier, because we know the juggle is real.
From flexible, hybrid working and Live Well Days, we’ve created a package that supports the real you, in and out of work.
You’ll get:
🏠 Hybrid working from our Woking RSC (just 24 mins from London)
💸 Up to 11% company pension contributions
🌴 25 days’ holiday (plus bank hols)
🧘 5 Live Well Days a year, just for you
🎯 Bonus scheme linked to company & personal performance
🩺 Private healthcare, Digital GP access & mental health coaching
👶 Enhanced parental leave and flexible return options
📚 Study support, income protection, life cover & more
🍗 And yes — 25% off the chicken
Because real ones deserve real rewards.
KEEPING IT REAL
We don’t hire staff — we hire people. People with real lives and aspirations, building real careers. Each of us has something special to add to the mix we call work, and we’ll always encourage you to add your perspective.
See, at KFC, everyone’s welcome — whatever your background, and whatever future you’re creating. We’ll look out for you because you’re one of us, not because you work for us. We’ll invest in your potential, because it’s what we’ve always done. But most of all, we’ll give you the freedom to be you, wherever
(and whoever) you happen to Be
KFC FOR EVERYONE:
Whoever you are and wherever you’re from, KFC is a place where you can bring the real
you to work.
Our promise is this: every person who applies to a role at KFC, regardless of age, background, ethnicity, gender, ability,
religion or sexual orientation, will have an equal opportunity to work here. We don’t just welcome, we encourage applications from underrepresented groups from all industries.
If you’d like any additional support with your application, have a disability or condition that may affect your performance during the recruitment process, or have any other requirements — just let us know. We’ll
be there to help you be the real you.
READY?
We hope so. If you’re ready to be part
of our community, now’s the time to apply.
Worried you aren’t ticking all the boxes?
Don’t - we’d still love to hear from you
Responsibilities
WHAT WILL YOU SPEND YOUR TIME DOING?
This is an unbelievable role… it offers incredible, immediate exposure to all areas of KFC. Reacting to things happening in culture and also things happening within KFC means collaboration with people across the whole business – the PR team, our agencies, Customer Care, the Product Excellence team, Operations, and our Franchisees to name just a few!
We’re looking for natural Social Media instinct – knowing the way that platforms work, the way people use them and the way that people speak. The Social team here live and breathe Social Media and don’t miss a trick, if you think you can beat us in picking up a trending hashtag, a new challenge or the latest meme then you’re applying for the right job.
Social Media plays a much larger role at KFC than you might think. We use it to launch products, create fun content and engage with our fans but it also has an impact on the way the business operates. From using Social listening to find insights which can direct the approach of a media campaign to crowd sourcing opinion on new meals influencing the next product release, it’s an incredibly valued area of the business.
There’s certainly room to grow as part of an ambitious brand which has plans to grow considerably over the next few years. As a result, we expect different opportunities to open up, so we’d love you to be keen to adapt to them and grow your career within KFC and Yum! Brands.
Finally – you will part of the team that is the voice of our brand, so a great sense of humour, as well an ability to adapt and communicate in the KFC tone of voice is essential.
Lead driving Fame and talkability across KFC’s social channels by identifying reactive moments and proactive opportunities that feel timely, playful and unmistakably KFC.
Work hand-in-hand with our Social Media & PR agencies to grow communities across all of our channels & bring campaigns, launches and activations to life on social - ensuring everything feels native, social-first and culturally relevant.
Continue to sharpen and redefine our social strategy, ensuring it ties in seamlessly with broader brand plans.
Confidence spotting trends, moments and creators that feel right for the brand (not just jumping on everything!)
Review and track performance and social insights, feeding learnings back into the team to continuously sharpen our content and creative approach.
Step-change our approach to creators and talent, with creators who drive talkability, hype and next gen relevance.
Drive talkability and cultural buzz across relevant new products by leading on innovative, cross channel approaches across PR & social. Turning our big product launches into moments that fuels brand talkability and drives transactions.
Work with our Media agency and wider team to plan and manage large media spends, managing our boosting budget to push our social and creator content to larger audiences.
Develop and maintain relationships with key individuals and teams at the various agencies that you will need to work with on a daily basis.
In times of negative PR, you should be able to keep a cool head and co-ordinate responses on social platforms. This means that you should have some basic PR awareness.
Leverage social partnerships (such as with our friends at Pepsi) to unlock additional opportunities for KFC to target the Next Gen and drive cultural relevance.
Champion best in class social creative across the full calendar. Use innovative platforms, formats and testing to drive performance and elevate media performance.
Most importantly, have fun with our followers. We have masses of fans who can be our biggest advocates!
WHAT WE LOVE FROM YOU:
EXPERIENCE
- Upwards of 3 years experience working in Social Media for either an agency or in-house is essential.
- A complete natural with all Social Media platforms.
- A strategic thinker who is able to think longer-term, articulate their ideas and take others on the journey – with proven experience developing and implementing social strategies
- An excellent project manager, with prior experience working on big brand campaigns, involving the management of multiple internal and external stakeholders.
- Experience of partnering closely with an external Social Media agency – you will be their go-to point of contact from briefing, to leading on creative feedback & attending shoots!
- Enthusiasm about the brand is a must - we only want people who love KFC!
- Copywriting skills that are versatile. You need to be able to adapt instantly to the brand’s tone-of-voice with flawless grammar, spelling and punctuation mixed with a touch of creativity!
- We’re looking for imagination and creative spark, but with a sharp eye for detail, ability to prioritise, work in a team, deal with feedback, see the bigger picture and stay calm under pressure.
- As part of this role, you may be encouraged to assert your expertise and use data to back up your ideas. Good analytical skills and previous experience using social analytics tools would be a massive benefit.
- Wider experience of leading Brand Campaigns and/or PR activations which drive Fame & talkability.
- We really want someone who shows great initiative… impress us!
ABOUT YOU
- Great judgment mixed with maturity, flexibility and resilience are key qualities that we’re looking for.
- We’re looking for a team player who embraces the company culture, gets involved with the various initiatives (…rumour has it we have a free alcohol fridge!) and enjoys working in a team.
- A huge part of Yum! is our internal culture and it’s something that we genuinely pride ourselves on. A key part of this is being able to recognise and celebrate the successes of the company and our peers as well as constantly striving to work together for better results.
- You’ll need to be someone who always remains positive and motivated, inspiring colleagues to maintain a similar attitude. You’ll see positive or negative feedback as constructive and a way to help you develop.
- There may occasionally be stressful times with this job! We’ll need you to show patience, and be able to make judgment calls under pressure.
- We’re looking for someone solution driven, meaning you’ll be inquisitive, tenacious and determined… always looking for new ways to deliver ground-breaking work.
