Brand Manager, Individual Meals

The Brand Manager, Individual Meals owns KFC's single-serve business – sandwiches, boxes, combos, tenders, and snack-plus-meal occasions that win the one-person, on-the-go customer. The role owns this Consumer Understanding Opportunity (CUO) from validated concept to market, taking the concepts CI & Menu validate and turning them into transactions. This role is critical to the Bird Comeback Plan because it owns concept-to-market for the individual-meal growth platform that enables KFC to become more Relevant, Visible, and Consistent with customers. It anchors Modern Menu and Modern Value – giving solo and lunch customers a craveable, affordable reason to choose KFC over a crowded QSR field. Reporting to the Sr Director, Retail Marketing, this leader develops and owns the annual individual-meals plan – strategy, commercialization pipeline, promotional calendar, financial targets, and metrics – pricing within the guardrails Value & eComm sets, and leads cross-functional teams, agencies, and franchisees to bring it to life across the system. CUO Ownership (Concept-to-Market) & Growth Strategy 20% Owns the Individual Meals CUO concept-to-market; Recommends the annual plan to Retail Marketing Take validated individual-meal concepts from CI & Menu and own them concept-to-market across sandwiches, boxes, combos, and tenders. Develop and own the annual plan – strategy, commercialization pipeline, promo calendar, targets, and metrics. Feed the calendar Sr Director sequences with franchisee-ready, ops-ready individual-meal news. Business Performance & Commercial Impact - 20% Owns platform P&L and performance; Prices within Value & eComm guardrails Drive individual-meals sales, transactions, and check against clear targets. Optimize assortment and promotion, pricing within the guardrails Value & eComm sets. Read window results fast and reallocate to what drives traffic. Innovation & Commercialization (Concept to Market) - 20% Owns commercialization; Partners with FIT and Culinary Own individual-meal commercialization from validated concept through national launch. Contribute individual-meal tests into the single test-and-learn agenda owned by CI & Menu. Deliver clean concept-to-brief-to-retail-to-commercials execution. Brand, Customer & Cultural Relevance - 15% Recommends creative direction; Partners with IMC Keep individual meals culturally relevant, especially with younger, solo customers. Brief IMC and agencies for breakthrough, on-strategy storytelling. Protect KFC's distinctive equities while modernizing the offer. Cross-Functional & Franchisee Partnership - 15% Partners with Ops, Supply Chain, Finance; feeds one franchisee voice Feed the single franchisee voice per topic – calendar via Sr Director, value via Value & eComm, menu via CI & Menu – rather than running a separate NCAC track. Align Ops, Supply Chain, Finance, and Value & eComm around shared priorities. Build franchisee trust by balancing ambition with operational excellence. Data, AI & Modern Ways of Working - 10% Owns adoption of AI and analytics tools for the platform Use AI and analytics for forecasting, planning, and portfolio decisions. Automate reporting to create capacity for innovation and strategy. Education / Certifications Undergraduate degree required (Marketing or Business preferred); MBA a plus. Experience 6–9 years of progressive experience in brand, category, or product marketing. Proven record owning a category, business, or platform with demonstrated commercial results. Experience leading commercialization from validated concept through national launch. Experience presenting business recommendations to senior leadership and franchise governance groups. QSR, restaurant, beverage, or CPG experience preferred. Functional Capabilities Strong commercial acumen and financial literacy – P&L, pricing within guardrails, and category economics. Skilled at business case development, forecasting, and turning insight into growth. Excellent project management across multiple complex initiatives at speed. Leadership Capabilities Leads through influence across cross-functional teams, agencies, and franchisees. Presents and defends recommendations to senior leaders and franchise governance. Mindset Thinks and acts like an owner; balances creativity with commercial discipline. Consumer-first, data-informed, accountable, and thrives in ambiguity and speed. Salary Range: $132,480 to $139,840 annually + bonus eligibility. This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.