Brand Manager, Zambia.

This role requires you to Own and lead the end-to-end KFC marketing agenda in Zambia, translating regional brand strategy into commercially grounded, locally relevant plans and flawless in-market execution. As the in-country marketing lead, the role champions the brand agenda across functions and partners to grow sales, transactions, profitability and brand health by improving accessibility, affinity and mental availability. Responsibilities: COUNTRY MARKETING LEADERSHIP AND COMMERCIAL OWNERSHIP • Own the annual and rolling three-year Zambia marketing plan, calendar, budget and performance agenda. • Act as the single point of accountability for the Zambia marketing agenda; establish priorities, workback plans, RACI, decision forums and a disciplined operating cadence. • Use sales, transaction, mix, margin, consumer, competitor and restaurant data to identify growth opportunities, make trade-offs and recommend decisive action. • Build robust commercial cases and align the Country Manager, Operations, Finance and Franchisee teams on choices, resources, execution requirements and measurable outcomes. BRAND STRATEGY • Translate regional KFC strategy into locally relevant plans that strengthen brand and preference in Zambia. • Develop and apply consumer, cultural, category and competitive insight to communications, occasions, innovation, menu choices and the restaurant experience. • Adapt brand platforms and toolkits, while protecting KFC standards, distinctive assets and long-term brand consistency. • Drive community impact, brand purpose ensuring activity builds the brand over time. MENU AND CHANNEL GROWTH • Lead menu architecture, pricing, promotions and the value ladder in partnership with Operations, Finance and Supply Chain. • Build strategies for priority consumer use occasions and translate them into executable channel plans. • Improve the ease of finding, buying and justifying KFC channels. MEDIA • Lead the integrated media strategy and plan, including digital, OOH and relevant local channels, to build competitive share of voice, high reach and sufficient frequency. • Establish an always-on communications approach and land one recognizable, consistent message across consumer touchpoints. • Intensify local store marketing, store-led visibility, signage and high-impact restaurant openings. • Track top-of-mind awareness/salience, reach, frequency, traffic, conversion and execution compliance; optimize plans quickly as performance or market conditions change. OPERATIONAL EXECUTION • Own end-to-end delivery from brief through post-evaluation across creative, production, media, PR, digital, influencer and partner activation. • Translate strategy into detailed action plans with milestones, owners, dependencies, resources, risk mitigation and contingency plans. • Drive cross-functional launch readiness and rapid issue resolution, making sound and timely decisions under ambiguity and with incomplete information. • Deliver activity on time, in full, on budget and to brand and operational standards; build repeatable processes and operating routines that can scale in 2027 and 2028. AGENCIES AND EXTERNAL ECOSYSTEM • Establish and lead a fit-for-purpose in-market agency ecosystem across media, PR, creative/activation, digital, influencer and research capabilities. • Manage agency scopes, fees, quality, integration with Johannesburg teams and performance against commercial, brand and execution outcomes. • Build high-value partnerships to extend reach, value and local relevance. FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP, MEASUREMENT AND LEARNING • Lead annual budget input, monthly tracking, forecasting and the disciplined reallocation of marketing investment to the highest-value opportunities. • Define clear objectives, KPIs and measurement plans before launch; complete post-campaign evaluations and embed learning into future activity. • Report commercial, brand and execution performance to Country and EWI leadership with clear implications, decisions and corrective actions. • Hold agencies and stakeholders accountable for outcomes and share Zambia market learning and best practice across the wider organization. Qualifications : EDUCATION • Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business, Commerce or a related field. • Post-graduate qualification preferred. EXPERIENCE • Minimum 5-7 years of progressive brand/marketing experience in a consumer-facing business, with evidence of independently owning market or business results. • Proven end-to-end execution of complex, multi-channel campaigns in a multi-site operational environment; QSR, retail, FMCG or a similar sector strongly preferred. • Demonstrated commercial planning, pricing/promotion/value, budget management and ROI analysis. • Strong strategic marketing, consumer insight, brand-building and media capability. • Deep knowledge of and practical operating experience in the Zambia market; an established local network is strongly preferred. • Proven agency/partner management and cross-functional leadership without formal authority, ideally in an ambiguous, turnaround or growth-market context. SKILLS & COMPETENCIES • Commercial acumen: Understands P&L drivers, unit economics, pricing, margin, transactions, business cases and return on investment. • Executional and operational excellence: Turns strategy into detailed plans, anticipates dependencies and verifies delivery in restaurants and in market. • Bias for action and results: Moves with pace, focuses on outcomes, persists through obstacles and holds self and others accountable. • Strategic marketing capability: Connects consumer insight, brand strategy, occasions, innovation, communications, media and experience. • Comfort with ambiguity and judgment: Prioritizes and makes sound decisions with incomplete information; escalates selectively and proposes solutions. • Enterprise influence: Champions the marketing agenda as the sole local lead and influences senior stakeholders, Franchisee teams, agencies and partners. • Analytical problem solving: Synthesizes data into insight, action and clear performance narratives; course-corrects quickly. • Communication, resilience and integrity: Communicates with clarity and conviction, performs under pressure, works hands-on and builds trust.