Director, Media & Partnerships

The Director, Media & Partnerships sets the vision for KFC U.S. media and brand partnerships, translating business priorities into integrated, data-driven plans that drive immediate transactions and long-term brand growth. This role is critical to the Bird Comeback Plan because it owns the paid media engine and partnership strategy that make KFC more visible, culturally relevant, and commercially effective. It ensures media, creative, and partnerships work together to earn attention, drive conversion, and strengthen the brand with younger consumers. As a member of the Marketing team, this leader oversees national media strategy, agency leadership, measurement, partnership development, investment optimization, and modern ways of working. The role requires strong strategic judgment, analytical rigor, commercial acumen, and cultural fluency. Media Strategy & Investment Leadership 25% Owns media strategy, investment, and optimization Develop national media strategies aligned to brand, business, and commercial priorities. Lead annual, quarterly, and campaign-level planning across the full consumer journey. Oversee media investment, budget allocation, forecasting, and optimization. Balance brand building and sales-driving objectives with disciplined ROI focus. Identify emerging platforms, technology, and innovation opportunities that create competitive advantage. Oversee regional and local marketing tactics, with a focus on high-impact media planning. Partnerships Strategy & Execution 20% Owns Overall brand partnerships strategy Develop and lead KFC’s partnerships strategy to drive cultural relevance, consumer engagement, and business growth. Build a pipeline of high-value collaborations across entertainment, sports, gaming, creators, music, food culture, and emerging platforms. Lead evaluation, negotiation, and execution of strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and brand collaborations. Ensure partnership programs integrate into broader marketing plans and deliver measurable impact. Partner with the Brand Manager, Beverages on collaborations where beverage-specific commercial ownership remains with the beverage role. Measurement, Analytics & Performance 20% Owns media effectiveness and performance storytelling Establish media effectiveness frameworks and performance standards across channels. Accountable for MMM, attribution, consumer insights, and campaign analytics to improve investment decisions. Translate complex data into clear recommendations for senior leadership. Lead test-and-learn agendas that improve media efficiency, creative quality, and business impact. Ensure reporting connects media and partnership performance to transactions, sales, and brand health. Agency & Integrated Marketing Leadership 15% Leads media agency and integrated partner ways of working Serve as the senior leader for the media agency relationship. Strengthen integration across creative, media, social, digital, CRM, PR, and analytics partners. Influence creative development through media, audience, and consumer insights. Establish modern planning processes, governance, and ways of working that improve speed and effectiveness. Drive strategic alignment and operational excellence across agency teams. Business Performance & Commercial Impact 10% Connects media and partnerships to business outcomes Manage media and partnership investments with clear business goals, KPIs, and performance expectations. Optimize plans based on transaction, sales, brand, and efficiency signals. Present performance analysis to senior leadership with clear implications and next actions. Protect budget discipline while pushing for bold work that earns attention and moves the business. Team Leadership 10% Builds capability across team, agency, and partners Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing media and partnerships team. Build strong relationships across Brand Marketing, Digital, CRM, Analytics, Creative, Operations, Finance, Communications, and franchise stakeholders. Create a culture of accountability, learning, data fluency, and continuous improvement. Elevate organizational media and partnership capability through coaching and thought leadership Education / Certifications Undergraduate degree required, preferably in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related; MBA preferred. Experience 10+ years across media, partnerships, integrated marketing, or brand leadership, ideally in QSR, retail, CPG, or consumer-facing businesses. Proven record managing large media budgets, agency partners, and complex integrated campaigns. Experience building partnerships that deliver cultural relevance and measurable business results. Functional Capabilities Deep expertise in media strategy, planning, measurement, partnerships, agency management, and budget stewardship. Strong analytics fluency across MMM, attribution, audience strategy, and performance reporting. Ability to translate cultural trends and consumer behavior into media and partnership choices that grow the business. Leadership Capabilities Leads through influence across cross-functional teams, agencies, platforms, and external partners. Balances creative ambition with commercial discipline and operational rigor. Communicates clearly, frames trade-offs, and drives decisions with confidence. Mindset Consumer-obsessed, culture-forward, commercially grounded, data-informed, and accountable. Pushes bold, brand-right ideas that drive sales and strengthen KFC’s distinctive equities. Salary Range: $174,240 - $183,920 annually + bonus eligibility and stock-based compensation. 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.