Manager / Senior Manager Development, Asia

At KFC, we pride ourselves on being original. We even named our recipe after it. But for us, the answer to the question is simple. Be You. Everyone at KFC is different. Unique. It’s what makes us special - Our people, The Originals. And we welcome you to join us. Bring your individuality to the table. Bring your grit and energy. Bring your spirit. Your story. Your drive and your passion. Bring it. Every piece of you. Even the parts you don’t like. Because we value our people no matter what. We’ll feed your potential and we’ll support you; to be your best self, to make a difference, and have fun. Together, we can be part of something truly extraordinary. All you have to do, is Bring it!

An exciting opportunity comes up within our KFC North Asia Team for a Market Development Manager. You will be responsible for driving aggressive restaurant growth across a portfolio of franchise markets in North Asia, with focus markets on Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mongolia.

The Development Manager will have full responsibility over the Net New Unit pipeline in North Asia, and will enable markets to realize their full potential. This role is one intended to groom high-potential, high-performance leaders into future Development leaders within KFC and YUM!. This role will report into the North Asia CDO, and the role requires an individual who is comfortable in translating strategy into execution, playing a critical role bridging the direction from the CDO and wider North Asia Leadership Team, to the rest of the department.

Responsibilities:

Deliver Growth KPIs
• Secure contracted growth by structuring multi-year Development Agreements, negotiating these agreements with franchise partners, and seeking alignment with BU Leadership team and approval from KFC Global
• Develop and executing organic growth strategies jointly with franchise partners, including sub-franchisee recruitment and growth, new occasion-based restaurant formats to cater to emerging market trends and consumer needs, closure mitigation strategies
• Develop and execute inorganic growth strategies and strategic/transformation projects to turbocharge growth in high-potential markets

Manage Franchisee Relationships and Pipeline
• Build and cultivate sustainable relationships and win-win partnerships with Franchisee Development organizations (Chief Development Officer, real estate & market planning teams) and act as liaison between Franchisees and KFC North Asia
• Review Net New Unit pipeline to drive New Store Openings and Remodel targets
• Manage Franchisee execution in line with KFC Asia’s Development Processes and standards on Market Planning, Site Selection, Closure, Relocation, Redevelopment, etc.

Develop and Execute Growth Strategy
• Partner Market Manager within Development team to assess Franchise business models, network health and competitive landscape
• Partner Market Planning Lead and Market Planning Centre of Excellence to quantify market growth potential, and assess competitive environment for growth markets
• Develop and execute market expansion strategy in accordance with market plan and potential, including sub-franchising strategy (in Master Franchise markets), new occasion-based formats, and closure mitigation tactics
• Lead internal KFC Market Growth Plan and Annual Operating Plan workstream

Build Franchisee Capability
• Build Franchisee capability through formal conferences / workshops / colleges and periodic market visits
• Identify and deploy regional and global best practices

Experience
• Degree in Business / Finance or an MBA graduate
• At least 12-15 years of experience in a M&A/ strategy / commercial / planning role
• Strategy Consulting, QSR, Retail, FMCG, Real Estate, Leasing experience is relevant
• Previous business experience in Asia is required while experience in the assigned markets is highly valued

Skills & Characteristics
• Strong business and commercial acumen, with entrepreneurial growth mindset
• Ability to think strategically, cross-functionally and deliver insights and recommendations backed by data
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills at all levels
• Executive maturity and awareness of broader business context
• Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability or potential to lead teams
• Team player, and thrives on collaboration within own team and with other teams
• Clear and concise written and verbal communication, with high-impact presentation skills
• Self-starter, resourcefulness and proactiveness are essential qualities to succeed
• High proficiency in financial business modelling
• Advanced PowerPoint and Excel capabilities
• Relevant language proficiency is advantageous