Job Description
The Director of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is a bold, visionary leader who elevates the KFC U.S. brand through world-class storytelling, culturally resonant engagement, and fully integrated, results-driving campaigns. This role oversees the entire IMC ecosystem-including paid, owned, earned, social, influencer, experiential, and in-restaurant communications-ensuring a unified brand narrative that drives sales overnight and builds brand over time.
As a key member of the Marketing Leadership Team, this leader sets the vision for breakthrough communications, inspires internal and agency partners, and ensures flawless execution across all consumer touchpoints. This includes serving as the senior strategic partner for PR, social, and influencer marketing, embedding those earned-first disciplines into the heart of the IMC model.
Responsibilities
Integrated Marketing Leadership (25%):
- Set the long-term vision for Integrated Marketing Communications that elevates brand relevance, delivers measurable business results, and ensures consistency across all consumer and team-member touchpoints.
- Lead brand stewardship and evolution of the brand platform, ensuring alignment to global brand standards and embedding brand personality across paid, earned, owned, and social channels.
- Drive strategic communication planning across the full funnel-including TV, ONLV, radio, OOH, digital, social media, influencer, experiential, packaging, and in-restaurant communications.
Campaign Strategy, Creative Excellence & Cultural Relevance (25%):
- Inspire and direct the Integrated Agency Team to deliver fearlessly modern, high-impact creative that strengthens brand consideration, brand health, and business results.
- Provide strategic oversight and creative feedback on priority campaigns, ensuring cultural relevance, insight-driven storytelling, and alignment to business objectives.
- Guide real-time consumer storytelling by monitoring cultural and social trends, identifying opportunities for timely brand participation, and advising on purpose-driven, talent, and influencer partnerships.
- Maintain a strategic presence in agency meetings to unblock decision-making, keep work culturally relevant, and ensure seamless integration across creative, social, PR, influencer, media, and retail workstreams.
Earned, Social & Influencer Integration (25%):
- Serve as the senior-level strategic partner for Public Relations, Social Media, and Influencer Marketing, ensuring these functions play a central role in integrated planning.
- Shape the earned-first strategy that boosts brand reputation, cultural impact, social buzz, and consumer engagement.
- Review integrated campaign briefs and planning to ensure messaging, creative, and channels reflect both brand positioning and cultural opportunities.
- Foster cohesive, collaborative relationships with internal teams, agency partners, and cross-functional stakeholders for seamless execution.
Operations, Planning & Measurement (10%):
- Own end-to-end budget management for IMC, including agency SOWs, fees, and all campaign and content production investments-with focus on maximizing ROI.
- Optimize campaign operations, briefing, production workflows, and GTM planning across national and test-market initiatives.
- Establish measurement frameworks for paid, earned, and social efforts, partnering with Analytics and Insights to define KPIs and interpret performance and cultural listening results.
- Translate insights into actionable recommendations that drive continuous improvement and innovation.
Reputation, Crisis & Executive Communications (5%):
- Provide real-time strategic counsel during high-visibility issues or crisis situations.
- Guide sensitive brand communications to mitigate risk and protect long-term equity.
- Support executive visibility efforts, shaping narrative development, talking points, and preparedness for high-stakes media or public engagements.
Leadership & Team Development (10%):
- Build, inspire, and mentor a high-performing, resilient IMC team that thrives on creativity, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Serve as a mentor and strategic advisor to internal IMC, PR, social, and influencer partners and agency teams-driving clarity, alignment, and excellence without relying on formal reporting structures.
- Foster a culture of curiosity, innovation, and continuous learning, staying ahead of evolving consumer behaviors, technology shifts, and marketing trends.
Qualifications
You will be required to attend the Plano, TX office 3 days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Education/Certifications:
- Undergraduate Degree from accredited 4 year university - Marketing preferred, M.B.A. - Preferred
Experience:
Years of Experience:
- Minimum 12+ years of overall business experience, with at least five years in senior digital marketing position
- Category Experience - digital marketing experience in QSR, retail, CPG, beverage, or related fields preferred
- Demonstrated leadership competency in all facets of data-driven, performance-based Digital Marketing plan development, execution, and measurement
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build team environment in order to achieve revenue, profit and growth targets.
- Excellent interpersonal & team skills to drive cross-functional collaboration and resolve conflicts across teams effectively when needed
- Demonstrated communication skills including ability to influence and inspire others of all levels of the organization and franchise system
- Sense of urgency
- High work ethic
Salary Range: $184,500 - $215,300 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.
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