Junior Brand Manager - Social Media in Woking

Welcome to KFC. Home of the real ones. We sell the world's best chicken. Seriously. And we've done it since 1939, when the idea of crispy, original recipe chicken took Kentucky by storm. Now, we're proud to serve 1000+ communities across the UK and Ireland, bringing the grit, pride and iconic reputation that we started with, all those years ago.

The Team

Our Marketing team is a 50-strong crew of bold thinkers, culture shapers and creative doers - from Brand and Digital to Strategy, Food Quality and Innovation. We're here to keep KFC at the heart of culture across the UK & Ireland, blending our iconic roots with fresh, fearless ideas that connect with real people. We don't just make ads - we build love, drive growth, and stay one step ahead of what's next.

ABOUT THE ROLE

KFC are on the lookout for a brilliant Junior Brand Manager (and real-life chicken connoisseur!) to lead on all things Social Media within the wider KFC Marketing Team. We're not looking for a Social "Guru", "Ninja" or other made-up nonsense title. We want someone who genuinely understands the power of Social and our target Gen Z audience. We want KFC to be naturally embedded in culture and in an authentic and credible way, not by simply forcing our way into people's feeds.

So, we're on the hunt for a witty, dynamic and enthusiastic person who always has their finger firmly on the pulse of culture to work hand-in-hand with our exceptional Social Media agency (Uncovered), coordinate our Social strategy & help bring campaigns to life. Someone who 'gets' the iconic & bold KFC brand personality and applies that across all of their work, helping to keep us relevant for the Next Gen. You'll work as part of our brilliant, award-winning Brand team and sit within KFC's broader Marketing function, working closely with industry-leading agencies and partners.

As well as being an expert in Social, we also want to find someone who has a passion for the wider world of Brand Management and a great understanding of what it takes to build and launch disruptive Brand Comms, partnerships & PR activations. You'll need to be a bit of a Maverick – after all, we are the team that drives Fame & talkability for KFC! There's also buckets of opportunity to grow as part of an ambitious brand and we'd love you to be keen to adapt and advance your career within KFC and across wider Yum! brands.

WHAT WILL YOU SPEND YOUR TIME DOING:

This is an unbelievable role... it offers incredible, immediate exposure to all areas of KFC. You'll be leading our Social Media channels, where KFC shows up unapologetically in culture. With a community of over 2.5 million followers and content reaching hundreds of millions of people every year, this is one of the loudest, most influential brand voices in the UK! We don't just post - we entertain, react, participate and listen. Our audience doesn't scroll past us, they talk to us and so we show up in the moments that matter for our community.

We're looking for natural Social Media instinct – knowing the way that platforms work, the way people use them and the way that people speak. We live and breathe Social and don't miss a trick, if you think you can beat us in picking up the latest trends on the fyp, have your finger on the pulse on new platforms, emerging creators or latest brainrot memes then you're applying for the right role!

Social Media plays a much larger role at KFC than you might think. We use it to launch products, create fun content and engage with our fans but it also has an impact on the way the business operates. From using Social listening to find insights which can direct the approach of a media campaign to crowd sourcing opinion on new meals influencing the next product release, it's an incredibly valued area of the business.

There's certainly room to grow as part of an ambitious brand which has plans to expand & adapt considerably over the next few years. As a result, we expect different opportunities to open up, so we'd love you to be keen to grow your career within KFC and wider Yum! Brands.

Finally – you will be part of the team that is the voice of our brand, so a great sense of humour, as well an ability to adapt and communicate in the KFC tone of voice is essential.

• Lead driving Fame and talkability across KFC's social channels by identifying reactive moments and proactive opportunities that feel timely, playful and unmistakably KFC.
• Work hand-in-hand with our Social Media & PR agencies to grow communities across all of our channels & bring campaigns, launches and activations to life on social - ensuring everything feels native, social-first and culturally relevant.
• Continue to sharpen and redefine our social strategy, ensuring it ties in seamlessly with broader brand plans.
• Confidence spotting trends, moments and creators that feel right for the brand (not just jumping on everything!).
• Review and track performance and social insights, feeding learnings back into the team to continuously sharpen our content and creative approach.
• Step-change our approach to creators and talent, with creators who drive talkability, hype and next gen relevance.
• Drive talkability and cultural buzz across relevant new products by leading on innovative, cross channel approaches across PR & social. Turning our big product launches into moments that fuels brand talkability and drives transactions.
• Work with our Media agency and wider team to plan and manage large media spends, managing our boosting budget to push our social and creator content to larger audiences.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key individuals and teams at the various agencies that you will need to work with on a daily basis.
• In times of negative PR, you should be able to keep a cool head and co-ordinate responses on social platforms. This means that you should have some basic PR awareness.
• Leverage social partnerships (such as with our friends at Pepsi) to unlock additional opportunities for KFC to target the Next Gen and drive cultural relevance.
• Champion best in class social creative across the full calendar. Use innovative platforms, formats and testing to drive performance and elevate media performance.
• Most importantly, have fun with our followers. We have masses of fans who can be our biggest advocates!

WHAT WE'D LOVE FROM YOU

• Upwards of 3 years experience working in Social Media for either an agency or in-house is essential.
• A complete natural with all Social Media platforms.
• A strategic thinker who is able to think longer-term, articulate their ideas and take others on the journey – with proven experience developing and implementing social strategies.
• An excellent project manager, with prior experience working on big brand campaigns, involving the management of multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of partnering closely with an external Social Media agency – you will be their go-to point of contact from briefing, to leading on creative feedback & attending shoots!
• Enthusiasm about the brand is a must - we only want people who love KFC!
• Copywriting skills that are versatile. You need to be able to adapt instantly to the brand's tone-of-voice with flawless grammar, spelling and punctuation mixed with a touch of creativity!
• We're looking for imagination and creative spark, but with a sharp eye for detail, ability to prioritise, work in a team, deal with feedback, see the bigger picture and stay calm under pressure.
• As part of this role, you may be encouraged to assert your expertise and use data to back up your ideas. Good analytical skills and previous experience using social analytics tools would be a massive benefit.
• Wider experience of leading Brand Campaigns and/or PR activations which drive Fame & talkability.
• We really want someone who shows great initiative... impress us!
• And of course... a KFC believer.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU:

We offer benefits that make your life that little bit easier — because we know the juggle is real. From flexible, hybrid working to Fri-Yay early finishes and Live Well Days, we've created a package that supports the real you, in and out of work.

• Hybrid working from our Woking RSC (just 24 mins from London)
• Up to 11% company pension contributions
• Fri-Yay finishes at 1pm every Friday
• 25 days' holiday (plus bank hols)
• 5 Live Well Days a year, just for you
• Bonus scheme linked to company & personal performance
• Private healthcare, Digital GP access & mental health coaching
• Enhanced parental leave and flexible return options
• Study support, income protection, life cover & more
• And yes — 25% off the chicken

Because real ones deserve real rewards.

The Road to becoming a real one... Apply (Go on... do it) – send us your CV and answer a couple of app questions. Intro call with our Talent Team. Virtual call with Hiring Manager + Marketing team member. F2F Task and Interview with Hiring Manager and Marketing Director. Ready? We hope so, if you're ready to be part of our community, now's the time to apply. Worried you aren't ticking all the boxes? Don't - we'd still love to hear from you.