Media Lead

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.

Across the Restaurant Support Centre (RSC), we come to work to be ourselves, and to make something of ourselves. We want to see our potential go that little bit further, as part of one of the world’s most iconic brands.

What’s the gig? Well, you support our restaurants — and we’ll support you every step of the way. Simple. Our doors are open — and they can take you anywhere.

All we ask is that you be you. Because that makes us, us. Sound good?
Great. Let’s find out about that job.

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, Insights 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

What happens when you combine one of the UK's most iconic brands, significant media investment and the freedom to challenge how things have always been done? That's what we're looking for you to help us discover.

We're searching for an exceptional Media Lead to help shape the future of media at KFC UK & Ireland. This isn't just about making our media investment work harder. It's about reimagining what's possible.

You'll be KFC's senior media expert and strategic voice within the business - shaping our full-funnel media approach, advising where we should place our bets and helping one of the country's most loved brands connect with millions of customers, build cultural relevance and drive real commercial growth.

We want someone who is as excited by a bold creative idea as they are by brilliant econometrics. Someone who can balance the art and science of media, challenge convention, influence senior leaders and partners, and unlock opportunities others haven't spotted.

This is a highly influential individual-contributor role with no direct reports. Your impact will come through expertise, conviction and the ability to bring teams, agencies and partners with you.

And most importantly, we want someone who wants to leave their mark.

WHAT YOU WILL SPEND YOUR TIME DOING?

Shape our media future: Own the overarching UK&I media strategy and long-term vision. Translate business priorities into clear investment principles, channel strategy and annual planning, identifying where media can unlock incremental growth and where KFC should place its bets. Stay ahead of a rapidly evolving landscape - from AI and automation to emerging platforms, changing consumer behaviour and new approaches to targeting and measurement. Identify where new technology can unlock effectiveness, creativity and competitive advantage, and help KFC experiment intelligently with what comes next.

Drive commercial growth: Own KFC's approach to media effectiveness, measurement and optimisation. Use econometrics, campaign measurement, incrementality and industry best practice to understand the true impact of our investment on brand and business performance. Turn complex data into clear commercial recommendations: where to invest, where to experiment and where to stop. Turn constraints into opportunities: from HFSS regulation and changing privacy rules to platform disruption, help us navigate an increasingly complex media landscape - finding creative new ways to build fame and drive growth.

Make media famous: Champion media as a creative force, not simply a distribution channel. Work hand in hand with Brand and our creative partners to develop bold, culturally relevant media ideas that capture attention, generate conversation and make KFC impossible to ignore. Push our partners to create distinctive work that delivers both fame and commercial impact.

Connect with customers: Bring together audience insight, first-party data and media expertise to create smarter, more connected ways of reaching and influencing customers across the funnel. Partner across Brand, Digital, Delivery, Performance Marketing and Insights to connect long-term brand building with short-term demand and commercial performance.

Lead brilliant partnerships: Lead the senior day-to-day relationship with our media agency, driving a high-performing partnership built on collaboration, healthy challenge and accountability. Build strategic relationships across the wider media ecosystem - including media owners, commercial partners, measurement specialists and global stakeholders - and unlock opportunities that deliver incremental value for KFC. Champion responsible media, strong governance and brand safety.

Build a culture of experimentation: Set a structured test-and-learn agenda with Mindshare and the Performance Marketing Lead. Challenge established ways of working, design meaningful experiments and turn learning into action. Balance BAU with bold swings and keep asking: what could the future of media look like for KFC?

Raise media capability across KFC: You won't manage a team or own every individual campaign. Instead, as KFC's subject-matter expert, you'll coach, challenge and inspire teams across Marketing, elevate media capability, champion best practice and ensure learning is continuously applied. You'll make things happen through influence rather than hierarchy.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE:

A sharper media strategy. KFC has a clear, future-facing approach that connects media investment to brand and commercial growth.

Every pound works harder. Effectiveness, accountability and continuous improvement are embedded in how we plan and invest.

Media becomes part of the idea. Our media thinking is as distinctive, creative and culturally relevant as the work it carries.

We stay ahead. New technology, platforms, partnerships and behaviours are turned into meaningful competitive advantage rather than innovation theatre.

The whole team gets better. Media capability rises across KFC and our agency ecosystem through your expertise, challenge and coaching.

WHAT WE'D LOVE FROM YOU:

ABOUT YOU

You’re a brilliant media thinker who likes a challenge. You’re a real media guru with deep media expertise and strong commercial instinct, but you’re always looking beyond the numbers to understand the bigger opportunity for the brand and the business.

You believe in the power of creativity. You’re as excited by a brilliant idea as you are by a brilliant media plan, and believe the best work happens when creativity, culture, data and media come together. You’re curious, open-minded and willing to back bold ideas, even when the answer isn’t perfectly proven on a spreadsheet.

You make things happen through people. You know that influence doesn’t come from hierarchy. You build brilliant relationships, earn trust quickly and bring people with you, from Brand teams and senior leaders to agencies, media owners and global partners.

You’re a natural collaborator. This role sits at the intersection of our teams, agencies and partners, so you thrive on connecting people and perspectives to get to better answers.

You’re a self-starter with a bias for action. You spot opportunities and jump at solutions. You're comfortable defining the future rather than waiting for someone else to hand you the answer.

You can speak both business and media. You’re as comfortable discussing sales and business performance as you are media metrics. You can turn complexity into clear choices.

You're curious about what's next. AI, automation, new platforms, evolving audience behaviours and new models of measurement genuinely interest you. You don't need to have every answer, but you have the curiosity and ambition to help KFC navigate what comes next.

 You have presence and conviction. You're comfortable challenging thinking, creating alignment and influencing decisions at senior level. You're a confident, accomplished presenter and communicator with credibility in your space.

SKILLS/ EXPERIENCE

 - 8 years+ media experience, with subject matter expertise and technical knowledge to cut through fast.
 - Ideally, you’ve worked in-house and at an agency (but both is not essential if you have a strong understanding of both sides).
 - Strong experience across brand-building and performance media, with a deep understanding of the UK media landscape and the ability to connect media strategy to commercial outcomes.
 - Experience managing or influencing significant media investment and making clear investment choices.
 - Strong understanding of media effectiveness, measurement and econometrics, with the ability to translate learning into action.
 - Experience influencing senior stakeholders and leading agency relationships without relying on direct authority.
 - A track record of curiosity, experimentation and pushing for better - whether through creative media, technology, data, partnerships or new ways of working.

We’re flexible: We’re open to different levels of experience for this role. This opportunity is full-time, but we’re also open to a more experienced candidate joining us 3 days a week, so you may see both options advertised.

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.

You’ll get:

• Hybrid working from our Woking RSC (just 24 mins from London). Our Marketing team spend face to face collaboration time in the office on Tuesday's and Wednesday's.
• Up to 11% company pension contributions
• Fri-Yay finishes at 1pm every Friday
• 25 days’ holiday (plus bank hols) a
• 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...

1. Apply (Go on... do it) – send us your CV and answer a couple of app questions.
2. Intro call with our Talent Team
3. Virtual call with Hiring Manager + additional Marketeer
4. F2F interview & Task at our HQ, Home of The Real Ones in Woking + some time with our Marketing Director or CMO
   

KFC FOR EVERYONE:

Whoever you are and wherever you’re from, KFC is a place where you can bring the real you to work.

Our promise is this: every person who applies to a role at KFC, regardless of age, background, ethnicity, gender, ability, religion or sexual orientation, will have an equal opportunity to work here. We don’t just welcome, we encourage applications from underrepresented groups from all industries.

If you’d like any additional support with your application, have a disability or condition that may affect your performance during the recruitment process, or have any other requirements — just let us know. We’ll be there to help you be the real you.

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.

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