Senior PR and Communications Manager

at  KFC UK I Corporate Affairs and Sustainability

WELCOME TO KFC

Take one man with a big idea, add 11 herbs and spices, grit, ambition, and buckets of heart – you’ve got KFC.
Since 1939, we’ve been bringing finger lickin’ good chicken to the world, and today we’re proud to be in over 1000 communities across the UK & Ireland. But without our people, none of it would be possible. Just like our recipe, they’re all original.
Join us. Bring it. And together, we can be part of something truly extraordinary.

EXPERIENCE:

• 7 years+ experience in a PR agency or in-house role – great prior media relations experience and working as part of a busy press office
• Experience of the food & drink sector would be helpful, alongside an understanding of franchise business models
• Strong crisis and issues expertise essential
• Strong media handling skills and relevant media relationships
• Proven track record of advising senior leadership on business and reputation critical issues
• Experience navigating and coordinating complex business structures and managing a range of stakeholders at a local and global level
• Experience developing comms and copy for multiple comms channels, including social media
• Strategic thinker who can build a network and can collaborate across different teams, departments and at all levels, quickly and easily
• Outstanding storyteller with strong copywriting skills
• Detailed project manager who can lead campaigns and complex workstreams with cross-functional teams and meets tight deadlines with natural agility

ABOUT YOU:

• We’re looking for someone who is really enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. Fire us up with the potential for what we could achieve in this space!
• This is a role that requires the ability to make an impact and influence at the most senior level. With our management team, senior leaders and franchisees. You will need gravitas and credibility. You’ll also need to be super bright, a naturally strategic thinker, and be a confident and accomplished presenter and communicator.
• You’ll need to be able to develop relationships across all functions of the business, and at all levels, to find the right answers or to get the help you need to deliver a project.
• You’ll have an understanding of the balance between the external pressures and demands of stakeholders – and the internal pressures of a commercial business.
• Last, but not least, you won’t be a dry, corporate ‘suit’. KFC is a fun place to work with a unique culture. Yes, you’ll be super smart and fully plugged into current affairs and macroeconomic environment to deliver top strategic counsel, but you’ll also not take yourself too seriously (we sell fried chicken, after all).

BRINGING IT TO THE ROLE.

When you think of KFC, you probably think of our chicken. And as you should, it’s delicious. But how does that chicken get to you? Through the hard work of 27,000 people that make up our team in the UK & Ireland. And we’re looking to add a seasoned, strategic communications leader to this incredible team.
If you love a meaty issue, have innate media prowess, can craft compelling narratives and deliver impactful campaign strategies, this is the job for you. We want you to help shape and drive our external communications strategy for the business, building our reputation as a modern, responsible brand that is delivering good growth which benefits people and communities everywhere.
This is where you’ll enjoy a broad range of projects, from driving proactive and impactful campaigns to cement our youth advocacy and wider ESG agenda with media and stakeholders, through to advising the leadership team on speaking/media opportunities and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver business change. As such, you will be an experienced and skilled communicator, adept at working in a fast-paced organisation and in a sector that’s at the heart of stakeholder, media and policy debate.
You’ll also be the Colonel in charge of effortlessly managing our busy press office, which is run via our PR agency. From the Guardian through to the Daily Mail, you’ll be ready to turn on a dime in managing all sorts of issues – from HFSS and the obesity debate, through to supply chain and opening new restaurants. You’ll also have the expertise and strategic nous to steadily and calmly handle a crisis, with your solid media intuition, creative spark and political judgement to respond effectively.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Work with the wider Corporate Affairs & Sustainability team to execute an impactful communications strategy that builds and strengthens our reputation as a modern, responsible brand, ensuring that it’s integrated with and supports the wider Brand and business plan
• Work with our agency partner Headland on delivery of the Corporate Reputation strategy, alongside our Senior Policy & Reputation Manager, Public Affairs Manager, and Community Engagement Partner
• Lead our visible leadership programme, working with our senior leadership / management team on profile raising opportunities to make KFC’s good growth story visible through effective storytelling
• Provide strategic counsel and briefings for senior leadership / management team on key issues and engagement with a range of media, through a structured engagement programme
• Harness the power of storytelling through creating compelling and creative narratives and key messages
• Story mine the business for good news and updates to share with our key stakeholders and media
• Coordinate multiple stakeholders and advise senior leadership on significant reputational issues to the businessProject manage brilliant, reputation-building communications campaigns, centred around bringing to life our ESG agenda and commitments to being a responsible business in an engaging way, with full strategic campaign oversight, using media relations and other tactics
• Act as the first point of contact for the press office team (run via our PR agency freuds) – helping to develop, craft and approve media statements in our distinctive voice
• Be a representative for KFC with the media, including owning and fostering key relationships with media
• Have the know-how and experience to expertly manage media crises and manage and monitor issues, alongside full business co-ordination