The Sr. Brand Manager, Earned Media, Brand Social & Culture is at the center of how KFC shows up in culture-leading with social, shaping conversation, and driving earned impact that keeps the brand impossible to ignore. This role is responsible for bringing a social-first, culture-led mindset to everything we do-turning moments into movements and campaigns into talk-worthy brand behavior.
Reporting to the Director of Integrated Marketing Communications, this role partners closely with IMC leadership, cross-functional teams, and agency partners to ensure social, earned media, and influencer thinking don't follow campaigns-they lead them. This is a role for someone who understands how culture moves, how social drives it, and how brands earn their place in it.
- 7-10+ years of experience in social, PR, influencer, or culture-led marketing roles
- Proven ability to create or contribute to work that shows up in culture and drives conversation
- Deep understanding of social platforms, internet culture, and how trends move
- Experience working with creators, influencers, and earned media strategies
- Strong instinct for what will resonate-and what won't-with today's audiences
- Ability to move fast, stay scrappy, and operate in real time without losing strategic focus
- Strong collaborator who can influence teams and agencies to push work further
Salary Range: $150,840 to $159,220 annually + bonus eligibility. 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.
Social-First, Culture-Led Leadership (Priority)
- Lead how KFC shows up in culture-bringing forward bold, timely, and unexpected ideas that earn attention and spark conversation
- Partner with the Director of IMC to ensure social and earned thinking set the direction for campaigns from day one-not as an add-on
- Spot trends before they peak and turn them into brand-defining moments with speed and precision
- Push for work that is culturally sharp, socially native, and impossible to scroll past
- Champion a multicultural, community-driven lens-ensuring the brand shows up authentically
Earned, Social & Influencer Integration
- Drive earned-first thinking across campaigns, ensuring PR, social, and influencer work together to amplify impact
- Lead and partner with agencies to create work that earns media, drives buzz, and shows up in the feeds and conversations that matter
- Help shape a social presence that is reactive, relevant, and relentlessly engaging
- Build and activate a creator ecosystem that keeps KFC plugged into culture and expanding its reach
Integration & Influence
- Be the voice of culture and social at the table-ensuring ideas are built for how people actually engage today
- Partner across IMC, Media, and Creative to keep work connected, fast-moving, and culturally in-tune
- Influence without authority-bringing teams and agencies along to deliver sharper, more effective work
Operations & Impact
- Support execution of social, earned, and influencer workstreams with a focus on speed, quality, and impact
- Help manage budgets tied to social, PR, influencer, and experiential activations
- Track what's working (and what's not) through social listening and performance, and quickly turn insights into action
- Continuously optimize how the brand shows up based on real-time feedback from culture
Reputation & Communications Support
- Support PR and communications efforts during key moments-ensuring the brand shows up with the right voice, at the right time
- Help navigate fast-moving or sensitive situations with a steady, culturally aware lens
Social-First, Culture-Led Leadership (Priority)
- Lead how KFC shows up in culture-bringing forward bold, timely, and unexpected ideas that earn attention and spark conversation
- Partner with the Director of IMC to ensure social and earned thinking set the direction for campaigns from day one-not as an add-on
- Spot trends before they peak and turn them into brand-defining moments with speed and precision
- Push for work that is culturally sharp, socially native, and impossible to scroll past
- Champion a multicultural, community-driven lens-ensuring the brand shows up authentically
Earned, Social & Influencer Integration
- Drive earned-first thinking across campaigns, ensuring PR, social, and influencer work together to amplify impact
- Lead and partner with agencies to create work that earns media, drives buzz, and shows up in the feeds and conversations that matter
- Help shape a social presence that is reactive, relevant, and relentlessly engaging
- Build and activate a creator ecosystem that keeps KFC plugged into culture and expanding its reach
Integration & Influence
- Be the voice of culture and social at the table-ensuring ideas are built for how people actually engage today
- Partner across IMC, Media, and Creative to keep work connected, fast-moving, and culturally in-tune
- Influence without authority-bringing teams and agencies along to deliver sharper, more effective work
Operations & Impact
- Support execution of social, earned, and influencer workstreams with a focus on speed, quality, and impact
- Help manage budgets tied to social, PR, influencer, and experiential activations
- Track what's working (and what's not) through social listening and performance, and quickly turn insights into action
- Continuously optimize how the brand shows up based on real-time feedback from culture
Reputation & Communications Support
- Support PR and communications efforts during key moments-ensuring the brand shows up with the right voice, at the right time
- Help navigate fast-moving or sensitive situations with a steady, culturally aware lens