Director, Strategy

Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence

Director of Strategy shaping KFC Global’s strategic agenda and execution. Partnering with leaders to achieve long-term growth ambitions and drive delivery of the strategic plan.

Posted 7/23/2026full-timePlano • Texas • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $174,240 - $183,920 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates strong strategic planning and execution capabilities, with expertise in financial modeling, business case development, and performance diagnostics. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders while navigating a complex, global environment.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Strategic PlanningFinancial ModelingExecutive CommunicationCross-Functional LeadershipCommercial Analysis

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Financial ModelingBusiness Case DevelopmentMarket AnalysisPerformance DiagnosticsStrategic ExecutionQuantitative InsightsQualitative InsightsGrowth Strategy DevelopmentCommercial PlanningM&A Analysis

Soft Skills

CollaborationInfluencingIntellectual CuriosityOwnershipStrategic Agility

Certifications & Qualifications

Bachelor's DegreeMBA or Equivalent Advanced Business/Strategy Experience

Industry Keywords

QSRRestaurantRetailConsumerFranchiseMulti-Unit OperationsDigital TransformationLoyalty ProgramsData AnalyticsInternational Growth Strategy

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Partner with the CFO and KFC Global Leadership Team to develop, refresh, and operationalize KFC Global strategy, including the multi-year roadmap to achieve long-term financial and brand goals.
Translate strategic ambition into a clear set of priorities, capability requirements, and investment needs with business cases across markets.
Lead strategic planning processes, including MGPs and AOPs, across regions/BMUs
Develop compelling executive-level strategic narratives and decision materials for Yum leadership, the Board of Directors, AOP, pre-AOP, Global Franchise Convention, investor relations inputs, and other senior forums.
Cascade strategy across the system in a way that creates clarity, alignment, and ownership among GMs, regional teams, functions, and franchise stakeholders.
Codify learnings and provide thought leadership across KFC Global, BMUs, cross-brand partners, and Yum teams.
Drive execution of strategy by defining objectives, milestones, owners, resourcing requirements, KPIs, risks, and decision points for priority initiatives.
Run the strategic execution rhythm, including QBRs, SteerCo forums, KPI reporting, and escalation mechanisms that create transparency on progress, performance gaps, and interventions required.
Partner with cross-functional initiative owners to remove barriers, clarify trade-offs, and ensure strategic priorities are delivered with pace and quality.
Analyze drivers of KFC’s performance across markets to identify both areas of strength (what’s working) and opportunities to improve.
Lead commercial analysis, financial modeling, and business case development for major strategic initiatives and growth investments, including M&A opportunities
Use quantitative and qualitative insights to identify industry trends, customer and competitor shifts, market opportunities, and impacts to KFC performance.
Lead the Global Strategy team, building strong strategic, analytical, communication, and project leadership capability.
Operate as a trusted thought partner to the CFO and broader Leadership Team, bringing an enterprise perspective and the courage to challenge constructively.
Build strong cross-functional relationships and influence across a complex, global, matrixed organization without relying solely on formal authority.
Role model high standards, intellectual curiosity, collaboration, and ownership.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree
Significant experience in strategy, corporate development, management consulting, financial services, commercial planning, or related roles with a proven track record of shaping and executing growth strategies.
Strong commercial and analytical capability, including financial modeling, business case development, market analysis, and performance diagnostics.
Demonstrated ability to translate analysis into clear strategic choices, actionable recommendations, and measurable execution plans.
Excellent executive communication skills, with the ability to simplify complexity, craft compelling narratives, and influence senior stakeholders through both written and verbal communication.
Track record of driving execution across cross-functional teams, including setting milestones, managing dependencies, escalating risks, and delivering outcomes in a fast-paced environment.
High business judgment and strategic agility; able to think forward, connect external trends to business implications, and challenge conventional thinking.
Strong collaboration and influencing skills in a matrixed, global, franchise-led organization.
Proven ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing teams.
Comfort operating with ambiguity, pace, and senior-level visibility.
Preferred: MBA or equivalent advanced business/strategy experience.
Preferred: Prior QSR, restaurant, retail, consumer, franchise, or multi-unit operating experience.
Preferred: Experience with digital transformation, loyalty, data/analytics, unit economics, or international growth strategy.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Bonus eligibility
Stock-based compensation