PR and Communications Lead

The PR & Communications Lead is accountable for protecting and enhancing KFC Africa’s reputation by executing a proactive, insight-driven communications and corporate affairs strategy. The role builds stakeholder trust and confidence, strengthens brand credibility, mitigates reputational risk, and reinforces KFC’s leadership in purpose and impact. Serving as the organization's reputation steward and trusted advisor to leadership, the role leads strategic communications, media relations, and crisis preparedness and response.

Responsibilities: Reputation Strategy & Proactive Narrative Leadership : Accountable for defining and delivering a comprehensive PR and Communications calendar that protects and grows KFC’s brand trust and influence.

Accountabilities:

• Execute a 12-month PR & reputation calendar aligned to Corporate Affairs and organisational strategy.
• Translate calendar into actionable plans that agencies and stakeholders can execute against with clarity.

Core Deliverables:

• Develop approved 12-month PR & reputation calendar. Develop & execute integrated communications campaigns that build respect internally & externally, ensuring that measurable, impactful and industry-leading campaigns are executed.
• Rolling 90-day internal and external content calendar, updated monthly.
• 3-month forward-looking planning horizon for all owned and earned channels, with at least 80% of content locked in in advance.
• Monthly performance reporting covering volume, quality, alignment to strategy pillars, and delivery vs plan. Establish clear KPIs (share of voice, sentiment, trust metrics, executive visibility, advocacy impact). Oversee integrated media and social listening frameworks with actionable insight reporting.
• Ensure alignment and amplification of major brand and sector campaigns.
• Partner with Internal Communications Manager to drive an outside in and inside out strategy that enables a consistent brand experience and awareness of the holistic brand environment.

Owned Channels Excellence (LinkedIn, Purpose Website, integrating with Internal Comms Plans and Platforms): Executing content on owned channels that is benchmark with the industry, consistent in tonality and constantly exceeding benchmark KPI’s.

Accountabilities

• Act as single point of accountability for LinkedIn, Purpose website, and internal comms content from brief to final delivery.
• Ensure narrative consistency across all channels, anchored in the Feeding People’s Potential framework.
• Lead agency relationships with clear expectations, structured briefing, and performance management.
• Ensure agencies are briefed with quality, simplicity, and sufficient lead time to enable excellence.
• Minimum of 8 proactive LinkedIn posts per month, with at least 70% aligned to Corporate Affairs strategy pillars.
• A 4-6 week content pipeline at all times to avoid stop-start execution.
• End-to-end project management of the Purpose website, including copy, imagery, legal alignment, and final sign-off.
• Simplified and clearly defined Internal Comms WOW (Ways of Working), with clarified roles and responsibilities.
• Monthly agency performance scorecards tracking delivery, quality, responsiveness, and adherence to timelines.
• Escalation of risks or delivery gaps early, with proposed solutions.

Issues/Crisis Management

• Support KFC Africa on Reputational Risk and Corporate Affairs matters.
• Work cross functionally to proactively manage reputational risk and develop response strategies for both traditional and social media
• Draft and execute crisis management policies and procedures in the event of a crisis.

People Leadership

• Proactive coaching and mentorship of team members
• Partnership with Agencies
• Responsible for the management and execution of the Marketing budget allocated to external communication

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, or a related field required; Honours degree or equivalent is advantageous.
• 10+ years of corporate communications experience, including 5+ years in team management, 5+ years in agency management, and 3+ years in crisis management.
• Experience in FMCG, Retail, or QSR industries is advantageous, along with brand, marketing, and communications experience in a professional services firm or other world-class organization.
• Demonstrated strategic, creative, and innovative thinking, with strong leadership capabilities and the ability to make sound decisions under pressure.
• Proven ability to build, manage, motivate, and develop high-performing teams, while effectively prioritizing issues, opportunities, and resource allocation.
• Strong relationship-building, influencing, and negotiation skills, with the ability to work effectively across all organizational levels and with external stakeholders.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and resilience, with the ability to perform under significant stress, pressure, and rapidly changing circumstances.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication, listening, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to represent the brand effectively, think on their feet, and maintain strong attention to detail.