Program Manager Project Lead

Job Description

Who is Yum! Brands?

Ready to make your mark at an iconic global powerhouse? Join Yum! Brands - the parent company behind KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill - be a part of our reinvention for Greater Growth.

We are a culture-driven company where innovation, collaboration, and passion fuel everything we do. We're seeking talented individuals to make a difference across our global business. Whether you're just starting out or stepping into leadership, you'll help shape our future by delivering results that matter and bringing your smart, heart, and courage to the table.

If you're ready to grow with a company that values curiosity, high performance, and meaningful work-join us. Let's build the future of Yum! together!

About the Job:

The Project Lead manages strategy execution and tracking of delivery outcomes, including the overall cadence across the governance structure, to ensure alignment to business value and successful completion of project initiatives. As the Project Lead you will operate as a key advisor to Yum! senior leadership and drive disciplined decision-making across the program. The Project Lead reports directly to the VP of the Major Programs Office.

You will be required to attend the Plano, TX office three days per week (Tuesday - Thursday).

Salary Range:

$125,200-$150,000 + 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.

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities:

• Drive end-to-end strategy execution for program initiative development and delivery, ensuring alignment to enterprise priorities and value realization targets
• Lead integrated project planning, including complex dependency management, risk mitigation, and scenario planning across multiple workstreams and functions
• Establish and run program governance cadence, including preparation for key decision forums, ensuring timely, high-quality decisions
• Deliver insight-driven, executive-ready reporting that links progress to financial and operational outcomes
• Proactively identify, analyze, and resolve ambiguous, cross-functional challenges with broad business impact
• Influence and challenge senior stakeholders (including VP-level and external partners/franchisees) to drive alignment and accountability
• Ensure program discipline and execution rigor across functions, elevating standards beyond "business as usual"
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing recommendations on risks, trade-offs, and strategic decisions
• Maintain the program master plan (e.g., milestones, owners, risks)
• Strategic and structured thinker who can simplify complexity and connect execution to business outcomes
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to challenge senior leaders constructively
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a focus on actionable insights
• Excellent executive communication skills (written and verbal)
• High ownership mindset with the ability to drive pace and accountability across teams

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• 10+ years leading large, complex, cross-functional programs with enterprise-level impact
• Proven experience managing ambiguity and undefined problems, translating them into structured plans
• Strong background in governance, risk management, and dependency orchestration across multiple teams
• Experience influencing senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders in matrixed organizations
• Familiarity with transformation programs or large-scale operational project management preferred

Benefits:

Employees (and their eligible family members) may enroll in the following types of insurance coverage: medical, dental, vision, legal, and accidental death and dismemberment, as well as FSA/HSA (depending on enrolled medical plan). Yum! also provides short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance. Employees may enroll in our 401(k) plan. Yum! provides 4 weeks of vacation, paid sick leave, 10 paid holidays, a floating day off and 2 paid days for volunteer time each calendar year. To learn more about working at Yum! -Click here.


At Yum!, one of our core values is to Believe in ALL People. This means seeing the value in everyone and unlocking their full potential to be their best self. YUM! Brands, Inc. (including its subsidiaries Yum Restaurant Services Group, LLC ("YRSG") and Yum Connect, LLC ("Yum Digital and Technology") (collectively, "Yum") is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to equity, inclusion, and belonging for all dimensions of diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other protected characteristic. Yum! is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities or special needs.

US Job Seekers/Employees - Click here to view the "Know Your Rights" poster and supplement and the Pay Transparency Policy Statement.

This posting will be open for a minimum of two weeks. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until a candidate is selected.

Beware of fake job postings using Yum! and/or our brand logos -- KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill -- on fraudulent sites. Yum! Brands only posts jobs on official career pages and never asks for money during onboarding. Avoid unsolicited contacts via Telegram, WhatsApp or similar social apps.