Sr. Associate Manager, Construction

This position carries the responsibility of planning and managing multiple construction programs and cost-effective methodologies for KFC's equity restaurants. The incumbent plays a pivotal role as the principal custodian of construction relationships within the KFC development department. Furthermore, this role involves the establishment of foundational cost models, project management, active participation in upholding brand architectural standards, and contributing to global sustainability initiatives. Innovative thinking around construction, developing and utilization of tools aimed at enhancing the execution of remodeling, new construction projects, and special initiatives is expected. A paramount aspect of this role is taking ownership of educating franchisees across these multifaceted endeavors, which is integral to achieving success in this capacity. Additionally, this role coordinates the design and operations feedback phase as a distinct requirement specific to KFC Equity stores, as we move forward into the construction phase of projects. Responsibilities Key Responsibilities: Design Implementation: Oversee design consultants for new sites, remodels & refresh projects Manage design consultants as they apply the latest KFC design standards to new restaurants, major & minor remodels, and refresh projects. Develop the timeline for design milestones and set expectations with all consultants. Deliver a tightly coordinated drawing sets across all external consultant disciplines (architecture, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering, kitchen equipment, structural engineering, civil engineering, landscape design) and internal stakeholders (information technology, digital assets, operations). Ensure coordination of all owner-direct vendors, including bulk oil management, bulk CO2, music system, CCTV system, internet service, and alarm system. Manage design consultant budgets, proposals, change orders, and invoices for all projects to drive value and minimize cost; maintain accurate cost information in the tracking system and regularly report project cost forecast vs. budget to Leadership. Host weekly meetings with consultants to review, forecast, and manage project pipeline milestones. Review construction drawings to ensure alignment with project scope and current KFC standards and host a page turn with internal and external stakeholders to confirm thorough coordination across all disciplines. Develop and detail Scope of Work documents for remodels and refresh projects with internal stakeholders. Host page turn meetings with the consultants, development team, and internal stakeholders to confirm alignment across project team on the scope of work for new sites and remodels. Oversee the permit and entitlement process in partnership with a permit expeditor; understand the timeline, intermittent milestones, costs, and approvals requirements to commence the construction project. Support external consultants through the permitting and entitlements process, including building permit, health permit, and signage permit for all new sites, remodels, and refresh projects as required; creatively find solutions to start construction as quickly as possible with all permits. Monitor the Landlord approval process, including design, signage, and construction drawing review signoff. Maintain organized and accurate records of drawing sets issued for each project, including revisions and bulletins as needed during the permitting and construction phases. Identify options and opportunities to value engineer projects to meet schedule and budget. Construction Execution: Deliver high-quality projects on-time & on-budget Manage, monitor, and drive the overall construction project schedule to delivery projects on-time. Build, manage, and update the overall construction budget to accurately reflect a project forecast; collaborate with the Sr. Analyst to ensure accurate reporting to Finance and Leadership. Communicate the status of each construction project with Leadership, including schedule, budget, and risks. Maintain a current project schedule and detailed budget forecast in the project tracking system (currently SmartSheet), which shall be updated on a weekly basis to include all approved and potential change orders. Negotiate and challenge change orders from all vendors in partnership with the design consultants (Architect, Engineer, etc.) to mitigate cost impact to the project budget. Lead weekly project meetings with all vendors for projects in the Design and Construction phases; distribute meeting minutes, action items, and the project schedule within 48 hours of the meeting. Circulate construction project progress photos weekly to the wider project team and Leadership. Develop a contact list for each project and circulate to the wider project team for collaboration. Solicit bids from all vendors to support the project, including the design consultants, general contractor, and all direct vendors (including RSCS, for example). Engage and coordinate all direct vendor proposals, site surveys, and installations during the project, including RSCS, Pepsi, bulk CO2, bulk oil management, music, security, and IT. Review bids to ensure accuracy and alignment with project scope and recommend final proposals for award. Visit construction sites periodically during the buildout; review & monitor progress with the GC and vendors. Understand and monitor all inspection and signoff requirements for the construction project, including progress inspections, final trade inspections, fire, final building, and health signoff to achieve a Certificate of Occupancy (or Temp. Certificate of Occupancy), to open to the public and operate the restaurant. Establish a relationship with the local Health Dept. to understand all inspection and signoff requirements; communicate with the operations team to ensure the restaurant is ready for the health inspection. Maintain comprehensive and accurate records of all project documents, including all quotations, capex approval documents, purchase orders, change orders, and contracts. Drive project closeout to quick completion within 90 days of Substantial Completion, including final invoices, contractor pay applications, unconditional lien waivers, warranty information, O&M manuals. Deliver a full warranty package and warranty contact list to the Operations & Facilities team at Handover. Host post-mortem sessions to solicit feedback across the project team from both internal and external stakeholders; identify specific and actionable lessons learns and apply to upstream projects. Identify opportunities to drive innovation, reduce construction timelines, and/or decrease construction costs. Recommend new general contractors and vendors to support the pipeline of construction projects ahead. Support the wider construction and development teams by taking on additional projects as needed. Some travel required to perform these duties, which can be up to 20%. Leadership & Communication: Drive results and showcase KFC’s heart-forward culture Communicate clearly and concisely with internal and external stakeholders. Develop ideas and support recommendations with strong presentation skills. Lead internal and external team meetings and conversations to drive decisions and move projects forward. Utilize a solutions mindset to solving challenges with a deference to take action over further analysis. Challenge the status quo and support innovation on both a large and small scale. Demonstrate strong business acumen with a commercial mindset to balance creativity and cost. Own vendor performance management and relationships with external consultants & contractors. Contribute to the collaborative and heart-forward culture within the construction & development teams. Qualifications Required Qualifications: You will be required to attend the Plano, TX office 3 days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Education/Certifications BS in Architecture, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related field. Professional registrations/certifications are a plus. Experience 5+ years of construction, architecture, or project management experience required. 2+ years in a corporate environment managing projects and communicating project status required. Required software experience: Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Strong track record of delivering high-quality project on-schedule and on-budget. Ability to balance excellent technical execution with the need for speed and progress. Excellent interpersonal skills with strong ability to collaborate with colleagues across the organization. Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills with a deference to take action rather than over-analyze. Serve as an advocate of the brand and champion our recognition culture. Strong knowledge of reading and understanding architectural drawings. Comfortable working in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment with shifting priorities. Intellectual curiosity and personal accountability to meet and exceed goals. Excellent organizational skills to track project performance and meet or exceed objectives. Strong work ethic with the ability to address multiple projects and challenges at a time. Keep a positive mindset. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision. Preferred Experience Multi-unit restaurant/retail experience within a high-growth/high-performing team preferred. Preferred software experience Bluebeam Revu, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, SmartSheet. AutoCAD and Procore, a plus. Salary Range: $110,500 to $116,910 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. Job Info Job Identification 4982 Posting Date 04/03/2026, 05:53 PM Job Schedule Full time Locations Plano, TX, United States (Hybrid) #J-18808-Ljbffr KFC Corporation