Principal Program Lead, National Campaigns

Principal Program Lead

Chick-fil-A, Inc. Staff members play a vital role in achieving our strategic goals by developing their skills, fostering inclusive teamwork, and embracing innovation. All Staff are expected to contribute to a compelling future by inspiring and motivating those around them. Growth and development are essential at Chick-fil-A. We want Staff to seek new perspectives and adopt new methods to drive continuous improvement and adaptation to evolving business needs. Lastly, we ask Staff to seek wisdom, expect the best, accept responsibility, respond with courage, and think others first. Our Flexible Futures Model offers a healthy mix of working in person and virtually, strengthening key elements of the Chick-fil-A culture by fostering collaboration and community.

Overview

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Principal Program Lead to oversee and shape national advertising campaigns. This role leads the development, execution, and optimization of large-scale advertising, integrating audience strategy, first-party data, media, and creative to deliver insight-driven, high-impact marketing campaigns. This leader will define how campaigns come to life—driving business and creative strategy across advertising—ensuring alignment with brand and business objectives while driving measurable growth.

Responsibilities

• Develop national advertising strategies and guide concept development grounded in audience insights, first-party data, and business priorities.
• Partner with analytics teams to translate market research, competitive analysis and behavioral data into actional campaign insights and inform campaign planning.
• Lead creative strategy, including messaging, storytelling, and channel roles
• Apply strong strategic judgment to evaluate inputs, challenge assumptions, and guide teams toward the most effective approach
• Clearly articulate the "why" behind strategic and creative decisions to build alignment across stakeholders
• Drive cross-functional alignment (brand, media, creative, analytics, product) to ensure fully integrated, insight-led campaigns
• Plan and activate across a modern media ecosystem, including digital, social, and emerging platforms

Campaign Leadership & Execution:

• Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of national advertising campaigns, from commissioning and managing concept development with creative partners to post-launch analysis.ensuring alignment from insight and strategy through execution and optimization
• Orchestrate internal teams and external agency partners to deliver cohesive, high-quality work
• Synthesize input from senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders into clear, actionable direction that strengthens the work and maintains momentum
• Develop creative briefs that inspire breakthrough work, grounded in audience and business insights
• Ensure creative is optimized for platform-specific performance across paid, owned, earned, and emerging media channels
• Maintain the integrity of strategy and creative intent as work progresses through internal processes and feedback cycles.
• Ensure adherence to brand guidelines, legal requirements, and industry best practices.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment.
• Operate effectively in ambiguity, proactively identifying gaps and driving progress
• Demonstrate resilience and stamina in managing high-visibility work with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities
• Provide clear direction, feedback, and support to team members
• Conduct regular performance reviews and facilitate professional development opportunities.
• Critical thinker who is proactive at filling gaps, communicating changes, and comfortable in the gray.

Performance Analysis & Optimization:

• Deliver on key performance indicators (KPIs) and establish robust measurement frameworks for all national campaigns.
• Integrate paid, owned, and earned media into cohesive strategies
• Inform and deliver on success metrics tied to business and customer outcomes
• Lead test-and-learn strategies across audience, creative, and media
• Translate performance into actionable insights and future strategy
• Prepare and present regular performance reports to senior leadership.

Budget Management:

• Manage and track national advertising budgets, ensuring efficient allocation of resources and adherence to financial targets.
• Lead agency partnerships (creative, media, production), providing clear direction and driving strategically aligned outcomes
• Negotiate scopes and contracts to ensure effective and efficient delivery

Required Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

• 6+ years of related work experience
• Proven ability to integrate business strategy, creative strategy, and media into cohesive campaign plans
• Experience leveraging first-party data and audience segmentation to drive effectiveness
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, synthesize complex inputs, and drive alignment across senior stakeholders
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate data into action
• Strong understanding of media planning, buying, and performance measurement with Experience working across modern media channels, including digital, social, influencer, and emerging platforms
• Demonstrated ability to lead creative strategy and integrated campaign development
• Strong understanding of data privacy and responsible data usage
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with advertising platforms, analytics tools, and project management software.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

• 10+ years of experience in advertising or marketing, including leadership of large-scale, multimillion-dollar national campaigns
• Production experience

Required Years of Experience

6

Preferred Years of Experience

10

Travel Requirements

20%

Required Level of Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Preferred Level of Education

Master's Degree

Required Major/Concentration

Marketing, Advertising, Communications, or a related field.