Activation Manager

Yum! Brands; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A global pizza company is seeking a Local Activation Manager to drive local marketing strategies in partnership with franchisees. The ideal candidate will have a commercial mindset, excellent project management skills, and experience in franchise or retail environments. Responsibilities include developing marketing plans and overseeing execution to ensure brand consistency. This hybrid role requires a minimum of two days at the London office and offers opportunities for cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Strong business and brand acumen.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders.
• Experience in multi-site or franchise environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop local marketing plans for UK franchisees.
• Build relationships with franchisee partners.
• Lead agencies in creating marketing materials.

Skills

Commercial mindset

Project management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving skills

Education

3–5 years in franchise or retail marketing

Formal training in local marketing

Tools

Uberall

Job description

About Us

With over 60 years of history, Pizza Hut has become the world's largest pizza company, with 18,000+ stores across 100 countries. At Pizza Hut, our vision is to be the younger & more everyday leaders in global pizza culture, and our purpose is to connect people together through the joy of pizza. We're proud to be an International Operating Market of nearly 1,300 Pizza Huts across the UK, Ireland, France, Canada and Germany. We're passionate about delivering extraordinary experiences to our beloved customers, keeping our team members happy, and collaborating with our franchisees who operate across 500 Delivery and Restaurant Huts in the UK and Ireland.

As part of the YUM! Brands family, which includes KFC, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill, Pizza Hut proudly stands alongside the largest restaurant group worldwide. Together, we strive for culinary excellence and unmatched dining experiences, whether in our restaurants or at home.

Job Purpose

We’re looking for a passionate and commercially minded Local Activation Manager to help shape, deliver and execute Pizza Hut’s local marketing strategy in partnership with our UK franchisees. You’ll bring the brand to life at a local level, driving traffic, sales and engagement through brilliant on-the-ground activations that reflect our values, tone and personality.

This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, franchise-driven environment and can turn strategic plans into real-world impact. You’ll partner closely with cross-functional teams, agencies, and franchisees to ensure every local marketing moment is flawlessly executed.

Key Responsibilities

Local Marketing Strategy & Execution

• Develop and deliver strong local marketing plans for UK franchisees, aligned with our brand strategy.
• Lead commercial analysis & build growth plans with Franchisee.
• Ensure all local activity is executed on time, on budget and to the highest quality standards.
• Safeguard Pizza Hut’s brand identity by ensuring all local marketing activity reflects our tone, values and visual standards.

Stakeholder & Franchisee Partnership

• Build strong, trusted relationships with franchisee partners to identify growth opportunities and maximise local impact.
• Partner cross-functionally with marketing, operations, digital, and commercial teams to align activation priorities.
• Confidently represent Pizza Hut in internal and external meetings, sharing insights and recommendations.

Agency & Vendor Management

• Lead agencies by developing clear briefs, steering creative direction and ensuring top-quality outputs.
• Oversee production and delivery of local marketing materials, ensuring consistency and excellence.

Performance & ROI

• Drive measurable results by monitoring campaign performance and recommending data-led improvements.
• Collect and analyse data, prepare reports, and communicate clear insights and recommendations to key stakeholders.

Toolkits & Enablement

• Create, manage and maintain a suite of local marketing toolkits and sales enablement materials for franchisee use.
• Support activation through platforms such as Uberall (or similar engagement tools) to enhance local visibility and engagement.

Requirements

• Highly commercial mindset with strong business and brand acumen.
• Proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders and influence across levels.
• Excellent project management and organisational skills.
• Strong reporting and analytical capability with the ability to translate insights into action.
• Familiarity with Uberall or similar local activation/engagement tools.
• Exceptional communication and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working in a multi-site, franchise or retail environment preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience (3–5 years) in franchise, retail or multi-site marketing / activation roles, ideally within a consumer or foodservice environment
• Formal training or certification in local marketing, experiential marketing, CRM / omnichannel activation or data analytics (e.g. CIM qualification, Google Analytics certification, or equivalent)
• Demonstrable track record of driving measurable ROI through localised campaigns using tools such as Uberall, hyperlocal platforms, geo-fencing or similar activation technologies
  

Working Relationships

• Line manager, and the wider Integrated Marketing & Digital Marketing team
• FIT, Operations, Digital Pizza Hut teams
• External Social Agencies and Vendor Partners
• Pizza Hut Franchise Partners and Above Restaurant Leaders

This role is based at our Restaurant Support Centre in Central London, a minimum of 2 days per week in the RSC is required. As Pizza Hut is a franchise business,you may be required to attend franchisee offices, and other locations from time to time. There will be events throughout the year that will take place in London including (but not limited to) RSC days, Functional team meetings / 121s and supporting with market visits.

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.