Director, Global Sustainability

KFC; Plano (TX); On-site; USD 164,500 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and benefits

Professional growth and development opportunities

Collaborative work environment

Job summary

A leading global food brand is looking for a Director of Global Sustainability to lead and implement sustainability strategies. This role will manage KFC's sustainability roadmap across People, Food, and Planet, partnering closely with various teams to enhance environmental impact and social initiatives. The ideal candidate will have over 8 years of experience in sustainability with strong communication skills and the ability to influence senior stakeholders. This position offers competitive salary and significant growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of experience in sustainability, ESG, or CSR within a global organization.
• Proven ability to implement sustainability strategies across complex, matrixed environments.
• Deep knowledge of environmental and supply chain sustainability topics.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution of KFC’s sustainability roadmap aligned with Yum! enterprise goals.
• Drive initiatives to reduce emissions, energy use, waste, and water impact.
• Collaborate with Yum! Sustainability COE to implement People pillar initiatives.

Skills

Experience in sustainability, ESG, or CSR

Data tracking and KPI development

Strong executive presence and communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

What You Will Be Serving Up

The Director, Global Sustainability leads the implementation and advancement of KFC’s global sustainability strategy across the People, Food, and Planet pillars. This role translates enterprise ESG commitments into actionable, scalable programs across KFC’s restaurants, supply chain, and franchise system. Operating within a highly matrixed global organization, this leader partners closely with Yum! Sustainability and cross‑functional teams to drive measurable environmental impact reduction, strengthen social impact initiatives, and embed responsible sourcing and reporting standards into KFC’s long‑term growth agenda.

Here’s How You Will Spice Things Up

• Strategy & Governance
• Lead execution of KFC’s sustainability roadmap aligned with Yum! enterprise goals.
• Advise the Global CMO and senior leadership on priority ESG topics, risks, and emerging regulations.
• Support target setting, KPI development, and governance frameworks.
• Planet Pillar (Environmental Impact)
• Drive initiatives to reduce emissions, energy use, waste, water impact, and improve sustainable packaging across restaurants and supply chain.
• Partner with Global Supply Chain to assess supplier environmental performance and risk.
• Oversee sustainability data collection, validation, and reporting in coordination with Yum!.
• Food Pillar
• Partner with Supply Chain and Food Innovation to advance responsible sourcing, animal welfare, and nutrition transparency.
• Cascade Yum! standards and best practices into practical execution playbooks for markets and franchisees.
• People Pillar (Social Impact & Community)
• Collaborate closely with the Yum! Sustainability COE and relevant functional leaders to align and implement People pillar initiatives across KFC.
• Support global markets and franchisees in activating purpose‑driven programs consistent with enterprise strategy and measurement standards.
• Performance & Communications
• Define and manage sustainability scorecards across People, Food, and Planet.
• Evaluate program effectiveness and recommend improvements.
• Partner with Communications to develop internal and external sustainability messaging and executive materials.

What You Bring To The Table

• 8–12+ years of experience in sustainability, ESG, or CSR within a global organization.
• Proven ability to implement sustainability strategies across complex, matrixed environments.
• Strong experience in data tracking, KPI development, and sustainability reporting.
• Deep knowledge of environmental and supply chain sustainability topics.
• Strong executive presence, communication skills, and ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred.

What’s In It For You

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to innovate within a global brand and make a significant impact.
• Collaborative, fast‑paced work environment with a focus on professional growth and development.

Salary Range: $164,500 – $175,000 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.