Loyalty Lead

YUM! Brands, Inc.; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

KFC in Johannesburg is seeking a Loyalty Lead to drive end-to-end strategy, commercial performance, operations and expansion of the loyalty programme across African markets. Build a profitable, digitally enabled ecosystem that increases revenue, frequency and lifetime value while delivering a differentiated customer experience.

The role requires strong leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and a focus on data-led decision making, budget governance and franchisee readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing or related discipline.
• Postgraduate qualification is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Commercial ownership: grow incremental sales, repeat purchase and lifetime value while protecting profit.
• Curate missions, rewards, exclusive deals and partnerships with Brand and Finance.
• Enhance customer growth through segmentation, CRM and personalised interventions.
• Lead loyalty product roadmap and omnichannel integration across App, Web and in-restaurant touchpoints.
• Analyse behaviour, redemption, churn and ROI to drive optimisation.
• Own programme budgets, forecasts and governance controls.
• Lead market rollout plans and franchisee readiness across African markets.
• Maintain programme health, reward availability and fraud controls.
• Manage Loyalty Brand Manager and Loyalty Product Manager, guiding cross-functional teams.

Skills

Loyalty program management

Cross-functional leadership

Digital product leadership

CRM & data analytics

Budgeting & governance

Strategic stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing/Finance/Digital fields

Postgraduate qualification advantageous

Job description

It all started with one cook who created a finger lickin' good recipe more than 75 years ago, a list of secret herbs and spices scratched out on the back of the door to his kitchen.

Loyalty Lead

KFC

Hybrid

At KFC, we pride ourselves on being original. We even named our recipe after it. But for us, the answer to the question is simple. Be You. Everyone at KFC is different. Unique. It’s what makes us special - Our people, The Originals. And we welcome you to join us. Bring your individuality to the table. Bring your grit and energy. Bring your spirit. Your story. Your drive and your passion. Bring it. Every piece of you. Even the parts you don’t like. Because we value our people no matter what. We’ll feed your potential and we’ll support you; to be your best self, to make a difference, and have fun. Together, we can be part of something truly extraordinary. All you have to do, is Bring it.

• This role requires you to lead the end-to-end strategy, commercial performance, operations and expansion of KFC's Loyalty Programme across African markets. Accountable for building and scaling a profitable, digitally enabled loyalty ecosystem that drives incremental revenue, customer frequency, retention and lifetime value, while delivering a differentiated customer experience.
• wn the loyalty proposition, programme economics, performance and roadmap, working cross-functionally with Brand, Finance, Technology, CRM, Insights and Operations to deliver commercially sound, data-led decisions. Ensure alignment with KFC Global Loyalty strategy, platforms, governance and reporting requirements, while adapting the programme to local market needs.

Responsibilities:

• Commercial ownership: grow incremental sales, repeat purchase and lifetime value while protecting contribution profit, restaurant economics and programme ROI.
• Proposition and partnerships: curate missions, rewards, exclusive deals and partner experiences with Brand and Finance; approve commercially sound mechanics and funding.
• Customer growth: improve acquisition, activation, engagement, retention and reactivation through segmentation, CRM and personalised interventions.
• Digital product leadership: guide the loyalty product roadmap and omnichannel integration across App, Web, Kiosk and future restaurant touchpoints.
• Evidence-led optimisation: analyse behaviour, redemption, churn, offer incrementality and competitors; test, scale or stop initiatives based on outcomes.
• Budget and governance: own programme budgets, forecasts, reward costs, business cases, financial controls and compliance.
• African expansion: lead market rollout plans, franchisee readiness and scalable operating standards aligned with Global Loyalty.
• Operational excellence: maintain programme health, reward availability, redemption experience, fraud controls and customer issue resolution.
• Team leadership: manage the Loyalty Brand Manager and Loyalty Product Manager and lead the wider cross-functional squad.

Communication Required:

• Digital Director: Programme strategy, commercial performance, investment priorities, risks and expansion plans.
• Loyalty Brand Manager & Loyalty Product Manager: Strategic direction, performance objectives, delivery priorities and people development.
• Brand & Marketing: Loyalty proposition, customer engagement, campaign planning, rewards and strategic partnerships.
• Finance: Programme economics, budgets, forecasts, offer profitability, business cases and ROI.
• CRM & Customer Insights: Customer segmentation, lifecycle management, personalisation, experimentation and performance analytics.
• Technology, Enablement & Digital Channels: Product roadmap, technical delivery, platform integration and operational performance.
• Global Loyalty Teams: Strategic alignment, platform evolution, programme standards, reporting and governance.
• African Market Teams & Franchisees: Programme expansion, market readiness, local commercial requirements and operational execution.
• External Partners & Vendors: Partnership development, commercial negotiations, service delivery and performance management.

Problem Solving & Analysis:

• Determine which loyalty interventions will generate genuine incremental sales and profitable customer behaviour.
• Balance attractive customer rewards with programme affordability, restaurant economics and long-term profitability.
• Identify the causes of declining engagement, low redemption, weak retention or underperforming promotional initiatives.
• Evaluate competing investment opportunities and allocate budget to initiatives with the strongest commercial returns.
• Translate customer insights and competitor activity into effective loyalty strategies.
• Navigate the complexity of scaling a consistent loyalty proposition across markets with different customer needs, commercial environments and digital capabilities.
• Balance local business requirements with Global programme architecture, standards and strategic direction.
• Resolve cross-functional dependencies to ensure timely and effective programme delivery
• Develop and test innovative loyalty mechanics, rewards, experiences and partnership models.
• Identify opportunities to use personalization, customer insights and emerging technologies to improve engagement and profitability.
• Introduce new approaches to loyalty measurement, experimentation and commercial optimisation.
• Adapt successful global and local loyalty practices to African market requirements.
• Establish scalable processes and operating models to support programme growth and expansion.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing, Finance, Digital Business or a related discipline.
• Postgraduate qualification in Business or a related field advantageous.

Experience:

• 8–10+ years of relevant experience across loyalty, digital commerce, customer engagement or commercial programme management.
• Minimum 3–5 years of direct, hands‑on experience managing and operating a customer loyalty or rewards programme.
• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of a live loyalty programme, including programme mechanics, commercial performance, customer engagement, reward economics and operational delivery.
• Proven experience managing loyalty programme budgets, commercial investments and profitability.
• Demonstrated ability to use customer and transactional data to drive measurable commercial outcomes.
• Experience managing cross‑functional teams and influencing senior business stakeholders.
• Proven ability to develop, evaluate and optimize customer offers, reward structures and commercial partnerships.

Advantageous Experience:

• Loyalty programme experience within QSR, retail, grocery, banking, telecommunications or another high‑frequency consumer business.
• Experience scaling loyalty programmes across multiple markets.
• Experience working with global loyalty platforms and international stakeholder teams.
• Experience with missions‑based, gamified, personalized or non‑points loyalty models.
• Exposure to franchise business models and restaurant‑level commercial economics.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• Deep practical loyalty programme expertise
• Digital product and technology understanding
• Data‑led decision‑making and analytical thinking
• Customer lifecycle and retention management
• Strategic planning and execution
• Partnership development and negotiation
• Cross‑functional stakeholder leadership
• People leadership and development
• Strong operational discipline and accountability