Acquisitions Manager

WHO ARE KFC?

Colonel Harland Sanders opened the first KFC in Corbin, Kentucky in 1938. He started with one store, 11 herbs and spices, and an idea. From there our incredible brand and product grew to what it is today.

KFC first came to the UK in 1965 with our first restaurant in Preston, Lancashire. Today we are a billion-pound business with over 900 restaurants run by our 28,000 restaurant team members. Our headquarters are based at the Restaurant Support Centre (RSC) in Woking, Surrey – a 24-minute train from Waterloo. Of the c.900 restaurants in the UK, 900 of our restaurants are owned and operated by 40 franchise partners; the remaining 50 are company owned and run.

We are proud to have received a number of accolades in recognition of our commitment to our employees, including being named as Britain’s Top Employer three years running. To work for KFC is to be part of one big family.

WHO ARE ‘YUM!’

KFC is one of the 3 brands operated by our parent company Yum! along with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. We are the world’s largest restaurant group with over 40,000 restaurants across the globe.

Yum! isn’t your average Fortune 250 company. We like to do things a little differently. From our world-famous culture of fun and recognition to our focus on your career potential.

OUR CULTURE

BREAKTHROUGH RESULTS, TEAMWORK AND RECOGNITION

We believe that our success is driven by the power of our employees working in unison with a shared set of common goals and values. We are very proud that KFC UKI is recognised as a key market not only in terms of profit and innovation but also for the talent we grow and develop for Yum!.

We invest heavily in our people and helping them drive their personal development. As part of this we give each of our managers in the business the opportunity to go through Heartstyles. Heartstyles is a tool and strategy to measure and manage culture, building people’s self-awareness and helping them to transform their behaviours. This tool can then be used in coaching conversations you have with your team and line manager and to help build effective individual development plans.

We celebrate success every day and to us recognition is much more than just saying thank you- it is about really celebrating achievements, milestones and behaviours. One of the ways we do this is through our own personal recognition awards.

As a company we take our corporate social responsibility very seriously and encourage our employees to ‘give something back’ through companywide charity efforts.

As an equal opportunity employer, we embrace individuality and diversity. We employ irrespective of background, age, ethnicity, colour, gender, disability, sexual or religious orientation and marital status.

MORE ABOUT THE ROLE

Working for a brand that first came to Britain over 50 years ago and now has annual sales of 1.x billion dollars and 965 restaurants, employing 28,000 people, you will help acquire more restaurant sites to grow our estate.

The Development Department consists of 15 people and 4 acquisition managers. We have a passionate appetite to expand further to reach our fans who don’t have KFCs nearby, whether in London, smaller market towns or as part of our growing roadside network.

KFC is a franchise business and you will acquire sites for the brand, working with our favoured agents and external partners, and also developing great liaisons with our expanding franchisees.

Key Job Functions Include:

• Managing own property requirements in your acquisition territory
• Site sourcing
• Networking in property market and consulting with internal KFC stakeholders
• Building relationships and supporting our franchisees development growth plans
• Analysis of KFC comparable data
• Help manage KFC pipeline from approval to opening

What You'll Do:

• Source sites, whether in-town assets or drive-thrus through knowing territories well and visiting regularly
• Leverage external contacts network with agents and landlords to land sites above competitors
• Negotiate the best deals for the brand to ensure best value
• Work up sites for monthly board approvals
• Consult and advise with our franchisees on their site approvals
• Manage the critical path of HOTs, feasibility, the planning process and legal requirements where applicable.
• Track upcoming developments and create a strong future pipeline
• Advise and support our Franchisees on all Acquisition and Development matters

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

EXPERIENCE

• MRICS Qualification
• Minimum 7 years post qualification experience
• Seasoned professional with good experience in a multi-site retail environment
• Knowledge of the F&B, Retail or Leisure sectors (Preferred)
• Exceptional problem solving and project management skills with a proven decision-making ability and commercial judgement
• Proven ability to lead, influence and build relationships across the organization.
• Demonstrated track record on acquiring a large number of successful new sites

ABOUT YOU

• We’re looking for a team player, who embraces the company culture and gets involved, never afraid to ask questions and learn new things!
• Motivated self-starter with flexible working attitude
• Maniacal about doing property deals in fast moving market
• A full driving license and flexibility to travel

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

REWARD, PROGRESSION AND LOTS OF RECOGNITION

A career with KFC offers much more than just fantastic earning potential. We reward achievement with amazing incentives and benefits, including;

• Company and performance related bonus
• Additional AQM bonus
• Generous pension with up to 11% company contribution
• Private healthcare with the option to increase to include family cover and extra dental cover
• Annual holiday allowance starts at 25 days with the option to buy or sell up to 3 extra days per year, plus 5 extra company bank holidays
• After 5 years’ service, annual holiday allowance increases to 30 days
• Study support may be available for job-related qualifications
• Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options
• International career opportunities across Yum!
• Pick n Mix Benefits, options include gym membership, health screening and travel insurance

That got you cluckin’ excited? Apply now- there might just be a seat for you at the Colonel’s table…