Sr. Director, Brand Strategy, Menu and Planning

Key Responsibilities

• Define and evolve Pizza Hut U.S. brand and customer strategy, ensuring alignment with growth, traffic, and profitability goals
• Operate with a General Manager mindset, balancing brand ambition with financial and operational realities
• Translate strategy into clear priorities and actionable plans across the organization
• Own and lead the U.S. marketing calendar, including promotions, LTOs, pricing strategies, and key campaign windows
• Ensure calendar strategies deliver against sales, traffic, and profit targets for both company and franchise system
• Lead cross-functional teams to execute high-impact marketing windows with operational excellence
• Own the end-to-end menu strategy and innovation pipeline, including new product development, line extensions, and portfolio optimization
• Partner closely with Operations and Finance to ensure feasibility, scalability, and financial impact of innovation
• Drive a disciplined approach to testing, learning, and scaling successful initiatives
• Lead Consumer Insights to translate data, research, and trends into actionable strategies
• Leverage analytics to inform product, pricing, and marketing decisions
• Champion a data-driven culture across Marketing and cross-functional teams
• Financial & Franchisee Alignment
• Partner with Finance to evaluate initiatives through sales impact, margin, and ROI
• Incorporate Franchisee P&L and system economics into all major decisions
• Build strong relationships with Franchise partners to ensure alignment, adoption, and successful execution
• Integrated Planning & Cross-Functional Leadership
• Drive alignment across Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Development to ensure seamless execution
• Serve as a key connector between CORE and the field, ensuring strategies are grounded in restaurant realities
• Influence senior leadership through clear storytelling, insights, and recommendations
• Team Leadership & Development
• Lead and develop a high-performing team across Insights, Planning, and Innovation (~10-12 team members; 3-4 direct reports)
• Build organizational capability and bench strength
• Foster a culture aligned to Pizza Hut’s Smart, Heart, and Courage values

  Key Qualifications

  • You will be required to attend the Plano, TX office 3 days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
  • 10-12+ years of experience in Marketing, Strategy, or related field (QSR, retail, or consumer brands preferred)
  • Proven experience leading brand strategy, marketing calendar planning, and product innovation
  • Strong financial and commercial acumen; ability to connect strategy to business outcomes
  • Experience working in a franchise or multi-unit environment strongly preferred
  • Exceptional communication and influencing skills across senior stakeholders
  • Highly analytical with strong problem-solving capabilities
  • Ability to lead through ambiguity and drive clarity in a fast-paced, matrixed environment