Sr. Assoc., Project Manager

What You'll Be Serving Up:

This position carries the responsibility of planning and managing multiple construction programs and cost-effective methodologies for KFC's equity restaurants. The incumbent plays a pivotal role as the principal custodian of construction relationships within the KFC development department.

Furthermore, this role involves the establishment of foundational cost models, project management, active participation in upholding brand architectural standards, and contributing to global sustainability initiatives. Innovative thinking around construction, developing and utilization of tools aimed at enhancing the execution of remodeling, new construction projects, and special initiatives is expected. A paramount aspect of this role is taking ownership of educating franchisees across these multifaceted endeavors, which is integral to achieving success in this capacity.

Additionally, this role coordinates the design and operations feedback phase as a distinct requirement specific to KFC Equity stores, as we move forward into the construction phase of projects.

Here's How You'll Spice Things Up:

Design Implementation: Oversee design consultants for new sites, remodels & refresh projects

Manage design consultants as they apply the latest KFC design standards to new restaurants, major & minor remodels, and refresh projects • Develop the timeline for design milestones and set expectations with all consultants

Deliver a tightly coordinated drawing sets across all external consultant disciplines (architecture; mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering; kitchen equipment; structural engineering; civil engineering; landscape design) and internal stakeholders (information technology, digital assets, operations)

Ensure coordination of all owner-direct vendors, including bulk oil management, bulk CO2, music system, CCTV system, music system, internet service, and alarm system

Manage design consultant budgets, proposals, change orders, and invoices for all projects to drive value and minimize cost; maintain accurate cost information in the tracking system and regularly report project cost forecast vs. budget to Leadership

Host weekly meetings with consultants to review, forecast, and manage project pipeline milestones

Review construction drawings to ensure alignment with project scope and current KFC standards and host a page turn with internal and external stakeholders to confirm thorough coordination across all disciplines

Develop and detail Scope of Work documents for remodels and refresh projects with internal stakeholders

Host page turn meetings with the consultants, development team, and internal stakeholders to confirm alignment across project team on the scope of work for new sites and remodels

Oversee the permit and entitlement process in partnership with a permit expeditor; understand the timeline, intermittent milestones, costs, and approvals requirements to commence the construction project

Support external consultants through the permitting and entitlements process, including building permit, health permit, and signage permit for all new sites, remodels, and refresh projects as required; creatively finding solutions to start construction as quickly as possible with all permits

Monitor the Landlord approval process, including design, signage, and construction drawing review signoff

Maintain organized and accurate records of drawing sets issued for each project, including revisions and bulletins as needed during the permitting and construction phases

Identify options and opportunities to value engineer projects to meet schedule and budget Construction Execution: Deliver high-quality projects on-time & on-budget

Manage, monitor, and drive the overall construction project schedule to delivery projects on-time

Build, manage, and update the overall construction budget to accurately reflect a project forecast; collaborate with the Sr. Analyst to ensure accurate reporting to Finance and Leadership

Communicate the status of each construction project with Leadership, including schedule, budget, and risks

Maintain a current project schedule and detailed budget forecast in the project tracking system (currently SmartSheet), which shall be updated on a weekly basis to include all approved and potential change orders.

Negotiate and challenge change orders from all vendors in partnership with the design consultants (Architect, Engineer, etc.) to mitigate cost impact to the project budget

Lead weekly project meetings with all vendors for projects in the Design and Construction phases; distribute meeting minutes, action items, and the project schedule within 48 hours of the meeting

Circulate construction project progress photos weekly to the wider project team and Leadership

Develop a contact list for each project and circulate to the wider project team for collaboration

Solicit bids from all vendors to support the project, including the design consultants, general contractor, and all direct vendors (including RSCS, for example)

Engage and coordinate all direct vendor proposals, site surveys, and installations during the project, including RSCS, Pepsi, bulk CO2, bulk oil management, music, security, and IT

Review bids to ensure accuracy and alignment with project scope and recommend final proposals for award

Visit construction sites periodically during the buildout; review & monitor progress with the GC and vendors

Understand and monitor all inspection and signoff requirements for the construction project, including progress inspections, final trade inspections, fire, final building, and health signoff to achieve a Certificate of Occupancy (or Temp. Certificate of Occupancy), to open to the public and operate the restaurant

Establish a relationship with the local Health Dept. to understand all inspection and signoff requirements; communicate with the operations team to ensure the restaurant is ready for the health inspection

Maintain comprehensive and accurate records of all project documents, including all quotations, capex approval documents, purchase orders, change orders, and contracts

Drive project closeout to quick completion within 90 days of Substantial Completion, including final invoices, contractor pay applications, unconditional lien waivers, warranty information, O&M manuals

Deliver a full warranty package and warranty contact list to the Operations & Facilities team at Handover

Host post-mortem sessions to solicit feedback across the project team from both internal and external stakeholders; identify specific and actionable lessons learns and apply to upstream projects

Identify opportunities to drive innovation, reduce construction timelines, and/or decrease construction costs

Recommend new general contractors and vendors to support the pipeline of construction projects ahead

Support the wider construction and development teams by taking on additional projects as needed Some travel required to perform these duties, which can be up to 20% Leadership & Communication: Drive results and showcase KFC's heart-forward culture

Communicate clearly and concisely with internal and external stakeholders

Develop ideas and support recommendations with strong presentation skills

Lead internal and external team meetings and conversations to drive decisions and move projects forward

Utilize a solutions mindset to solving challenges with a deference to take action over further analysis

Challenge the status quo and support innovation on both a large and small scale

Demonstrate strong business acumen with a commercial mindset to balance creativity and cost

Own vendor performance management and relationships with external consultants & contractors

Contribute to the collaborative and heart-forward culture within the construction & development teams What You Bring to the Table:

Education/Certifications - BS in Architecture, Construction Management, Procurement, Project Management, or a related field. Professional registrations/certifications are a plus.

Experience

Years of Experience - 5+ years of construction, architecture, or project management experience required. 2+ years in a corporate environment managing projects and communicating project status required.

Multi-unit restaurant/retail experience within a high-growth/high-performing team preferred

Strong track record of delivering high-quality project on-schedule and on-budget

Ability to balance excellent technical execution with the need for speed and progress

Excellent interpersonal skills with strong ability to collaborate with colleagues across the organization

Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills with a deference to take action rather than over-analyze

Serve as an advocate of the brand and champion our recognition culture

Strong knowledge of reading and understanding architectural drawings

Comfortable working in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment with shifting priorities

Intellectual curiosity and personal accountability to meet and exceed goals

Excellent organizational skills to track project performance and meet or exceed objectives

Strong work ethic with the ability to address multiple projects and challenges at a time

Keep a positive mindset

Ability to work independently with minimal supervision

Required software experience: Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word

Preferred software experience Bluebeam Revu, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, SmartSheet. AutoCAD and Procor, a plus.

About Us

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the few brands in America that can boast about having a rich, 60-year history of success and innovation. In fact, KFC is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain and a division of Yum! Brands, the world's largest restaurant company.

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has over 45,000 restaurants in more than 135 countries and territories and is one of the Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders in North America. In 2018, Yum! Brands was recognized as part of the inaugural Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. The company's restaurant brands - KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell - are global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories.

More important than our size is our commitment to breakthrough innovation and the success of our employees. We're proud of the unique culture we've built, one where everyone can be their best self, make a difference and have fun! We believe in our people, trust in their positive intentions, encourage ideas from everyone, and have actively developed a workforce that is diverse in style and background.