Sr. Associate Manager, Brand Marketing Merch

Who is Taco Bell?

Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), is the nation's leading Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant (QSR) brand. From breakfast to late night, Taco Bell serves made-to-order and customizable tacos and burritos, among other craveable choices, and is the first QSR restaurant to offer American Vegetarian Association (AVA)-certified menu items.

Taco Bell and its more than 350 franchise organizations proudly serve over 42 million customers each week through over 7,000 restaurants around the world, as well as through its mobile, desktop and delivery ordering services. Internationally, Taco Bell has over 600 restaurants, with plans to add 2,000 more restaurants in the next decade.

The brand encourages its fans to “Live Mas” and connects with them through sports, gaming and new music via its Feed The Beat® music program. Taco Bell also provides education opportunities and serves the community through its nonprofit organization, the Taco Bell® Foundation™, and connects fans with their passions through programs such as the Live Mas Scholarship program. According to Harris Poll, Taco Bell has been named America’s Best Mexican-Food Restaurant for two back-to-back years.

About the Job:

Taco Bell is seeking a highly motivated and culturally savvy Senior Associate Manager, Brand Marketing – Merchandising to drive the development and execution of innovative merchandise strategies that amplify our brand, connect with fans, and create incremental revenue streams. This role sits at the intersection of marketing, product development, and culture—bringing Taco Bell’s bold personality to life through apparel, collectibles, collaborations, and retail experiences. Lead the planning and execution of Taco Bell’s print channel restaurant experience by partnering with cross functional and agency teams, leveraging customer journey insights, shaping brief inputs, and ensuring all executions align with the national brand plan across in restaurant touchpoints.

You will be required to attend the Irvine, CA office three days per week (Tuesday - Thursday)

Salary Range: 

$121,000- $135,000 + 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.

Day-to-Day:

• Lead the end‑to‑end print merchandising process—from field needs to national execution—to maintain a consistent, cohesive brand voice across all touchpoints.
  • Print Subject Matter expert for business delivery on sales targets year over year.
  • Oversee go‑to‑market planning for each marketing initiative, ensuring on‑time and seamless rollout.
  • Respond quickly to market shifts, adapting plans and solutions at the restaurant level as needed.
  • Facilitate field creative reviews in partnership with external agencies and franchisees to ensure quality and alignment.
• Leverage diverse research methods and tools—including internal partners, competitive/vendor research, customer surveys, focus groups, interviews, and analytics—to gather and analyze insights on customer behavior and needs across all in-store print programs.
  • Own restaurant customer journey to optimize the guest experience at every stage.
  • Push for greatness by developing and testing new POP tactics.
  • Lead POP tests to determine effectiveness of new tactics, validating support for programs.
• Working with external partners to develop, distribute, and maintain the national print channel, restaurant experience schematics to support consistent touchpoints and flawless execution.
  • Partner with cross functional teams and vendors on ad hoc restaurant experience projects and support needs (e.g., Hiring, Operations, Technology, Beverages). 
  • Collaborate with cross functional partners to ensure the restaurant experience calendar aligns with both marketing and nonmarketing initiatives and upholds brand standards.
  • Partner with Digital Menuboard teams identifying consistency on all menu channels.
• Manage national and regional production, fulfillment, and shipping vendors to support flawless delivery of print materials.
  • Oversee strategic planning and execution for in-store POP from schematics to roadmaps. 
  • Liaison for internal partners and vendors for restaurant POP support and execution.
  • Manage and deliver the annual print merchandising budget, including creative development, production, and shipping costs.
    • Partner with Finance to track and evaluate monthly vendor spending and merchandise budget.
  • Manage the Local Store Marketing website and identify opportunities to enhance, streamline, and automate support for field teams.

Minimum Requirements:

Is This You?

• Bachelor's Degree required
• Minimum 5+ years of relevant experience in marketing or comms
• An attention to detail and a strong process driver that strives in a fast-moving environment
• Experience in multi-channel retail industry and / or franchised business a plus 
• Strong strategic ability to visualize the overarching brand strategy into image to drive food crave and elevate the brand
• Experience working with cross functional teams and agency partners to create multi-channel merchandise 
• Demonstrated leadership, project management, and planning skills 
• Self-motivated with a strong drive for results 

Other Perks:

Why Taco Bell? 

We truly believe that where you work matters, and we know a thing or two about what makes employees happy. Join us on our mission of feeding people’s lives with más!

Work-Hard, Play-Hard:

• Year-round half-day Fridays
• Free snacks, drinks and bagel & donut Fridays
• Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons
• Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building)
• Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, carwash, salon services
• Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions
• 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering
• Opportunities to support the Taco Bell Foundation’s educational initiatives and programs.
• Recognition based culture and unique, fun events year-round (recess at work, Halloween Spooktacular, employee art show benefiting Taco Bell Foundation, etc.)

*Please note that some perks/amenities may not be available and/or may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion during the COVID-19 temporary work-from-home period

Benefits:

Employees (and their eligible family members) may enroll in the following types of insurance coverage: medical, dental, vision, legal, and accidental death and dismemberment, as well as FSA/HSA (depending on enrolled medical plan). Yum! also provides short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance. Employees may enroll in our 401(k) plan. Yum! provides 4 weeks of vacation, paid sick leave, 10 paid holidays, a floating day off and 2 paid days for volunteer time each calendar year. To learn more about working at Yum! -Click here. 

At Yum!, one of our core values is to Believe in ALL People. This means seeing the value in everyone and unlocking their full potential to be their best self. YUM! Brands, Inc. (including its subsidiaries Yum Restaurant Services Group, LLC (“YRSG”) and Yum Connect, LLC (“Yum Digital and Technology”) (collectively, “Yum”) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to equity, inclusion, and belonging for all dimensions of diversity.  We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other protected characteristic. Yum! is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities or special needs.

US Job Seekers/Employees - Click here to view the “Know Your Rights” poster and supplement and the Pay Transparency Policy Statement.

This posting will be open for a minimum of two weeks. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until a candidate is selected.

Beware of fake job postings using Yum! and/or our brand logos -- KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill -- on fraudulent sites. Yum! Brands only posts jobs on official career pages and never asks for money during onboarding. Avoid unsolicited contacts via Telegram, WhatsApp or similar social apps.