Head of Global Executive Recruitment

Who is Yum! Brands?

Ready to make your mark at an iconic global powerhouse? Join Yum! Brands - the parent company behind KFC, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill - be a part of our reinvention for Greater Growth.

We are a culture-driven company where innovation, collaboration, and passion fuel everything we do. We’re seeking talented individuals to make a difference across our global business. Whether you’re just starting out or stepping into leadership, you’ll help shape our future by delivering results that matter and bringing your smart, heart, and courage to the table.

If you’re ready to grow with a company that values curiosity, high performance, and meaningful work—join us. Let’s build the future of Yum! together!

About the Job:

The Head of Global Executive Recruitment is the senior functional leader responsible for building and leading Yum! Brands’ global Executive Search capability. This role combines hands-on executive search expertise with enterprise-level leadership. The Head of Global Executive Recruitment will personally lead Yum!’s most critical and sensitive executive searches across U.S. and international markets, while establishing the global strategy, operating model, standards, governance and capabilities required to deliver consistently high-quality executive talent outcomes at scale.

The role serves as a trusted advisor to Yum!’s most senior leaders, including the Executive Team, CPOs, Functional Leaders and Regional GMs, and partners closely across Talent Management, Succession, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition and People & Culture to connect external executive talent with broader enterprise talent priorities. The Head of Global Executive Recruitment will build and lead a small, high-performing internal Executive Search team, progressively increasing internal delivery capacity while strategically optimizing the use of external search firms.

You will be required to attend the Plano, TX  office three days per week (Tuesday - Thursday).

Salary Range:  

$142,500 - $167,600 + 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.

Minimum Requirements:

• 10+ years of progressive executive-search or senior Talent Acquisition experience, with significant depth in VP and C-suite searches.
• Experience operating effectively at the highest levels of a highly matrixed, global organization.
• Demonstrated experience personally leading complex executive searches across multiple functions and geographies.
• Significant experience partnering directly with an organization’s most senior executives and influencing executive talent and hiring decisions.
• Experience building or materially transforming an internal Executive Search capability, ideally within a complex global organization.
• Experience leading and developing a team of Executive Search professionals.
• Demonstrated expertise in executive sourcing, market mapping, talent intelligence, assessment and candidate engagement.
• Strong experience managing Executive Search firms, commercial relationships and supplier strategy.
• Strong understanding of executive compensation, mobility and offer dynamics, with the ability to partner effectively with Total Rewards on complex executive hiring situations.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships across Talent Management, Total Rewards, Succession, Talent Acquisition and broader People & Culture.

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.

Global Executive Search Strategy & Leadership

• Own and evolve Yum! Brands’ global Executive Search strategy, operating model and roadmap across U.S. and international markets.
• Establish global standards, methodologies, governance and decision rights for executive search.
• Define and influence senior stakeholders on when searches should be conducted internally, supported by external firms or delivered through a hybrid model.
• Establish a consistent, high-quality approach to executive intake, market mapping, assessment, candidate management, stakeholder engagement and closing.
• Own and continuously strengthen Yum!’s executive assessment methodology, ensuring rigorous, consistent and evidence-based evaluation of leadership capability, experience and potential across executive appointments.
• Continuously evolve the Executive Search model based on business strategy, market conditions, stakeholder feedback, data and search outcomes.

Executive Search Delivery

• Personally lead Yum!’s highest-priority, most complex and sensitive executive searches across brands, functions and geographies.
• Serve as senior search advisor and primary strategic partner to hiring executives on critical appointments.
• Translate business strategy into clear search mandates, leadership profiles and differentiated market strategies.
• Bring external market intelligence, talent calibration and evidence-based perspectives to executive hiring decisions.
• Ensure a consistently high-quality, discreet and differentiated candidate and stakeholder experience.
• Maintain rigorous standards around confidentiality, assessment, candidate quality and search execution.

Executive Leadership Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to Yum!’s most senior leaders, including Executive Leaders, CPOs, Functional Leaders and Regional GMs, on executive talent and search matters.
• Advise senior leaders on role design, leadership requirements and market feasibility, helping ensure executive mandates are appropriately scoped and positioned before a search is launched.
• Advise on market availability, talent pools, succession implications, assessment, search strategy and external talent trends.
• Build credibility and influence at the highest levels of the organization, including directly with Y9 leaders.
• Coach senior leaders on effective executive hiring practices, assessment discipline, decision-making and candidate engagement.
• Bring courage, challenge and independent judgment where market evidence, candidate evidence or search strategy requires it.
• Build highly trusted, collaborative relationships with the executive assistant community, recognizing them as critical partners in executive search and working with discretion, respect and sound judgment to enable seamless coordination across senior leaders and candidates.

Enterprise Talent, Succession & Talent Management Partnership

• Build strong partnerships with Talent Management and Succession to connect executive search with broader enterprise talent strategy.
• Provide external talent intelligence that informs succession planning, leadership pipelines and enterprise talent discussions.
• Build and maintain relationships with priority external executive talent beyond immediate hiring needs.
• Identify recurring capability gaps and emerging leadership talent relevant to Yum!’s future business needs.
• Influence broader TA and Talent teams on executive-search methodology, assessment and white-glove practices that can appropriately strengthen other senior hiring populations.

 Executive Search Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build, lead and develop a small global Executive Search team, initially comprising the Head of Global Executive Recruitment plus two supporting resources.
• Allocate search capacity across U.S. and international priorities based on business need, complexity and risk.
• Establish clear roles, operating rhythms, quality standards and performance expectations.
• Coach and develop executive-search practitioners, building deep expertise in search strategy, talent intelligence, stakeholder management and executive assessment.
• Build scalable organizational capability and succession depth rather than relying on individual expertise.

 Agency Strategy & Economic Value

• Own the enterprise strategy for external executive-search firms, including preferred suppliers, selection, search allocation, commercial terms, performance management and governance.
• Establish clear criteria for external-firm engagement and hold partners accountable for differentiated value and outcomes.
• Lead negotiations and commercial optimization across the Executive Search supplier landscape.
• Increase internal delivery where doing so improves quality, speed, control and economics.
• Establish transparent reporting on external search spend, internalization, avoided fees and return on the Executive Search model.
• Deliver significant and sustainable economic value through the progressive internalization and optimization of executive search.

 Executive Talent Intelligence & Market Insight

• Build a differentiated global executive talent intelligence capability covering priority functions, geographies, competitors and leadership capabilities.
• Develop proactive external succession maps and talent pipelines for strategically important leadership populations, not simply active vacancies.
• Translate external market intelligence into actionable insight for Yum!’s most senior leaders, Talent Management and Succession, including talent availability, competitor moves, emerging leadership profiles, organizational structures and compensation dynamics.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with high-priority external executives well ahead of immediate hiring need.

 Governance, Data & Continuous Improvement

• Establish Executive Search KPIs and reporting that demonstrate quality of hire, executive retention, speed, stakeholder confidence, candidate experience and economic value.
• Create effective governance for search intake, prioritization, assessment, documentation and decision-making.
• Maintain high standards of confidentiality, data integrity, compliance and process discipline.
• Champion the effective use of technology, AI, talent intelligence and assessment tools to improve search quality, market insight, productivity and decision-making.
• Use data and stakeholder insight to continuously improve search effectiveness, candidate quality and operating efficiency.
• Ensure Executive Search practices remain aligned with global employment requirements, Yum! policies and governance standards.