Manager of Brand Activations & Social

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and calendar management across all customer-facing brand social platforms, excluding LinkedIn.
• Collaborate with internal communications team to find messaging synergies and efficiencies.
• Partner with creative agencies and internal teams on content development.
• Support content creation, community engagement strategies, and customer outreach.
• Identify trends and real-time moments to keep the brand culturally relevant.
• Support content capture on location, in restaurants, and at events.
• Oversee performance reporting and analytics, recommending optimizations.
• Create marketing briefs and project plans for cross-functional marketing teams and external agencies.
• Plan and execute local and national brand activations, pop-ups, and in-restaurant experiences.
• Collaborate with operations, culinary, and PR teams to ensure seamless execution of activations.
• Manage logistics, vendors, timelines, and budgets for activations.
• Capture and package activations into social and PR-worthy content.
• Manage and mentor the Social Media Coordinator.
• Build strong relationships across internal teams including Ops, HR, Culinary, and Franchise.
• Create and present monthly social and activation reports to leadership.
• Lead campaign recaps with performance insights and learnings.
• Present ideas and strategies confidently in cross-functional meetings.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, or related field preferred.
• At least 6-8 years of experience in brand marketing, social media, or event and activation marketing.
• Experience managing brand social media accounts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
• Prior experience in agency or in-house environments within the restaurant or consumer space is preferred.
• Experience managing or mentoring junior team members is essential.
• Possess and maintain a valid driver's license.
• Strong content development skills, familiarity with tools such as iPhone capture, Canva, and CapCut.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to handle multiple deadlines.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including presentation and storytelling abilities.
• Creative thinker who stays ahead of trends and thrives in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to travel and participate in on-site activations as needed.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment on significant matters.
• Ability to work at the Support Center in accordance with hybrid work policies.

Nice to Have

• Experience in restaurant or consumer brand marketing environments.
• Fluency across social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
• Experience capturing content on set or behind the camera.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, or related field
• 6-8 years of relevant experience
• Valid driver's license

Benefits & Perks

• Hybrid work schedule
• Competitive pay and bonus
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) Plan with match and immediate vesting
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Vacation and Sick Pay
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Free El Pollo Loco food (Dine Out Card)
• Restaurant Discount
• Discounts on theme parks, movie tickets, sports events, hotels, and more