Director, Strategy & Business Operations (EDAA) - McDonald's Corporation

McDonald’s is proud to be one of the most recognized brands in the world, with restaurants in over 100 countries that serve 70 million customers daily. We continue to operate from a position of strength. Our updated growth strategy is focused on staying ahead of what our customers want and realizing further growth potential. Our relentless ambition is why McDonald’s remains one of the world’s leading corporations after almost 70 years. Joining McDonald's means thinking big and preparing for a career that can have influence around the world.

At McDonald’s, we see every day as a chance to create positive impact. We lead through our values centered on inclusivity, service, integrity, community and family. From support of Ronald McDonald House Charities to our Youth Opportunity project and sustainability initiatives, our values keep us dedicated to using our scale for good: good for our customers, people, industry and planet. We also offer a broad range of outstanding benefits including a sabbatical program, tuition assistance and flexible work arrangements.

We are enjoying the flexibility of a hybrid work model, in which employees spend part of their week connecting with co-workers in our state-of-the-art headquarters. Located in the booming West Loop of downtown Chicago, it's set up to be a global hub that cultivates collaboration:

• Take a class at Hamburger University
• Sample future items in our Test Kitchen
• Utilize the latest technology to connect with your team around the globe

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to the diversity of our crew members, staff, operators, and suppliers. We promote an inclusive work environment that creates feel-good moments for everyone.

McDonald’s is on an exciting journey to transform our enterprise data, analytics, and AI function and turn our data into a winning advantage for the system. We are seeking a Process and Governance Lead for our Enterprise Data, Analytics, and AI transformation to be instrumental in defining and implementing the future state processes and governance model.

This individual will lead a dedicated workstream focused on establishing efficient and effective processes for demand intake, capacity planning, funding allocation, prioritization, and other critical aspects of our data, analytics, and AI initiatives. This role requires a strategic mindset, strong leadership skills, and a deep understanding of data-driven decision-making processes. The Enterprise Data, Analytics, and AI team is responsible for turning the systems data into a winning advantage through delivery of data products, platforms, analytics, and services to the system.

Responsibilities:

• Lead cross-functional teams to define future state processes for demand intake, capacity planning, funding allocation, prioritization, and other key areas.
• Work closely with stakeholders to gather requirements, identify pain points, and design streamlined processes that drive efficiency and alignment.
• Document and communicate process flows, roles and responsibilities, and decision-making frameworks.
• Design and implement a governance framework to ensure alignment, transparency, and accountability in decision-making processes.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths for governance bodies, committees, and stakeholders.
• Develop metrics and KPIs to measure the effectiveness of governance practices and drive continuous improvement.
• Engage with business leaders, functional teams, and external partners to gather input, solicit feedback, and foster collaboration in the development of process and governance initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders to drive adoption and adherence to new processes and governance practices.
• Plays a key role in setting the functional strategy of a corporate function and executes that strategy to drive the operational direction of a sub-function 

• Educational Background: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Information Systems, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Process & Governance Expertise: 5-10 years experience in process improvement, governance, or program management roles; with a focus on data, analytics, or AI initiatives.
• Data & AI Acumen: Deep understanding of data-driven decision-making processes, best practices, and industry standards.
• Leadership Experience: Strong leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and influence cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders.
• Communication Skills: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate complex concepts and facilitate productive discussions.
• Knowledge of Change Management Principles: Experience in change management and stakeholder engagement, with a track record of driving successful adoption of process and governance changes.
• Professional Acumen: Lean/Six Sigma certification is a plus.

McDonald’s is an equal opportunity employer committed to the diversity of our workforce. We promote an inclusive work environment that creates feel-good moments for everyone. McDonald’s provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities as part of the application or hiring process or to perform the essential functions of their job. If you need assistance accessing or reading this job posting or otherwise feel you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process, please contact mcdhrbenefits@us.mcd.com. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

McDonald’s provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, age, disability status, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, protected military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Nothing in this job posting or description should be construed as an offer or guarantee of employment.