AI Enginner II
Date: Sep 25, 2025
Location: Chicago, IL, US, 60607
Company: McDonald's Corporation
Company Description:
McDonald’s growth strategy, Accelerating the Arches, encompasses all aspects of our business as the leading global omni-channel restaurant brand. As the consumer landscape shifts we are using our competitive advantages to further strengthen our brand. One of our core growth strategies is to Double Down on the 3Ds (Delivery, Digital and Drive Thru). McDonald’s will accelerate technology innovation so 65M+ customers a day will experience a fast, easy experience, whether at one of our 25,000 and growing Drive thrus, through McDelivery, dine-in or takeaway.
McDonald’s Global Technology is here to power tomorrow’s feel-good moments.
That’s why you’ll find us at the forefront of transformative technology, exploring new and innovative ways to serve our millions of customers and spread happiness one delicious Hot Fudge Sundae-dipped fry at a time. Using AI, robotics and emerging tech, we’re digitizing the Golden Arches. Combine that with our unparalleled global scale, and we’re reshaping all areas of the business, industry and every community that is home to a McDonald’s restaurant. We face complex tech challenges every day. But that’s where our diverse and talented teams come in. They’re made up of the best and brightest from all over the globe, and they thrive in the space where feel-good meets fast-paced.
Check out the McDonald’s Global Technology Technical Blog to learn how technology and our global team are directly enabling the Accelerating the Arches strategy.
Role Overview
We are seeking a Front-End Engineer with strong fundamentals in modern web development and some exposure to backend services. In this role, you’ll help design and build AI-powered web applications that provide intuitive and responsible user experiences. You will collaborate with AI engineers, product managers, and UX teams to translate AI capabilities into real-world applications that serve McDonald’s restaurants, employees and customers.
Primary Responsibilities
- Build user-friendly web applications using React.js, HTML, CSS, and modern JavaScript/TypeScript frameworks
- Contribute to end-to-end development of webapps, including connecting frontends to backend services
- Support development of lightweight Node.js/Express services to integrate APIs, handle data flows, and connect to AI/ML services
- Translate AI/ML outputs into intuitive interfaces, dashboards, recommendations, and interactive experiences for users
- Work with UX designers to implement responsive, accessible, and human-centered designs
- Learn and apply AI-driven interaction patterns such as chatbot UIs, personalized recommendations, and simple multimodal experiences
- Ensure code quality through testing, reviews, and documentation
- Collaborate with senior engineers and cross-functional teams, gaining exposure to cloud-based services (e.g., GCP, AWS)
- Participate in continuous improvement efforts, bringing curiosity and a growth mindset to AI-powered product development
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, HCI, or related field
- 2–4 years of experience in software engineering, with 2+ years in front-end development
- Hands-on experience building web applications with React.js, JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML, CSS
- Basic experience in backend development (Node.js/Express or similar), ability to build simple APIs and integrate with databases or external services to deliver end-to-end web applications
- Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., GCP, AWS, Azure) is a plus
- Strong problem-solving skills, willingness to learn, and ability to adapt in fast-paced environments
- Good communication and teamwork skills; ability to collaborate with designers, product managers, and AI engineers
- Interest in AI-powered applications and eagerness to learn about integrating AI into user experiences
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working on chatbots, interactive dashboards, or real-time data visualizations
- Contributions to design systems or component libraries
- Exposure to AI/ML APIs or AI-driven product features
Compensation
Bonus Eligible: YES
Benefits Eligible: YES
Salary Range
The expected salary range for this role is $98,140.00 - $125,130.00 per year.
The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we may also consider your experience, and other job-related factors.
Additional Information:
Benefits eligible: This position offers health and welfare benefits, a 401(k) plan, adoption assistance program, educational assistance program, flexible ways of working, and time off policies (including sick leave, parental leave, and vacation/PTO). Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on job classification and length of employment.
Bonus eligible: This position is eligible for a bonus, calculated based on individual and company performance.
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.
Nearest Major Market: Chicago