DAA Planning - Chief of Staff

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Date: May 13, 2026

Location: Chicago, IL, US, 60607

Company: McDonald's Corporation

Company Description: 

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 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. 

Department Overview

McDonald’s is driving a global transformation through our "Accelerating the Arches" strategy—putting data, digital, and AI at the core of how we serve 65+ million customers every day. The Enterprise Data, Analytics, and AI (EDAA) plays a central role in this evolution by delivering the enterprise-scale capabilities that power smarter decisions, faster innovation, and measurable value creation across markets and global functions.

Opportunities and Responsibilities

As Director, Strategy & Planning (Chief of Staff), you will serve as a critical leader in the EDAA organization—owning the strategic planning, prioritization, portfolio management, and communication of data, analytics, and AI initiatives across the enterprise. This role leads the orchestration of cross-functional demand, investment planning, and execution alignment, ensuring the right capabilities are delivered at the right time to meet business goals.

You’ll work at the intersection of business strategy, technology transformation, and operational excellence—partnering closely with EDAA leaders, product owners, market teams, and enterprise stakeholders to translate strategic intent into execution roadmaps.

 

  • Strategic Portfolio Leadership
    • Own and drive the strategic planning cycle for EDAA, including portfolio planning, quarterly OKR alignment, QBRs, and annual prioritization.
    • Partner with domain leaders and product teams to define and sequence high-value use cases, aligned to enterprise growth priorities.

 

  • Demand & Capacity Management
    • Oversee demand intake governance and translate demand into capacity-aligned delivery plans in collaboration with Planning, Product, and Finance partners.
    • Lead portfolio performance reviews to ensure delivery accountability, investment alignment, and value realization.

 

  • Cross-Functional Alignment
    • Serve as the connective tissue between EDAA, global market stakeholders, and enterprise functions to align on funding, sequencing, and interdependencies.
    • Collaborate with technology, finance, and operations teams and their Chiefs of Staff to ensure initiatives are scoped, staffed, and sequenced for impact.

 

  • Insights & Decision Support
    • Deliver reporting and analytics on portfolio health, resource allocation, risk, and return-on-investment to EDAA and enterprise leadership.
    • Provide clear, data-informed recommendations on trade-offs, sequencing, and investment shifts.

 

  • Team Leadership & Culture
    • Lead a small team of planning professionals and foster a culture of clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
    • Champion a strategy-first mindset, driving alignment between enterprise objectives and data-driven outcomes.

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Qualifications

Required:

  • 10+ years of experience in strategic planning, portfolio management, or business operations within a data, digital, or technology-led environment.
  • Strong background in enterprise planning, prioritization frameworks, and cross-functional coordination.
  • Excellent communication, storytelling, and executive influencing skills.
  • Demonstrated experience managing complex portfolios and building scalable governance processes.

 

Preferred:

  • Experience within a global, matrixed organization.
  • Familiarity with data and analytics lifecycle, product management, or agile ways of working.
  • Prior exposure to enterprise funding models, business case development, and value realization frameworks.

 

ShapeLeadership Behaviors

  • Operates with vision, alignment, and strategic clarity.
  • Makes smart trade-offs and enables high-impact prioritization.
  • Connects enterprise goals with delivery realities and inspires teams through change.
  • Embodies transparency, collaboration, and accountability.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

$178,121.00 - $222,651.00 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, including but not limited to comprehensive health insurance, which includes medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental and vision coverage, as well as, life insurance.

Bonus eligible: This position is eligible for a bonus, calculated based on individual and company performance. 

Long term Incentive eligible: This position is eligible for stock or other equity grants pursuant to McDonald’s long-term incentive plan. 

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