Director, Learning & Development

Department Overview

The Director, AI Upskilling, Learning & Development will lead the McDonald’s AI enablement strategy, shaping how employees learn, adopt, and integrate AI into their daily work. This role focuses exclusively on corporate staff, building confidence, practical skills, and habits that enable employees to optimize workflows, improve decision-making, and drive greater efficiency through responsible use of AI.

This leader will set the strategy, design learning experiences, manage enterprise adoption, and measure impact. They will partner closely with Enterprise Data, Analytics & AI (EDAA), Global Technology, Global People, Communications, and Strategy teams to ensure employees at all levels—across global functions and markets—are prepared to thrive in an AI‑enabled workplace.

Duties

Strategy & Planning

• Develop and implement McDonald’s corporate AI upskilling and adoption strategy in alignment with enterprise digital and AI priorities.
• Create an AI capability framework and role-based learning pathways tailored to corporate functions (e.g., People, Finance, Marketing, GBS, Legal, Operations, Franchising, Development, Supply Chain, Impact, Technology).
• Define a roadmap of learning experiences that accelerate corporate adoption of AI tools and practices.
• Build the narrative and vision for AI learning across the enterprise, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and alignment with business needs.

Program Design & Delivery

• Lead the design of blended learning experiences that help employees optimize work, automate repetitive tasks, improve analytical rigor, and enhance productivity using AI.
• Develop corporate-focused AI curricula including foundational learning, simulations, hands-on workshops, tool playbooks, job aids, and practice communities.
• Ensure learning programs are inclusive, scalable, and aligned with the principles McDonald’s upholds, leadership proficiencies, and responsible AI guidelines.
• Partner with Global Technology and EDAA to embed AI literacy, governance, data privacy, and ethical use principles into learning content.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with senior leaders, SMEs, and functional COEs to co-create learning solutions and connect AI concepts to real business use cases.
• Collaborate closely with Corporate Communications to build activation campaigns and reinforce adoption.
• Engage market-level corporate teams to understand needs, share standard methodologies, and ensure global applicability.

Adoption & Change Leadership

• Lead strategies that drive sustained behavior change and widespread AI adoption across the enterprise.
• Create activation plans, communication toolkits, and function-specific onboarding experiences to support consistent usage of AI tools.
• Identify and cultivate “AI Champions” to accelerate usage, share success stories, and support peer learning.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Define KPIs and measurement frameworks to supervise AI learning completion, adoption rates, productivity gains, and business impact.
• Use data insights, user feedback, and behavior metrics to continuously refine and improve AI learning programs.
• Provide clear progress updates and insights to senior leadership.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Manage external learning partners, content creators, and AI training vendors.
• Ensure partner solutions meet McDonald’s standards for quality, scalability, and responsible AI practices.
• Oversee budgets, contracts, and program timelines related to AI learning initiatives.

Competencies & Leadership Expectations

• Strategic approach with ability to translate emerging technologies into practical capabilities.
• Ability to simplify complexity and make AI approachable and accessible to all levels of the organization.
• Strong change leadership skills with a track record of driving adoption in corporate environments.
• Collaborative; able to influence across functions and levels without direct authority.
• Demonstrated commitment to McDonald’s values and leadership behaviors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• 10+ years of experience in Learning & Development, organizational development, digital enablement, or related fields
• Proven success designing and scaling capability-building programs in corporate, global environments
• Strong understanding of AI concepts and business applications (strategic rather than technical depth is acceptable)
• Proven ability to drive technology adoption and behavior change across distinct corporate teams
• Strong communication, facilitation, and customer management skills
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives in a global environment

Preferred

• Master’s degree in L&D, Organizational Development, Business, or related field.
• Experience in large, complex global organizations.
• Background in transformation, future-of-work strategy, or capability building.
• Familiarity with modern learning technologies, AI-enabled content, and corporate digital tools.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $168,212.00 - $210,265.00 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.