Director, US Strategy & Planning
Date: Nov 18, 2025
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 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.
Department Overview
The US Strategy team sits within the broader US Strategy, Insights & Prioritization (SIP) function. The SIP function overall is the data-enabled ‘truth teller’ at McDonald’s, sharing insights and influencing decisions to drive more impactful decision-making. The US Strategy team is critical to realizing this vision, and owns the long-term US enterprise strategy and near-in annual plan (process and outcomes) for the US business, along with asking and answering broader strategic questions that help unlock new opportunities and/or risks to mitigate. We do this through partnership and collaboration with functional areas across our organization, such as Business Performance, Consumer Insights, Marketing & Menu, Operations, Tech, and Global Corporate Strategy.
Duties
The Strategy team guides and supports growth-oriented priorities for the $55B McDonald’s US organization. This includes defining the 3-year and 1-year enterprise strategies for the US business, identifying and prioritizing sources of future growth, developing financial ambitions, creating new insights-based capabilities, and providing business performance analysis.
In the Director, US Strategy role, you will contribute to these priorities through some of the following ways:
- Shape US enterprise priorities by driving clarity around where we play and how to win
- Define and align US 3Y and 1Y Enterprise Plans with US Senior Leadership Team, balancing long-term vision with near-term impact
- Support strategic planning and relevant analyses for Growth Drivers (Affordability, Chicken, Beverages, Breakfast, Digital, etc.) tied to the US enterprise plan
- Act as an embedded advisor across US Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Field teams to drive strategy execution “from board room to crew room”
- Facilitate and promote strategic discussions on external trends (e.g., macroeconomic environment, PE deal flows, GLP-1s etc.) competitor strategies, and potential disruptors and recommend adjustments to US strategies
- Work with SIP leadership to recommend and shape overall high-impact strategic projects to improve McDonald’s US’ strategies / capabilities
- Lead and develop a high-performing strategy team, fostering a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and impact
Qualifications
- 7+ years of relevant strategy experience, ideally in top-tier management consulting
- Consumer experience (QSR or consumer products/services) preferred
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field (MBA preferred)
- Proven communication skills with experience effectively presenting and communicating to various levels of leadership
- Experience leading large cross-functional teams and mentoring junior members of the team
Compensation
Benefits eligible: Yes
Bonus eligible: Yes
Long term incentive eligible: Yes
Salary Range
Salary Ranges-$178,121.00 - $222,651.00
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.
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