Manager, Operations Excellence

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Date: Jan 14, 2026

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.  

Department Overview

As the Manager – Operations Excellence, you’ll play a pivotal role in driving McDonald's operational transformation to new heights. This outstanding opportunity allows you to be at the forefront of our continuous improvement efforts, ensuring flawless execution of critical initiatives. You’ll be part of an experienced team, determined to successfully implement world-class standards in our operations. Your ability to collaborate, manage details, and maintain progress across various programs will be crucial in achieving our ambitious goals!

Duties

Key Responsibilities

  • Execution Oversight: Facilitate working team meetings to drive progress, surface risks/issues, and partner with internal teams to implement and communicate processes. Act as a knowledgeable resource while maintaining source-of-truth artifacts.
  • Budget & Resource Governance: Lead tracking frameworks and budget governance for transformation initiatives, ensuring compliance and value delivery. Collaborate closely with Finance partners and leaders across the organization.
  • Collaborator Engagement: Partner with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to facilitate governance forums, resolve blocking issues, and maintain strategic alignment.
  • Coaching & Enablement: Coach supervisors to complete tasks within the governance framework, building capability and accountability across the team.
  • Change Governance: Ensure rigorous change control processes are in place for timelines, scope, and prioritization.
  • Reporting & Insights: Provide executive-level reporting on governance health, risks, and value realization metrics.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

  • 4+ years of experience in long-term planning, program governance, or transformation leadership roles.
  • Demonstrated experience in budget governance and financial oversight for large-scale initiatives.
  • Strong executive communication and presence; ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
  • Able to take large sets of information and translate them into a digestible story for leadership consumption.
  • Data analysis and business process experience, comfortable evaluating and validating data for accuracy and effective visualization.
  • Expertise in cross-functional collaboration and managing relationships with collaborators, comfortable working across local and international teams.
  • Highly organized, diligent, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
  • Knowledge of McDonald’s Global Technology organization is a plus.
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; advanced degree or certifications (PMP, Prosci, or equivalent) preferred.

Skills You'll Use Every Day

  • Influencing & Negotiation: Ability to drive alignment without direct authority.
  • Change Leadership: Skilled in guiding organizations through complex change.
  • Analytical Rigor: Strong ability to interpret data and provide actionable insights.
  • Adaptability: Comfortable navigating ambiguity and adjusting to evolving priorities.
  • Collaboration: Builds positive relationships across functions and geographies.

Success Measures

  • Governance frameworks implemented and adopted across transformation programs.
  • Improved visibility and control over change planning and execution.
  • Timely, informed decision-making in governance forums.
  • Demonstrated value realization against strategic objectives.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $115,872.00 - $144,840.00 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. 

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