Manager, Operations Excellence

Department Overview

McDonald’s is a global leader in the quick-service restaurant industry, where innovation, collaboration, and technology play a vital role in delivering exceptional experiences for our customers. We are seeking a manager to support prioritization and project management within the U.S. Technology Operational Excellence function to help drive the continuous improvement of McDonald's U.S. technology platform. 

In this role, you will be responsible for driving technology deployment projects and strengthening stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment and measurable success across the organization. Through excellent project management, you will play a critical role in enhancing technology performance, reducing reliance on help desk support, and deploying technology across 13,000+ restaurants. This position requires a strategic leader who will focus on seamless execution and collaboration to protect operations and ensure the success of McDonald's technology initiatives. 

This role requires on-site presence at McDonald’s Headquarters (MHQ.)

Duties

Project Management 

• Lead the planning, execution, and delivery of complex technology deployment projects, in partnership with technical deployment leads. 
• Utilize and develop standardized program management frameworks, templates, and tools to enable consistent, high-quality execution across all projects.
• Define project scope, objectives, and success criteria in collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Develop detailed project plans, timelines, and resource allocations to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery.
• Manage governance processes, including stage-gate reviews, RAID logs, and dashboards, to monitor project health and drive accountability.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks, manage interdependencies, and resolve issues to maintain project momentum.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with technical deployment leads, operations teams, and business stakeholders to ensure seamless execution and adoption of technology solutions.
• Support governance and engagement efforts with owner/operator stakeholders to identify barriers, accelerate delivery, and improve technology adoption.
• Assist with stakeholder communications to provide clear updates on initiatives, performance, and progress.
• Build effective presentations to tell the story of US Technology and keep internal stakeholders informed about department projects and priorities.

Stakeholder Engagement & Project Reporting

• Create and maintain project status reporting to provide leadership with visibility into performance, progress, and key decisions.
• Develop and deliver clear, compelling communications and presentations to internal and external stakeholders, highlighting initiative progress, performance metrics, and strategic impact.
• Serve as a key liaison between the U.S. Technology team and broader business units to ensure transparency and alignment.
• Support a data-driven culture by facilitating performance tracking, reporting, and process improvement efforts.

Project Management Center of Excellence Creation, Communication & Maintenance

• Identify opportunities to enhance project delivery through automation, process optimization, and innovative practices.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of a shared digital artifact library to support knowledge sharing and standardization across the organization.
• Communicate to key stakeholders on process tips, best practices, and updates.
• Encourage a culture of continuous improvement and iteration to drive growth and team satisfaction.
• Monitor and correct process deviations.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging feedback and regularly reviewing processes and outcomes.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in program/project management, operations strategy, or a related field
• Proven success delivering complex technical deployments as the accountable Project/Program Manager
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and manage stakeholder relationships
• Experience developing and implementing performance metrics, reporting tools, or process improvements in a complex environment
• Familiarity in program management tools and reporting platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Excel, Smartsheets)
• Knowledge of process mapping, process optimization, and process documentation
• Exposure to organizational change management tactics to drive adoption and adherence to processes.

Who you are:

• A passionate project manager – you’re always the first to raise your hand to organize and mobilize the team on projects big or small
• Endlessly curious with strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to deliver actionable insights 
• An organized and concise communicator, with experience presenting data and progress updates to leadership
• A multi-tasker with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
• Detail-oriented, organized, and a team player with a strong work ethic and focus on accountability
• An innovator who is always open to questioning the status quo to drive to a more effective future state
• Passionate about efficiency, automation, & how teams work together

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.