Software Engineer II

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Date: Oct 27, 2025

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

McDonald’s new 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. 

Leading this tech revolution is McDonald’s Global Technology organization made up of intrapreneurs who get to build really cool tech with scary smart people using the latest innovations like AI, IOT, and edge computing. We do this working along diverse, global teams who are always hungry for a challenge. It’s bonus points when you get to see your family and friends use the tech you build at their favorite McD restaurant.  

As we have matured as an engineering organization and seen the demands for technology grow exponentially, we’re gearing up to deliver on the next set of opportunities for the business. We are building up an engineering team in house accountable for our strategic products. We’ll have diverse squads made up of engineers with traditional and specialized skillsets, both from internal engineers coupled with our partners, to help us flex with demand and solve technology innovation challenges done at an incredible scale.  

McDonald’s, one of the most recognized brands in the world, is seeking a skilled Principal Engineer to own the transformation and ongoing evolution of our Point of Sale (POS) and Restaurant 

In this strategy and transformation focused role, you will partner with our Product Management and Architecture teams to define and lead all aspects of execution of the forward-looking vision of McDonald’s POS and Restaurant Technologies and the high-value transformation initiatives that will fuel our journey. Additionally, you will be the primary owner of our relationship with our 3rd party engineering vendors. 

That said, the biggest area of increase in our spending has been in technology, which is helping to drive our growth. We’re looking at how to use technology to improve the customer experience and build new customer experiences. We’re also exploring technologies that can help us reduce or eliminate repetitive tasks and make employees’ jobs more interesting and rewarding. With all the new projects and initiatives, it is an exciting time to be on the team that is helping to make a Better McDonald's! 

 

Duties

  • Lead all aspects of development, mentoring and training of staff. 

  • As a software development engineer on a team, you will play a pivotal role in crafting the definition, vision, design, road map and development of product features from beginning to end. 

  • Design, implement, test, deploy and maintain innovative software solutions to transform service performance, durability, cost, and security. 

  • Educate and advise Senior Management, comprising resources from the Business and Functional disciplines and IT business and operations functions around data management best practices and resulting benefits, to achieve their objectives; resolve issues called out from all data management partners 

  • Work in an agile, startup-like development environment, where you are always working on the most meaningful priorities. 

Qualifications

  • 2+ years of non-internship professional software development experience.
  • Programming experience with C#
  • 1+ years of experience contributing to the architecture and design (architecture, design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and current systems.
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field or equivalent years of experience.
  • Solid knowledge of Computer Science fundamentals (object-oriented design, data structures and algorithm.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, are self-driven and deliver high quality results in a fast-paced environment.
  • Proven leadership abilities in an engineering environment in driving operational excellence and best practices.
  • Highly quantitative with great judgment and passion for building a phenomenal customer experience. 

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: YES

Long - Term Incentive: YES

Benefits Eligible: YES

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $98,140.00 - $125,130.00 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. 

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