Sr Director, Software Engineering

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Date: May 29, 2026

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 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 Senior Director of Engineering, Restaurant Tech will be a key leader within McDonald’s Global Technology organization, responsible for driving software engineering excellence across POS and Kiosk platforms that power McDonald’s Restaurant experiences.

You will lead a centralized and matrixed organization of engineering talents internally and externally ensuring consistent delivery of secure, scalable, and high-performing software systems.

This role will define and implement engineering processes, tools, and standards that improve POS and Kiosk platform reliability, data integration, overall development velocity, and adoption of the tech stack across 100+ markets. You will help scale our engineering capabilities while fostering a culture of craftsmanship, collaboration, and continuous improvement across all layers of our restaurant stack.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead and scale McDonald’s engineering capabilities across POS and Kiosk applications.
  • Provide deep technical and architectural leadership for our POS and Kiosk application engineering team.
  • Partner with Product, Architecture, Experience Design, and out Operation Partners to translate business priorities into technical strategies that deliver seamless restaurant experiences for crew and customers.
  • Define and enforce engineering excellence standards including architecture principles, code quality, observability, and system resilience.
  • Drive adoption of modern technologies, frameworks, and DevSecOps practices to enhance scalability, performance, and reliability of restaurant platforms.
  • Lead initiatives that improve PDLC efficiency and deployment models across engineering teams.
  • Implement data-driven engineering performance metrics to track velocity, reliability, and quality, ensuring continuous improvement in delivery and operational outcomes.
  • Champion a culture of engineering accountability and innovation through mentorship, technical coaching, and career path development.
  • Drive the assessment and adoption of AI, GenAI, and Agentic AI tools to accelerate software delivery, automate testing, and enhance developer productivity.
  • Partner with peer engineering leaders to ensure platform modernization aligns with global technology standards and architectural vision.
  • Serve as the key voice for engineering execution in leadership forums, presenting delivery performance, quality insights, and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Manage the product and platform milestone, budget, and associated ROI.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
  • Tactical experience as a developer working across multiple languages and products.
  • 15+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, application development, and architecture, with hands-on technical depth across modern technologies and multiple programming languages.
  • Proven experience leading large-scale technology transformations in complex, matrixed, global organizations.
  • Strong expertise in product development lifecycle, architecture design, and modernization / technology convergence initiatives.
  • 5+ years of experience leading and scaling large engineering teams (50+), with a strong focus on coaching, talent development, and building high-performing organizations.
  • Demonstrated ability to inspire teams, drive accountability, and align execution to strategic outcomes.
  • Experience delivering complex, multi-region deployments with an understanding of global market and segment differences.
  • Strong appreciation of restaurant technology (POS, Kiosk, operational systems) and real-world operational constraints in a high-volume environment.
  • Ability to communicate effectively across technology and business functions (e.g., operations, finance, marketing), translating technical strategy into business impact.
  • Impact-driven mindset with the ability to define clear goals, drive alignment

Nice to Haves:

  • Master’s Degree.
  • Retail or QSR industry experience.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $237,102- $296,377 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, including but not limited to comprehensive health insurance, which includes medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental and vision coverage, as well as, life insurance. 

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