Sr Manager, Tech Platform Management/ Network Architect
Date: Jun 17, 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
This opportunity is part of the Global Technology Infrastructure & Operations team (GTIO), where our mission is to deliver modern and relevant technology that supports the way McDonald’s works. This role will collaborate closely with infrastructure leaders, market leaders, Global Technology teams, and 3rd party vendors to provide efficient operation of our technology services. This role is responsible for leading the core and cloud networking team responsible for the backend network fabric that binds all of our restaurants.
The Senior Technical Product Manager will report to Global Network Platforms Director. This person will develop a collaborative working relationship with cybersecurity, infrastructure, Service Management Office, Cloud business office and other collaborators across the organization.
We are seeking an expert, hands-on, Senior Network Architect/TPM to be responsible for the design and implementation of McDonald’s global core network and hybrid cloud connectivity platforms. This role sits at the intersection of enterprise network architecture, cloud integration (AWS/GCP/AZURE/OCI), and datacenter infrastructure (Equinix CNFs). The ideal candidate will have deep technical expertise across Equinix, Cisco hardware, core routing, and cross-cloud interconnects, along with a strategic attitude to align infrastructure capabilities with evolving business and security needs.
Responsibilities & Accountabilities
- Architect, design, and maintain a scalable, secure, and resilient hybrid network fabric connecting Equinix CNFs, AWS, GCP, and select Azure workloads.
- Develop and implement global network blueprints, standards, and reference architectures that align with GTIO’s enterprise strategy.
- Lead efforts in designing and implementing Equinix Fabric integrations, including BGP peering, VLAN stitching, VRF segmentation, and routing policy management across cloud and on-prem regions.
- Lead all aspects of core datacenter router deployments (Cisco ASR, MX, Nexus) including L3/L2 connectivity, BGP path control, and high-availability configurations.
- Collaborate with security engineering to support firewall segmentation, IPSEC/GRE tunnels, and control-plane hardening between CNFs and cloud endpoints.
- Understand SD-WAN overlay architectures for distributed traffic engineering and cloud access optimization (Viptela and Meraki environments preferred).
- Work with Cloud Engineering teams to integrate VPC networks with CNF fabrics, defining resilient ingress/egress paths via ExpressRoute, Interconnect, or VPN.
- Lead planning and execution of hardware refresh cycles, rack-and-stack initiatives, and cross-region migrations.
- Provide architectural governance and mentorship on GCP/AWS routing, private service access, NAT design, and DNS integration.
- Work with vendors such as Equinix, Cisco, Broadcom, and Trace3 to handle licensing, hardware forecasts, and lifecycle operations.
- Contribute to observability initiatives by improving visibility, telemetry, and alerting across CNF environments and edge interconnects.
- Maintain and implement compliance with SOPs, change control, and enterprise architecture reviews.
- Represent the network domain in enterprise design reviews, vendor evaluations, and security governance boards.
- Mentor junior network engineers and promote documentation standards through Confluence and Jira Agile practices.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
- 8+ years of experience in enterprise network architecture across datacenter and cloud environments.
- Deep hands-on experience with Equinix Fabric, Equinix SmartHands, and cross-connect provisioning.
- Commanding knowledge of Cisco routers and switches (ASR/Nexus), BGP, and multi-VRF architecture.
- Validated experience in designing and deploying hybrid interconnects across AWS, GCP, and on-prem infrastructure.
- Familiarity with SD-WAN platforms (e.g., Cisco Viptela, Meraki) and WAN optimization practices.
- Experience with network security concepts including ZTNA, IP whitelisting, ACL design, and firewall policy coordination.
- Collaboration skills with ability to lead multi-functional planning involving cloud, security, and application teams.
- Comfort operating in agile environments using Jira and Confluence.
Preferred Qualifications
- CCNP, CCIE, or equivalent enterprise networking certifications.
- GCP or AWS Cloud Networking Specialty Certification.
- Familiarity with Terraform, GitHub, or automation pipelines in infrastructure provisioning.
- Strong written and verbal communication, especially for leadership briefings and architecture artifacts.
Compensation
Bonus Eligible: Yes
Long - Term Incentive: Yes
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Salary Range
Salary Ranges-$149,260.00 - $190,310.00
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