Sr Director, Operations Excellence

McDonald's - Chicago, IL

Full-time - Senior

Chicago, IL

Food Services and Drinking Places

About the position

We are seeking a Senior Director of Operations Excellence to lead the technological aspects and impacts of the Edge platform programs/projects. We are moving fast and are adding to our best-in-class team, and joining McDonald's means thinking big every day and preparing for a career that will impact the world! We are customer-obsessed, committed to being leaders in our industry, and believe we are better when we work together. As a part of our modernization efforts, we are driving significant change across our entire global footprint for infrastructure and operations including our Global Edge program, our Global Network Transformation and our Global Service Desk Transformation. Our day to day operations as well as our critical programs requires strong leadership to ensure we continually improve the reliability, stability and security of our infrastructure across our day to day and long term transformations. The Senior Director plays a pivotal role in driving the strategic agenda and operational efficiency of the Global Technology Infrastructure and Operations (GTIO) organization at McDonald's. Reporting directly to the Vice President (VP) of GTIO, this individual acts as a trusted advisor, providing critical support in driving pivotal initiatives, leading cross-functional projects, and ensuring effective communication across the organization. This leader fosters a high-performance culture and enhances the overall effectiveness of the GTIO leadership team.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with the SVP to develop, implement, and monitor the GTIO strategic plan through translating high-level goals into actionable initiatives.
• Develops, maintains and facilitates the execution of critical initiatives and operational KPI's ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Owns and maintains the overall GTIO roadmap for global implementations of initiatives and tracks progress working closely with the Global Technology Strategy and Planning leaders.
• Drives the preparation and facilitation of GTIO executive meetings, strategic off-sites, and quarterly business reviews.
• As a trusted advisor, synthesizes insights and provide recommendations to the SVP and the other leaders in GTIO.
• Identifies and implements process improvements to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the GTIO organization. Anticipates challenges and drives positive change.
• Is responsible for the development and tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure organizational performance.
• Manages and coordinate special projects, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Prepares and reviews executive communications, presentations, and reports. Ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment with GTIO objectives.
• Acts as a liaison for GTIO leadership, including the SVP, to other executives, stakeholders, and external partners through the facilitation of effective communication and collaboration.
• Owns and champions a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within GTIO by leading by example and inspiring the team.
• Mentors and develops junior team members, promoting professional growth while also identifying high-potential talent and creating development opportunities.
• Leads and manages cross-functional teams on various pivotal initiatives through establishing and maintaining strong relationships across departments. Significant influence required in this role.
• Ensures effective communication and information flow within GTIO and other relevant departments. Bridges gaps and facilitates cross-functional collaboration, leaning in where necessary and backing out when warranted.
• Develops and maintains strong relationships with key partners, both internal and external. Becomes the voice of the GTIO VP in meetings and discussions as needed.
• Communicates and collaborates with partners from HR, Finance, Legal and Procurement to effectively implement processes, initiatives, and updates to the broader GTIO team.
• Leads and mentors a team of highly skilled professionals by fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in technology, with a focus on engineering, data, cloud and digital solutions in a large multinational organization.
• Experience influencing, inspiring, and leading hard-working, diverse teams (>100) of employee and external supplier teams across multiple geographies.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful operations excellence strategies including operating model, core processes, meetings and events, cross functional initiatives, communications and liaison activities.
• Strong organization effectiveness background with lean, six sigma, or agile a plus.
• Experience interacting effectively with a diverse group of executives.
• Proven experience managing and mitigating risks, with a focus on security and compliance.
• Bachelor's degree or commensurate experience in technology transformation, systems administration, digital technology, engineering, computer science, or other related fields.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with the McDonald's business model, including intimate knowledge of our markets, market priorities, and key leaders.
• Capability to identify gaps in technological capabilities and submit requirements to meet identified gaps.
• Able to prepare and present accurate and timely information to senior leadership regarding program progress and maturity, up to and including the McDonald's Senior Leadership Team.
• Exceptional communication skills, including written deliverables, oral presentations, and the ability to facilitate crucial conversations at all levels of the organization.
• Extremely detail oriented and organization skills.

Benefits

• Equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment.
• Prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to various protected characteristics.