Netherlands Technology Lead, IOM BU Technology

Company Description

McDonald's evolving Accelerating the Arches growth strategy puts our customers and people first and demonstrates our competitive advantages to strengthen our brand. We are recognized on lists like Fortune’s Most Admired Companies and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies.

Doubling Down on the 4Ds (Delivery, Digital, Drive Thru, and Development)

Our growth pillars emphasize the critical role technology plays as the best-in-class, global omni-channel restaurant brand. Technology enables the organization through digital technologies, and improving the customer, crew and employee experience each and every day!

Global Technology forging the way

Leading the digitization of our business is the Technology organization made up of innovation specialists who build industry defining tech using the latest innovations and platforms, like AI and edge computing to deliver on the next set of groundbreaking opportunities for the business. We take on technology innovation challenges at an incredible scale, and work across global teams who are always hungry for a challenge! This provides access to compelling career paths for technologists. It’s bonus points when you get to see your family and friends use the tech you build at their favorite McD restaurant.

Job Description

McDonald's International Operated Markets Business Unit (IOM BU) Technology organisation is responsible for the management of the Technology groups within the IOM BU segment. This includes people leadership, planning, financials, strategic direction, deployment and operation of technology products and services.

As part of IOM BU Technology and aligned to an individual market, the Technology Lead role is a leadership position responsible for supporting the market with the selection, adoption, implementation and value realisation of technology solutions. Reporting to the IOM BU Technology Segment Lead, the role provides:

• Leadership of market Technology resources and partners
• Strategic alignment between market business leadership and Segment/Global Technology
• Technology direction to market departments, partners and franchisee community (where applicable)
• Market technology prioritisation, planning, deployment and support
• Department finance, budgeting, procurement and administration
• Stakeholder management and communications
• Talent and performance management with succession planning
• Process management and improvement
• Engagement and collaboration across IOM BU Technology

Responsibilities:

Organisation and Resourcing

• Manage the day-to-day running of the market Technology department to deliver against the technology plan
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with market leadership, local departments, and franchisees
• Develop robust, collaborative and mutually beneficial working practices between local and global resources
• Define job roles, recruit and train Technology resources, ensuring key roles have a succession plan in place
• Develop, motivate and performance manage team individuals
• Define and validate market resourcing, skills, capacity and capabilities
• Align organisation structure and people management processes to Segment/Global standards
• Maintain strong relationships with partners ensuring expected resource levels, knowledge and performance
• Work with Segment Technology teams to evaluate resources, partners, and working practices

Technology

• Lead the testing, localisation, deployment and support of restaurant and office technology
• Ensure the market consumes Global products where appropriate and deploy local solutions only as needed
• Manage requirements, business cases, evaluation and selection of technologies and services
• Align local solutions with corporate standards, service levels and strategy
• Ensure the use of technology best practices and standards
• Identify opportunities to leverage solutions and drive standardisation
• Recognise and communicate areas of opportunity for product and service improvement
• Ensure products and services are cost effective, deployable, sustainable, documented and fit for purpose
• Operate technology platforms to agreed service levels and standards
• Identify, communicate and partner as appropriate to mitigate any technology and information security risks

Finance & Planning

• Manage market department General & Administrative (G&A) and investment (CAPEX) budgets
• Participate in global and local budget and finance processes
• Conduct regular financial reviews to identify and implement opportunities to optimise costs
• Manage chargebacks to franchisees/restaurants/CoOp/other departments in a timely and transparent manner
• Build strong relationships with market finance organisations
• Partner with Segment Technology and business leadership to develop and agree annual market technology plan
• Ensure budgets, resources and partners are aligned to technology plan
• Own and track the technology plan, utilising standard change and communication processes to adjust as required
• Escalate plan challenges and remediation approach to Technology and market leadership as necessary

Prioritisation & Governance

• Engage market, franchisee and Segment Technology leadership in technology related discussions to and determine appropriate prioritisation of business requirements taking in to account resource and finance capacity
• Advocate for market needs ensuring market considerations (functional, non-functional, deployment, support) are considered upfront in product and service development
• Ensure effective deployment and service governance over internal and external resources
• Manage team capacity, ensuring resources deliver against priorities and stop work outside of the technology plan
• Partner with Global Sourcing during RFPs ensuring high quality business cases and due diligence of RFP responses
• Apply internal market governance across technology decisions, projects and processes

Communications & Change

• Keep all market functions, partners and franchisees up to date on technology matters through clear and timely communication and change management
• Present technology strategy and direction across all market functions and franchisees
• Prepare/coordinate/present briefings on the business, technical and financial benefits of technologies
• Ensure best practice, knowledge and standards are shared across all market technology users
• Drive project communications clearly describing issues, risks and opportunities
• Develop strong communication channels with all internal and external stakeholders, including segment peers
• Prepare the organisation for strategic change as required

Skills and Experience required:

An individual fulfilling this role will be passionate about and demonstrate success in:

• Working with people across a global organisation
• Managing successful relationships with senior business leadership 
• Evolving and modernising technologies and services to align with business priorities
• Gathering and interpreting business/technology requirements
• Financial acumen and detailed knowledge of corporate and market accounting practices
• A solid knowledge and understanding of and ability to work effectively across multiple business functions
• Applying a proactive and strategic approach to building technology services
• Articulating value of solutions
• Interacting with and influencing leadership, franchisees and partners
• Partner and stakeholder engagement and management
• Supporting change and technology transformation
• Seeking opportunities for continual service improvement
• Mentoring internal and external team members

Qualifications

• Understanding of investment strategies, Capex/G&A preferences
• Data manipulation, analysis and reporting
• Strong verbal and written communication skills (local language and English)

Additional Information

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.