Project Manager, Strategic Programs

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. 

Job Description

The Strategy & Planning team is focused on strategy formulation and prioritization, strategic and operational planning, program management, and vendor management efforts. The Global Technology Project Manager, Strategic Programs reports to the Strategic Programs Sr. Manager in the Global Technology PMO (GT PMO).

As a Strategic Programs Manager, you will play a pivotal role in our Agile transformation. While we are transforming you will leverage your experience and skills to lead teams using various delivery methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid, etc.). You will assist with activities like defining project scope and objectives and collaborate with teams at all levels of the organization to facilitate the adoption of more Agile ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Facilitates workshops, retrospectives, and planning sessions to promote collaboration, communication, and problem-solving within teams.
• Builds and maintains project schedules for percent complete and milestone deadlines as projects progress.
• Eliminates blockers and external interferences to development progress.
• Helps Product Manager maintain the product backlog and holds team accountable to defining user stories at the right level.
• Supports Product Manager in defining Definition of Done (DoD) for the product stories/product work.
• Executes and addresses issues with processes for risks, issue, action, and project change management and holds the team to quality.
• Maintains clarity with roles and responsibilities, forecasts resource needs, and identifies and escalates potential shared resource contention.
• Ensures Scrum ceremonies (e.g., stand ups, sprint planning, sprint retrospectives, etc.) are executed properly, driving the team to continuous deployment.
• Leverages team dashboards and uses data to coach teams on best practices that improve team performance.
• Elevates and communicates team bottlenecks and escalations in scrum of scrums.
• Coordinates internal resources and third-party vendors.
• Champion Agile CoE standards and processes within the team, being a front-line change agent.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business Administration, or related field.
• 5+ years in program management or project management roles, preferably in the technology industry or a related field.
• Must possess in-depth knowledge of the Agile Methodology and be capable of communicating its best practices to the rest of the team.
• Excellent communicator with strong Emotional Intelligence to read verbal and nonverbal cues in others so you can communicate effectively and cultivate healthy working relationships.
• Highly organized and proficient in project planning to ensure that objectives, timelines, and budgets are met.
• Strong problem-solving skills to identify and address challenges that may arise.
• Possess one or more certifications (CSM, PSM)
• Adaptable and flexible in handling changes and ambiguity.
• Possesses strong critical thinking skills to analyze feedback, gather insights, and drive continuous improvement.
• Experience with project delivery toolsets (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Planview, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in change management techniques to facilitate cultural and organizational shifts.
• Knowledge across several frameworks including, Lean, Agile-Scrum, Kanban, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Extreme Programing (XP).
• Demonstrated experience of coaching organization on Agile best practices.

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.