Director, Marketing Agency & Budget Operations

McDonald's; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 168,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Stock options / equity grants

Bonus program

Long-term incentive

Job summary

McDonald’s is seeking a Director, Operations Standards in the U.S. to oversee marketing investments, portfolio alignment, and agency performance across national and local programs.

The role drives prioritization, supports senior management with trade-offs, and ensures resource allocation aligns with strategic goals, ROI, and market needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Business Administration; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 8–10 years of experience in marketing operations, general management, finance, or agency management.
• Proven experience leading a large investment portfolio, agency sourcing and/or financial management activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead national marketing investment, resource prioritization, and agency management.
• Align budgets with financial goals, identify ROI, and present to leadership.
• Partner with Finance and SIP on annual sales projections for budgeting.
• Build strategic relationships with owner-operators and cross-functional marketing leads.

Skills

Integrated marketing strategy

Budget management

Stakeholder influence

Agency management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Business

MBA preferred

Job description

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 rangeoutstanding benefits including a sabbatical program, tuition assistance and flexible work arrangements.

Department Overview

The Director, Operations Standards in the US leads marketing investment, resource prioritization, and agency management across national and local marketing. This person provides an enterprise-wide view of priorities, funding, resources, and dependencies. Connects strategy to execution by clarifying trade-offs, sequencing decisions, and directing resources to priority needs.

Marketing Portfolio & Investment Management

Aligns resources and investments to marketing priorities, identifies risks and gaps, and recommends funding shifts to maximize system results.

• Directs national G&A, SIM, and OPNAD marketing program budgets, aligning spending with financial goals.
• Identifies cost savings and efficiencies while maximizing marketing effectiveness. Partners with Marketing Performance teams to build the investment narrative.
• Presents budget versus actuals, ROI, financial results, and agency performance to marketing leadership and stakeholders. Recommends investment priorities and scenarios to support senior management decisions.

Agency Scope & Performance Management

Aligns agency scope, capacity, and compensation with priorities while driving performance, accountability, and value.

• Optimizes agency scopes, deliverables, and compensation to reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and strengthen performance. Evolves compensation and pay-for-performance models against industry standards.
• Assesses agency metrics and develops performance and fee analyses for internal and owner-operator audiences.
• Leads national and local agency sourcing and selection with Global Sourcing. Manages RFP/RFI processes and partners with internal teams to align agency selection with organizational needs and marketing objectives.

Resource Integration & Prioritization

Connects strategy, investments, resources, and execution to surface dependencies and drive clear priorities.

• Leads cross-functional workstreams to align marketing investments with strategy. Influences stakeholders at all levels through storytelling and data-driven insights.
• Builds strategic relationships with owner-operators, functional marketing leads, and agency partners.
• Partners with national and local marketing leadership to align agency work with marketing objectives, financial goals, and budget constraints.
• Partners with Finance and SIP teams on annual sales projections for OPNAD budget planning.

Duties

Key Capabilities

• Broad understanding of integrated marketing strategy and execution.
• Ability to synthesize complex work into an enterprise-wide view.
• Drives prioritization across senior, cross-functional stakeholders and builds trusted relationships with owner-operators.
• Demonstrates strong financial acumen, with experience in budget and fee management, and disciplined attention to detail.
• Develops talent across direct and indirect reporting lines, with direct responsibility for one Manager.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Business Administration; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

• 8–10 years of experience in marketing operations, general management, finance, or agency management.
• Proven experience leading a large investment portfolio, agency sourcing and/or financial management activities.
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and drive strategic initiatives.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible:YES

Long - Term Incentive:YES

Benefits Eligible:YES

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $168,000 to $210,000per year

The above represents the expectedsalaryrange for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining yourpay, 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. 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 [e-mail]. 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.