Director, Operations Training

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

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus Eligible

Long-Term Incentive

Benefits Eligible

Job summary

McDonald’s is seeking a Field Operations & Consulting Development Director to lead the ongoing development of systems, routines, and processes supporting the Operating Model for franchisees and restaurants.

You will oversee a team, set standards, and partner with L&D, Talent Management, and Talent Attraction to deploy curricula and career paths while driving culture change across U.S. Operations. Travel 5–10% is expected.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree with experience in Operations, Learning and Development, and leading large-scale interpersonal development.
• Strategic and operational leadership to balance long-term strategy with execution details.
• Cross-functional influence to drive results across diverse stakeholders.
• Enterprise problem solving to translate complex challenges into actionable solutions.
• Organizational agility and innovation to adapt to changing business needs.
• Business integration and planning across systems and functions.
• Executive communication and relationship building with senior leaders.
• People leadership and talent development to motivate and coach teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing Operations Training and Capability team.
• Own strategy, governance, and execution of Operations SME programs.
• Establish enterprise training standards for field operations.
• Partner with L&D and Talent Management on leadership development and career paths.
• Serve as strategic liaison between Restaurant Operations, Field Operations, and corporate teams.
• Lead certification, readiness, and change management for major programs.
• Drive evolution of the Operating Model based on stakeholder feedback.
• Oversee performance management processes and governance.
• Provide strategic counsel to senior Operations leaders.
• Lead socialization and adoption of new initiatives across stakeholders.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Operational leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

People leadership

Change management

Problem solving

Education

B.S. Degree

Job description

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 range of outstanding benefits including a sabbatical program, tuition assistance and flexible work arrangements.

Department Overview

Our Corporate Home Office has an exciting opportunity for a Field Operations & Consulting Development (FOCD) Director. This role will be responsible for the ongoing creation and refinement of systems, routines, tools, and processes to support the execution of McDonald’s Operating Model for our operations staff supporting Franchisees and restaurants.

You will be directly responsible for orchestrating and leading execution of our McDonald’s Operating model, whereby we provide consultation and support to our McDonald’s franchisees to help them run great restaurants. This role will own design and execution of programs and processes that ensure McDonald’s Operations field staff are developed and verified on McDonald’s Operational Systems. This will include supporting processes for helping to broker and deliver this subject matter expertise via our field operations operating model. You will also partner with our Talent Attraction COE, Talent Management COE and L&D organizations on design and deployment of the mid-management curriculum, training sessions, career path models, and assessment tools and facilitate the migration to a performance management culture within McDonald’s field operations function.

Key customers include Field Office operations staff and U.S. leadership; key partners and collaborators include U.S. National Operations, Learning and Development, Talent Acquisition, other McDonald’s HQ functional departments, and licensee leadership representatives. Travel for this role may vary between 5-10%.

Duties

• Lead and develop a high-performing Operations Training and Capability team, providing strategic direction, coaching, and talent development for department leaders responsible for advancing U.S. Operations training priorities and organizational capability.
• Own the strategy, governance, and execution of Operations Subject Matter Expert (SME) programs, ensuring alignment to business priorities and the effective deployment of operational knowledge, tools, and best practices across the system.
• Establish enterprise training and program standards that drive consistent execution, operational excellence, and capability development throughout the Field Operations organization.
• Partner with Operations leadership, Learning & Development, and Talent Management to design and implement leadership development programs, career path frameworks, onboarding experiences, assessment methodologies, and role-based learning strategies.
• Serve as a strategic liaison between Restaurant Operations, Field Operations, and corporate support teams, ensuring timely communication, alignment, and adoption of key initiatives, systems, and operating model enhancements.
• Lead the certification, readiness, and change management processes for major operational programs and systems, ensuring field teams are equipped with the tools, resources, and knowledge required for successful implementation.
• Drive the evolution and execution of the Operating Model, gathering feedback from field and licensee stakeholders, identifying capability gaps, and recommending enhancements that improve organizational effectiveness and business performance.
• Oversee performance management processes and accountability routines within U.S. Operations, developing communications, resources, and governance mechanisms that reinforce expectations, strengthen execution, and support culture change.
• Provide thought leadership and strategic counsel to senior Operations leaders, proactively identifying opportunities, risks, and solutions related to training, capability development, organizational effectiveness, and operational execution.
• Lead the socialization and adoption of new initiatives, processes, and operating model changes, building commitment across stakeholders and ensuring sustainable integration into field operations routines

Qualifications

• B.S. Degree, with experience in Operations, Learning and Development, and leading large-scale Interpersonal Development
• Strategic and Operational Leadership: Ability to balance long-term strategy with execution details, ensuring complex initiatives are delivered on time and aligned to business priorities.
• Cross-Functional Influence and Collaboration: Proven ability to influence without direct authority, build alignment across diverse stakeholder groups, and drive results through strong partnerships.
• Enterprise Problem Solving: Skilled at translating complex business challenges into actionable solutions, quickly removing barriers and navigating ambiguity to move work forward.
• Organizational Agility and Innovation: Fast learner who adapts to changing business needs, rapidly assimilates new concepts, and applies insights across multiple workstreams and disciplines.
• Business Integration and Planning: Demonstrated ability to connect interdependent priorities, identify implementation risks, and develop integrated plans that span systems, functions, and organizational boundaries.
• Executive Communication and Relationship Building: Versatile communicator who tailors messaging for diverse audiences and builds trusted relationships that advance organizational capability and performance.
• People Leadership and Talent Development: Strong leader of people who motivates, coaches, develops, and holds teams accountable while fostering a culture of engagement, growth, and high performance.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $168,212 - $210,265 per year.
The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, 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 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 [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.