Network Engineer III

McDonald's; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 127,000 - 159,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and welfare benefits

401(k) plan

Education assistance

Job summary

McDonald’s Global Technology is seeking a Network Engineer III to lead complex enterprise network solutions across LAN/WAN/WLAN, focusing on scalability, security, and reliability. You will own integrations between network platforms and enterprise services, enabling automated, observant, and resilient operations.

The role requires strong experience in enterprise networking, Juniper environments, and network automation, with collaboration across global teams and occasional non‑standard hours for

Qualifications

• Significant progressive experience in enterprise network engineering within complex environments.
• Juniper experience in enterprise routing and switching environments.
• Network automation experience delivering automated methods that reduce operational complexity and improve reliability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; documentation discipline and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of complex network solutions (LAN/WAN/WLAN) ensuring scalability, resilience, and security.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex incidents; drive root cause analysis and durable corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain architecture documentation and ensure high‑quality implementation readiness.
• Coordinate complex network changes, upgrades, and migrations with minimal disruption; ensure strong change discipline and communications.

Skills

Enterprise networking

Juniper

Network automation

Multi‑vendor networking

Tools

Active Directory

DNS

Job description

Job Description:

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.

Department Overview

The Network Engineer III is a senior technical role responsible for the implementation, ongoing management, and optimization of enterprise network infrastructure. This role combines deep hands‑on engineering expertise driving stability, performance, security, and operational excellence. In addition, this position provides solution engineer ownership for integrations between network platforms and enterprise services/tools (e.g., automation pipelines, monitoring/observability, ticketing/ITSM, identity, and security tooling) to enable scalable operations and better end‑to‑end service outcomes. Core responsibilities reflect Network Engineer III scope (enterprise routing/switching, operations, documentation, process improvement, and security enhancements).

Duties

Network Engineering (Enterprise Core)

• Lead the implementation of complex network solutions (LAN/WAN/WLAN and related services) ensuring scalability, resilience, and security.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex incidents; drive root cause analysis and durable corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain architecture documentation (diagrams, configurations, procedures) and ensure high‑quality implementation readiness.
• Define and use network capacity models, performance metrics, and operational reporting to support continuous improvement.
• Coordinate complex network changes, upgrades, and migrations with minimal disruption; ensure strong change discipline and communications.

Juniper Engineering

• Provide technical ownership for Juniper network environments, including troubleshooting, lifecycle planning, and operational stability in enterprise settings. (Multi‑vendor experience is valuable, but Juniper is preferred.)

Network Automation

• Design and deliver network automation to reduce operational complexity (e.g., configuration provisioning, compliance validation, automated remediation, and repeatable deployment methods).
• Establish automation standards and reusable patterns to accelerate delivery and improve reliability (e.g., gold templates, validation gates, automated rollback approaches).

Solution Architecture for Integrations

• Act as solution engineer for integrations between network services and enterprise tools/platforms, ensuring end‑to‑end operational workflows are scalable and supportable (examples: monitoring/telemetry pipelines, configuration/compliance systems, ITSM/ticketing, CMDB asset integrity, security event workflows, and identity‑driven access control).
• Ensure engineering decisions support operational outcomes: observability, auditability, resilience, and reduced mean time to restore.

Security & Service Enablement

• Interface with customer and stakeholder teams to design and continuously deliver security‑related enhancements.
• Support implementation of network security best practices and alignment with security teams and policies.

Project & Process Excellence

• Contribute across the full lifecycle of global network projects, including planning, coordination with procurement/logistics/resource planning, and ensuring documentation is complete and usable.
• Review and tailor processes to ensure they are lean and fit‑for‑purpose; drive standardization and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Significant progressive experience in enterprise network engineering within complex environments (engineering, operations, and troubleshooting).
• Juniper experience in enterprise routing and switching environments.
• Network automation experience delivering automated methods that reduce operational complexity and improve reliability.
• Strong foundation in routing and switching concepts and enterprise troubleshooting; multi‑vendor networking experience is beneficial.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; documentation discipline and attention to detail.
• Ability to work outside regular hours when necessary (change windows, critical incidents).

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Experience with DNS and related enterprise network services (DHCP, IPAM).
• Experience with security tooling and processes (e.g., segmentation, firewall policy alignment, SASE/SSE concepts, security event workflows).
• Experience with Active Directory (AD) and identity services, and how identity integrates with network access controls (nice‑to‑have per your request).
• Experience producing implementation documentation, runbooks, and improving operational processes.

Competencies

• Technical leadership and strong operational judgment.
• Systems thinking and engineering mindset for end‑to‑end integrations.
• Automation‑first approach to improving reliability and reducing toil.
• Stakeholder management and cross‑team collaboration.
• Coaching and talent development.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: yes

Long - Term Incentive: yes

Benefits Eligible: yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $127,332.00 - $159,165.00 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.

(The 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.)

Additional Information:

Benefits eligible: This position offers health and welfare benefits, a 401(k) plan, adoption assistance program, educational assistance program, flexible ways of working, and time off policies (including sick leave, parental leave, and vacation/PTO). Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on job classification and length of employment.

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.