Sr Director, Global Creative Excellence & Design

McDonald's Corporation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 208,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Stock/equity grants

Long-term incentive

Job summary

McDonald’s Corporation is seeking a Senior Director, Creative & Design to set the creative ambition for global brand programs and lead across strategy, agency teams, and markets. This leader will guide creative development, protect the brand identity, and ensure consistency at scale.

The role partners with Digital, Menu, Communications, Operations, and agencies to drive campaigns, shape product launches, and elevate visual design across channels worldwide.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in creative leadership, design, and/or integrated marketing.
• Clear communication with influence across a global, matrixed organization.
• Experience leading senior-level agency relationships, including top-to-top reviews and stakeholder alignment.
• Ability to build and lead communities—facilitating summits, workshops, and capability-building moments.
• Strong design literacy and experience owning or governing a visual identity system across channels.

Responsibilities

• Provide thought leadership on big ideas for critical brand programs and real-time cultural moments.
• Lead top-to-top Creative Reviews across key agency partners with clear direction and high craft standards.
• Oversee the annual Agency Summit, including agenda development and content curation.
• Lead capabilities-building moments (Capablities Webcasts, Feel Good Marketing Awards).
• Support markets with creative programs and workshops to elevate work and build capability.
• Own and evolve visual identity standards for global consistency across channels and markets.
• Strengthen creative workflows with simple frameworks, guidance, and feedback loops.

Skills

Creative leadership

Design literacy

Global/ matrix organization

Agency relationship management

Stakeholder alignment

Strong communication

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

Department Overview

The Senior Director, Creative & Design will set the creative ambition for McDonald’s most critical brand programs—helping big ideas take shape, raising the bar on craft, and ensuring the brand shows up with consistency and distinction around the world. This leader partners closely with brand strategy, agency teams, and markets to guide creative development, strengthen capabilities, and protect the visual identity of the brand.

Why Join This Team

• Global impact — Our work sets the tone for markets around the world, influencing how millions of people experience the brand every day.
• Creative stewardship — We’re the guardians of the brand’s identity, ensuring every message, design, and experience feels unmistakably “us.”
• Cross-functional collaboration — Partner with Digital, Menu, Comms, Operations, and agencies to bring big ideas to life.
• Campaign leadership — Drive global campaigns that inspire markets and spark cultural conversation.
• End-to-end influence — Shape the creative expression behind product launches, restaurant experiences, and digital innovations.

Duties

• Provide thought leadership on big ideas for critical brand programs and real-time cultural moments—shaping concepts early and guiding work toward breakthrough creative.
• Lead top-to-top Creative Reviews across key agency partners, ensuring clear direction and an uncompromising bar for craft.
• Lead the annual Agency Summit, including agenda development, content curation and facilitation to strengthen shared ambition and creative output.
• Lead capabilities-building moments, including Capabilities Webcasts and the Feel Good Marketing Awards—recognizing great work and raising creative standards across the system.
• Support select markets with creative programs and workshops, bringing guidance where markets need help elevating work and building capability.
• Own and evolve visual identity standards, ensuring global consistency and enabling teams to apply the system with clarity across channels and markets.
• Strengthen creative ways of working by building simple frameworks, guidance and feedback loops that help teams move faster while improving the work.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in creative leadership, design, and/or integrated marketing
• A strong creative point of view with high standards for craft and the ability to elevate ideas through clear feedback
• Experience leading senior-level agency relationships, including top-to-top reviews and stakeholder alignment
• Ability to build and lead communities—facilitating summits, workshops, and capability-building moments
• Strong design literacy and experience owning or governing a visual identity system across channels
• Clear communication with influence across a global, matrixed organization

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $208k-$260k 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.