Director, Learning & Development

McDonald's Corporation • Chicago, IL

1d

About The Position

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 Charities 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.
The Director, AI Upskilling, Learning & Development will lead the McDonald’s AI enablement strategy, shaping how employees learn, adopt, and integrate AI into their daily work. This role focuses exclusively on corporate staff, building confidence, practical skills, and habits that enable employees to optimize workflows, improve decision-making, and drive greater efficiency through responsible use of AI.
This leader will set the strategy, design learning experiences, manage enterprise adoption, and measure impact. They will partner closely with Enterprise Data, Analytics & AI (EDAA), Global Technology, Global People, Communications, and Strategy teams to ensure employees at all levels—across global functions and markets—are prepared to thrive in an AI‑enabled workplace.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• 10+ years of experience in Learning & Development, organizational development, digital enablement, or related fields
• Proven success designing and scaling capability-building programs in corporate, global environments
• Strong understanding of AI concepts and business applications (strategic rather than technical depth is acceptable)
• Proven ability to drive technology adoption and behavior change across distinct corporate teams
• Strong communication, facilitation, and customer management skills
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives in a global environment

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in L&D, Organizational Development, Business, or related field.
• Experience in large, complex global organizations.
• Background in transformation, future-of-work strategy, or capability building.
• Familiarity with modern learning technologies, AI-enabled content, and corporate digital tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement McDonald’s corporate AI upskilling and adoption strategy in alignment with enterprise digital and AI priorities.
• Create an AI capability framework and role-based learning pathways tailored to corporate functions (e.g., People, Finance, Marketing, GBS, Legal, Operations, Franchising, Development, Supply Chain, Impact, Technology).
• Define a roadmap of learning experiences that accelerate corporate adoption of AI tools and practices.
• Build the narrative and vision for AI learning across the enterprise, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and alignment with business needs.
• Lead the design of blended learning experiences that help employees optimize work, automate repetitive tasks, improve analytical rigor, and enhance productivity using AI.
• Develop corporate-focused AI curricula including foundational learning, simulations, hands-on workshops, tool playbooks, job aids, and practice communities.
• Ensure learning programs are inclusive, scalable, and aligned with the principles McDonald’s upholds, leadership proficiencies, and responsible AI guidelines.
• Partner with Global Technology and EDAA to embed AI literacy, governance, data privacy, and ethical use principles into learning content.
• Partner with senior leaders, SMEs, and functional COEs to co-create learning solutions and connect AI concepts to real business use cases.
• Collaborate closely with Corporate Communications to build activation campaigns and reinforce adoption.
• Engage market-level corporate teams to understand needs, share standard methodologies, and ensure global applicability.
• Lead strategies that drive sustained behavior change and widespread AI adoption across the enterprise.
• Create activation plans, communication toolkits, and function-specific onboarding experiences to support consistent usage of AI tools.
• Identify and cultivate “AI Champions” to accelerate usage, share success stories, and support peer learning.
• Define KPIs and measurement frameworks to supervise AI learning completion, adoption rates, productivity gains, and business impact.
• Use data insights, user feedback, and behavior metrics to continuously refine and improve AI learning programs.
• Provide clear progress updates and insights to senior leadership.
• Manage external learning partners, content creators, and AI training vendors.
• Ensure partner solutions meet McDonald’s standards for quality, scalability, and responsible AI practices.
• Oversee budgets, contracts, and program timelines related to AI learning initiatives.

Benefits

• 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).
• This position is eligible for a bonus, calculated based on individual and company performance.
• This position is eligible for stock or other equity grants pursuant to McDonald’s long-term incentive plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director