Software Development Engineer Intern

McDonald's Corporation • Chicago, IL

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Software Development Engineer Intern will join McDonald’s Commercial Products & Platforms organization, which develops global technology products and platforms for customers and restaurant crews. After initial training, the intern will join a full-time team and may work in frontend development, digital backend systems, restaurant technology, or a related area. The internship offers a flexible work environment and includes opportunities to learn about the business, participate in summer events and learning sessions, and gain early access to full-time post-graduation opportunities.

The internship is based at McDonald’s global headquarters in downtown Chicago. Interns must be willing to relocate to the Chicagoland area for the program if applicable. The 10-week internship runs June 7, 2027 through August 13, 2027, Monday through Friday, and pays $32 per hour. A housing stipend is offered, and interns are eligible to participate in the Summer Hours program. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States and must not require visa sponsorship for the internship or future employment.

Requirements

• Be a junior working toward a bachelor's degree, with an expected graduation date in Fall 2027 or Spring 2028.
• Be pursuing a technology-related degree; preferred majors include Computer Science, Computer Programming, CIS, or Computer Engineering.
• Be proficient in leveraging AI to solve engineering and non-engineering problems.
• Have programming experience in at least one modern language such as Java, Python, C++, or C#, including object-oriented design.
• Have experience with optimization mathematics, such as linear programming and nonlinear optimization.
• Have strong analytical skills, including the ability to work with data, identify trends and patterns, and translate findings into actionable technical solutions.
• Adapt strong communication skills to the audience.
• Be committed to a culture of inclusiveness.
• Be authorized to work in the U.S. without requiring visa sponsorship for the internship or future employment.
• Work full time Monday through Friday throughout the 10-week internship.
• Be willing to relocate to the Chicagoland area for the internship, if applicable.

Nice To Haves

• Involvement in campus organizations, leadership positions, or work experience in technology-related roles.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on, design, and bring innovative products and services to market.
• Design and build technologies in a large, distributed computing environment and help advance the industry.
• Create solutions for running predictions on distributed systems.
• Build scalable, fault-tolerant, low-cost, and easy-to-manage distributed storage, indexing, and query systems.
• Design and code solutions to broadly defined problems.
• Work in an agile environment to deliver high-quality software.
• Contribute to product features from beginning to end.
• Design, implement, test, deploy, and maintain software solutions that improve service performance, durability, cost, and security.
• Work in a startup-like development environment, focusing on meaningful priorities.

Benefits

• Housing stipend
• Eligibility for the Summer Hours program
• Health and welfare benefits, including medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental, and vision coverage
• Life insurance
• Flexible work arrangements
• Sabbatical program
• Tuition assistance

What This Job Offers

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