Software Development Manager - Release Management

McDonald's Corporation•Chicago, IL

87d

About The Position

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 OverviewThe Software Development Manager – Release Management at McDonald's leads best-in-class software release activities across multiple product lines. This role suits a proactive, self-motivated individual who works well with multi-functional teams and focuses on operational efficiency. As a key member of our release management team, you will guide Release Managers and Defect Managers. You will also collaborate with Test Leads, handle sprint and release close-out tasks, and lead special projects to update release processes. You will evaluate, develop, and grow talent within the Release Management and Defect Management teams. If you excel in rigorously leading important metrics, coordinating with vendors, and driving detailed execution, this is the perfect opportunity for you!

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
More than 5 years of experience in software development, release management, DevOps, or comparable technical leadership positions.
More than 2 years of experience managing people, including proven ability in assessing and developing talent.
Strong understanding of SDLC, Agile practices, defect lifecycles, and release governance.
Experience collaborating with external vendors, offshore personnel, and extensive multi-functional groups.
Excellent communication, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities.
Ability to lead teams in fast-paced, high-complexity environments.

Nice To Haves

Experience in large enterprise, multi-platform, or high-transaction environments.
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps tooling, cloud environments, and automation frameworks.
Experience leading distributed global teams.
History of using important metrics and analytics to drive continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the full release lifecycle, ensuring planning, validation, documentation, communication, and deployment are accomplished effectively.
Guide and support Release Coordinators and Defect Coordinators, including assessing performance and encouraging talent through structured mentoring and development plans.
Maintain release calendars, deployment timelines, readiness assessments, and governance compliance.
Guide sprint and product launch wrap-up ceremonies, including: Scope completion validation Defect review and prioritization Documentation of risks and known issues
Multi-functional communication of results
Drive post-release retrospectives and follow-up on improvement actions.
Coordinate defect triage, prioritization, assignment, and root-cause analysis.
Ensure consistent defect lifecycle processes and strong RCA documentation.
Partner with engineering to drive defect burn-down and long-term product stability.
Collaborate alongside Test Leads to ensure accurate implementation of testing strategies, regression plans, and acceptance criteria.
Ensure releases meet performance, accessibility, security, and functional quality gates.
Advance risks or quality concerns proactively and openly.
Coordinate special projects including: Tooling and automation improvements Process and governance modernization Reporting and analytics improvements Pilot rollout frameworks and enablement strategies
Collaborate across departments including the project management office dedicated to solution preparation, Engineering, Product, and Ops.
Partner with senior leadership to define release adoption strategies and operational readiness plans.
Develop, track, and report benchmarks measuring release predictability, defect leakage, cycle time, MTTR, testing compliance, and overall release quality.
Use data-driven insights to improve processes and elevate team performance.
Maintain clear dashboards and operational reporting.
Collaborate closely with Engineering, Product, PMO, Solution Readiness, Operations, and partner teams.
Coordinate interactions and teamwork involving outside vendors to make sure work corresponds with release deadlines.
Collaborate optimally with offshore teams, ensuring alignment across time zones, clear communication, and consistent execution.
Facilitate release readiness reviews, dependency alignment, and cross-team planning sessions.