Sr Manager, Program Management

McDonald's Corporation•Chicago, IL

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. As the global leader in the foodservice industry, our legacy of innovation and hard work continues to drive us. From drive-thru updates to delivery to mobile order and pay, we are innovating quickly and growing. 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 a positive impact. We lead through our values centered on inclusivity, service, integrity, community, and family. From the 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 the planet. We also offer outstanding benefits including a sabbatical program, tuition assistance, and flexible work arrangements. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to the diversity of our crew members, staff, operators, and suppliers. We promote an inclusive work environment that creates feel-good moments for everyone. We are interested in people who enhance our company culture: Does this role interest you? We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every single requirement! Department OverviewMcDonald’s is one of the most recognized brands in the world, serving 70 million customers daily across more than 100 countries. We operate from a position of global strength, driven by an ambitious growth strategy and a commitment to innovation, customer experience, and operational excellence. Our values—service, integrity, inclusivity, community, and family—guide our actions as we strive to create positive impact across our people, customers, industry, and planet. Our Global Supply Chain (GSC) Digitalization Team is seeking a dynamic and experienced individual to lead the Program Management Office (PMO), driving strategic execution, program governance, and delivery excellence across a diverse portfolio of initiatives. This role is instrumental in aligning transformation efforts with enterprise objectives, enabling operational agility, and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. This role will work cross functionally to ensure digital initiatives are effectively resourced and prioritized across the broader supply chain function. Ideal candidates bring deep experience running complex, multi‑market digital or technology programs and excel at navigating across senior stakeholders, global markets, and cross‑functional teams.

Requirements

8+ years in program management, digital transformation, PMO leadership, change leadership and/or global supply chain operations.
Experience managing large, complex, multi‑market digital or technology programs.
Strong PMO governance expertise (portfolio management, financial oversight, program planning, risk/issue management).
Leadership to support evolution and adoption of modern ways of working and modern portfolio management, including using Agile frameworks like Scrum and SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) as well as tools like Jira, in addition to the traditional PMO tools like Planview and more.
Demonstrated executive presence with ability to influence senior leaders and cross‑functional stakeholders globally.
Familiarity with supply chain systems and digital capabilities
Proactive problem-solving and anticipatory risk awareness
Strong Emotional Intelligence (EQ) with excellence in communications, collaboration, flexibility and adaptability, conflict resolution and mediation skills.
Proactive problem solving and anticipatory risk awareness
Cultural intelligence and global mindset
Strength in mentoring project managers and contractors, nurturing high performance
Resiliency and composure, with ability to maintain clarity, calm and steady leadership during high-pressure moments or rapid change.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or Technology.
Certification in project or portfolio management (PMP, PgMP, Agile/Scrum)

Responsibilities

Lead the Digitalization PMO, owning governance routines, reporting cycles, portfolio health, risk/issue management, and executive‑ready dashboards.
Standardize and continuously improve PMO processes, methodology, templates, and controls to ensure consistent, predictable program delivery across complex multi‑market initiatives.
Govern the global supply chain project portfolio, ensuring initiatives are appropriately scoped, resourced, budgeted, and measured against key performance indicators and risk mitigation goals.
Implement mechanisms to monitor ROI and benefit realization, embedding a culture of learning and process optimization.
Build strong relationships with critical teams within and outside of supply chain - strategy, global technology, finance, etc. —to harmonize planning and delivery processes under a unified operating model such as phase planning.
Mentor/Coach and develop project manager contractors, fostering a high-performance culture centered on execution, transparency, and collaboration.
Manage the multi‑year digitalization portfolio, supported by a tool, including prioritization, sequencing, capacity planning and resource allocation across global programs.
Partner with Finance on budget planning, forecasting, and spend tracking for digitalization initiatives, in line with annual planning cycles.
Support delivery of major strategic programs and global digital tool deployments.
Ensure programs follow disciplined planning, milestones, and delivery cadence, aligned with McDonald’s phase planning processes.
Drive problem‑solving and recovery plans for off‑track programs; escalate critical risks to senior leadership.
Partner with global and market supply chain teams, global technology, data, cyber security, and change management teams to align priorities and ensure smooth implementation.
Facilitate cross‑market collaboration, ensuring markets receive structured enablement and deployment support
Develop program communication strategies, executive updates, and stakeholder narratives for global audiences.
Ensure teams are equipped with toolkits, training paths, and adoption support—leveraging capability partners (comms, training, data, platforms).