Director, Corporate People Partner

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

Department Overview

We are looking for a Director, People Partner to join the Global People Partner team and serve as the lead People Partner for our Global Marketing Organization. This role partners closely with Global Marketing leaders and key People Team stakeholders to translate business priorities into an integrated people strategy spanning organization design, leadership and talent, change management, engagement, and culture. The Director, People Partner brings strong consulting skills, executive presence, and data-driven insight to anticipate business needs, surface risks and opportunities, and ensure leaders have the capabilities and plans required to deliver results.

This role will report to the Vice President, People Partner and have one direct report.

Duties

• Partner with Global Marketing leaders to develop and execute the function’s people strategy in alignment with enterprise priorities, ensuring the organization is structured, skilled, and staffed to deliver business outcomes.

• Serve as a trusted advisor and coach to senior leaders, providing guidance on organizational effectiveness, leader capability, performance, and employee relations to accelerate results and strengthen culture.

• Translate evolving business requirements into workforce, talent, and capability plans; identify gaps and people-related risks and drive mitigation actions in partnership with People Solutions.

• Lead core talent processes for Global Marketing (e.g., goal and development planning, succession planning, performance and year-end cycles), including calibration and leader enablement, ensuring consistent, equitable outcomes.

• Act as the primary point of integration between Global Marketing, the Global People Partner team, and People Solutions—bringing the voice of the function to enterprise programming and ensuring effective adoption of policies and initiatives.

• Partner with Org Design, Talent Attraction, Total Rewards, and other People Solutions partners on role design and leveling, selection and assessment, pay and recognition guidance, and retention strategies for critical talent.

• Leverage people analytics and external benchmarks to provide actionable insights on organization health, engagement, and talent trends; use data to influence decisions and improve people practices.

• Drive change management for Global Marketing (e.g., org changes, operating model shifts, enterprise program rollouts), including stakeholder alignment, communications, and leader readiness.

• Provide guidance and oversight for complex employee relations matters, partnering with Legal and Market People Partners as needed to ensure appropriate, consistent outcomes.

• Develop client-ready narratives, presentations, and communications that simplify complex topics and enable leaders to make clear, timely decisions.

• Lead and/or mentor across special projects within the People Partner team; influence through a matrix, aligning partners and resources to deliver outcomes on time and with high quality.

Qualifications

• Significant experience (10+ years) in HR business partnering / HR leadership roles, with demonstrated impact advising senior leaders in a complex, matrixed environment

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree and/or HR certifications (e.g., SPHR/SHRM-SCP) preferred

• Experience leading large, complex programs and influencing outcomes through cross-functional and matrixed teams

• Executive coaching and/or internal/external consulting experience, with strong judgment and the ability to navigate ambiguity

• Deep understanding and experience translating business strategy and operating model changes into people strategies (organization design, talent, culture, and change)

• Strong strategic thinking and prioritization skills; ability to move between strategy and execution across multiple concurrent priorities

• Strong data literacy: ability to use people analytics, benchmarks, and workforce insights to diagnose issues, shape recommendations, and measure impact

• Outstanding communication and executive presence, with the ability to influence at all levels and tailor messaging to diverse audiences

• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships, challenge constructively, and drive alignment across stakeholders with competing priorities

• Strong change management, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills; able to lead leaders through transitions and sustain adoption

• Proven capability developing leaders and teams, including succession planning and leadership development outcomes

• Strong proficiency with HR platforms and common productivity tools (Word, PowerPoint, collaboration tools); comfortable creating analyses and executive-level materials (advanced Excel skills preferred)

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $172,417 - $215,522 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. 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 [email protected]. 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.

Requsition ID: 5560