Director, Brand Marketing

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

Department Overview

US Marketing —Marketing & Menu Strategy

The Marketing & Menu Strategy teamis responsible fordefining and delivering growth for McDonald’s U.S. businessby leading strategic planning across marketing levers as well asmenu innovationand product developmentacross dayparts and categories.

This role sits at the center of strategy, innovation, and performance for the Breakfast business—one of the most important growth drivers in the U.S. portfolio. The Director will lead both marketing and menu strategy, connecting long-term vision with near-term execution to deliver sustainable growth.

The Role

The Director, US Breakfast Marketing & MenuStrategyis responsible forsetting and delivering the strategic vision for theBreakfastdaypart. This includes leading 3-year and annual planning, driving business performance, and guiding innovation and commercialization efforts.

This leader will manage a team of three andpartnercross-functionally across Strategy & Insights, Culinary, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure an integrated and executable plan. The role reports to the Sr. Director, Marketing & Menu Strategy.

Duties

What You’ll Own

Strategic Planning Leadership

3-Year Strategic Planning

• Partner with Strategy Planning and Calendar teams to define the long-term strategic roadmap for the Breakfast daypart.
• Establish a clear innovation cadence (core extensions, LTOs, and new platforms) required to drive sustained growth.
• Define where and how Breakfast should play to win across occasions, audiences, and menu platforms.

Annual Planning

• Lead development of the annual Breakfast plan, including both on- and off-calendar initiatives to deliver business targets.
• Own the Annual Business Review for Breakfast, including:
  • Consumer insights and problem definition (in partnership with Audience and Insights teams)
  • Identification of key “jobs to be done”
  • Alignment on priority initiatives across Marketing, Menu, Audience, and Insights
• Guide initiative development to support business cases and sizing efforts.
• Ensure seamless integration of plans across cross-functional partners.

Breakfast Daypart Business Leadership

• Own the performance of the Breakfast daypart, ensuring delivery against business targets and growth ambitions.
• Partner with Strategy and Insights on in-year performance narratives and drivers of results.
• Lead mitigation planning to address gaps and maximize opportunities.
• Define performance reporting frameworks (monthly, quarterly, annual) to enable strong decision-making and leadership alignment.

Menu Strategy

• Work on product proposition across positioning, pricing, and menu operations to ensure delivery within consumer expectations, on time and within scope.
• Guide the team in product pipeline development, aligning on approach with Insights and other cross-functional partners, as well as external suppliers and operators.
• Ensure internal and external stakeholders are aligned with the product pipeline approach across functions within and outside of Marketing.

Qualifications

Who You Are

Insight-Led Storyteller
You are fluent in both business and consumer data, and you know how to synthesize it into clear, actionable strategies. Youdon’tjust reportperformance,you define the narrative andidentifywhere to play and how to win.

Strategic Thinker with a Bias for Action
You can zoom out to shape a 3-year vision while also diving in to drive annual plans and in-year performance. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and turning it into focused, executable plans.

Creative Problem Solver
You balance data with instinct and creativity to unlock breakthrough menu and marketing ideas. You challenge conventional thinking and push beyond incremental solutions to drive step-change growth.

Exceptional Cross-Functional Leader
You build strong partnerships across Marketing, Insights, Culinary, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance. You know how toaligndiverse stakeholders, influence without a direct reporting relationship to drive integrated outcomes.

People Leader & Team Builder
You have a proventrack recordof building and developing high-performing teams. You set a high bar, provide clear direction, and actively coach and develop talent to unlock their full potential.

Innovation Mindset with Operational Discipline
You are energized by building product pipelines and bringing ideas to life—but you have re‑ 6/4$### ### ###

Customer-First Orientation
…

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is$178,121.00 -$222,651.00per year
The above represents the expectedsalaryrange for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining yourpay, 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 committed to the diversity of our workforce. 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 View email address on click.appcast.io. 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.