Manager, Public Policy & Stakeholder Engagement

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 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 planet. We also offer a broad range of outstanding benefits including a sabbatical program, tuition assistance and flexible work arrangements.

We are enjoying the flexibility of a hybrid work model, in which employees spend part of their week connecting with co-workers in our state-of-the-art headquarters. Located in the booming West Loop of downtown Chicago, it's set up to be a global hub that cultivates collaboration:

• Take a class at Hamburger University
• Sample future items in our Test Kitchen
• Utilize the latest technology to connect with your team around the globe

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.

Job Description

The Manager of Public Policy & Stakeholder Engagement is a subject matter expert in public policy, supports policy development, and advises different areas of the business on diverse issue areas across People and Planet. The Manager will also drive strategy and collaboration by implementing stakeholder engagement plans, formulating risk assessments, coordinating engagement, and gathering insights from stakeholders to shape global advocacy and develop policy positions. The Manager will play a key role in advising stakeholders across the enterprise, including the global Government Relations teams, to support key business priorities and manage and monitor regulatory and legislative risks.

Job Responsibilities

• Act as a public policy SME and strategic advisor on public policy trends by gathering, monitoring, and analyzing external public trend information to provide insights and timely reports back to the business to facilitate decision-making conversations on both internal policy development and public positioning
• Coordinate with internal subject matter experts to support the development of policy positions on key priority areas in People and Planet
• Cultivate trusted partnerships to advance policy priorities and strengthen cross-functional collaboration
• Develop customized tools and resources that foster alignment and coordination of messages across a broader cross-section of McDonald’s stakeholders and communities
• Lead stakeholder engagement, including managing and responding efficiently and effectively to incoming requests from stakeholders, engage with national and international trade groups and coalitions to understand business approaches and opportunities on key issue areas, and provide company with external insight into public policy approaches
• Support implementation of new projects and initiatives, as directed

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree preferred; or, equivalent work experience
• Knowledge of and interest in global policy, legislative and regulatory issues, and NGO landscape
• Excellent communication, writing, and organizational skills, including ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment and hit deadlines
• Proven ability to adapt quickly to a fast-paced environment and support multiple high priority work streams with ambiguous or undefined parameters (pilots, sprints, etc.)
• Self-starter with a bias towards action and focus on delivering quality results
• Effective and nimble collaborator who will work cross-functionally with different levels of leadership, teams, geographies, and global time zones
• Strong project management skills and experience managing global partner relationships, SMEs, and cross-functional partners
• Confidence to engage across all levels of the business and influence without authority while exercising sound judgement and strengthening trust through transparency and accountability
• Professional communicator, experience with stakeholder engagement activities
• Relationship building skills internally and externally, strong ambassador outside of the company

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience as a policy professional within a global corporation, NGO or government agency on the issues within Sustainability, Climate, Animal Health, and Food & Nutrition
• Demonstrated leadership role, within industry working groups, and a strong and established stakeholder network
• Experience advocating or lobbying to organizations such as the UN, EU government, US federal government, trade association or policy think tank preferred
• Advanced degree in Public Policy, Government, or related field

Additional Information

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 mcdhrbenefits@us.mcd.com. 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.