Sr Manager, Machine Learning Engineering at McDonald's: Lead AI Innovation for Global Impact

Are you a visionary Machine Learning Engineer ready to transform how the world's largest quick-service restaurant chain leverages AI? McDonald's is hiring a Sr Manager, Machine Learning Engineering to spearhead cutting-edge ML solutions that power real-time insights, optimize operations, and elevate customer experiences across 100+ countries. This senior-level role offers the chance to work on massive-scale data platforms, deploy production-grade AI models, and drive business growth for a brand serving 70 million customers daily.

Why Join McDonald's Enterprise Data, Analytics, and AI (EDAA) Team?

McDonald's isn't just building restaurants—it's engineering the future of global hospitality through advanced data platforms. Our EDAA team is scaling cloud-native infrastructure that delivers real-time, actionable insights to enhance every aspect of our operations. From predictive demand forecasting to personalized customer recommendations, your ML expertise will directly impact billions in revenue and millions of daily customer interactions.

As a Senior Machine Learning Engineering Manager, you'll lead the design, development, and deployment of scalable ML/AI solutions. This isn't theoretical research—it's hands-on engineering that turns complex business challenges into production-ready systems. Collaborate with world-class data scientists, product managers, and platform engineers to bring generative AI, deep learning, and agentic frameworks to life.

Key Responsibilities: What You'll Actually Do Daily

Your role demands technical mastery and strategic thinking. Here's what success looks like:

• Partner directly with business leaders to translate operational challenges into ML opportunities—like optimizing supply chain forecasting or personalizing drive-thru experiences.
• Lead exploratory data analysis across petabyte-scale datasets, uncovering insights that drive multimillion-dollar decisions.
• Architect end-to-end ML pipelines using modern stacks: Apache Airflow for orchestration, Kubeflow for workflows, and MLflow for experiment tracking.
• Deploy models that handle 70M+ daily transactions with sub-second latency using Kafka streams and serverless inference.
• Champion MLOps best practices: automated retraining, drift detection, A/B testing frameworks, and golden path deployment processes.

Expect to dive deep into advanced techniques—transformers for NLP-based menu recommendations, diffusion models for generative content, and reinforcement learning for dynamic pricing optimization.

Required Skills and Qualifications for ML Engineering Success

This isn't an entry-level role. We're seeking battle-tested engineers who thrive in ambiguity:

• 7+ years building production ML systems, preferably in high-velocity consumer environments
• Mastery of Python, TensorFlow/PyTorch, and production ML frameworks
• Hands-on experience with cloud ML platforms (SageMaker, Vertex AI, Databricks)
• Proven ability to optimize models for cost, latency, and accuracy at enterprise scale
• Strong systems thinking: you've built data platforms that serve millions of predictions daily

McDonald's Unmatched Compensation and Career Growth

Joining McDonald's means more than a paycheck. Our total rewards package reflects our position as a Fortune 100 employer:

• Salary Range: $180K-$250K base + bonus + equity
• Sabbatical after 5 years—take extended time to recharge or pursue passions
• Tuition reimbursement up to $10K annually for advanced degrees/certifications
• Flexible hybrid/remote work across major US hubs (Chicago HQ, NYC, SF, Austin)
• Global impact: Work on systems serving 39,000+ restaurants worldwide

The Technical Stack: Tools That Power Global Scale

Work with enterprise-grade technology that handles extreme scale:

• ML Platform: Kubeflow, MLflow, Weights & Biases
• Cloud: GCP/AWS multi-cloud with BigQuery/Snowflake
• Orchestration: Airflow, Prefect, Kubernetes
• Streaming: Kafka, Flink for real-time ML
• Serving: Seldon, KServe, Triton Inference Server

Career Trajectory: From Senior Manager to AI Leadership

This role is a launchpad to VP-level AI leadership. High performers advance to lead global AI platforms or become Chief Data Officers for major markets. McDonald's invests heavily in your growth—internal mobility across 100+ countries, executive leadership programs, and direct access to C-suite stakeholders.

Real Impact: ML at McDonald's Changes the World

Your models won't gather dust in Jupyter notebooks. They'll optimize crew scheduling during peak hours, predict ingredient demand to reduce waste, and personalize offers that boost customer loyalty. This is ML engineering with purpose—leveraging McDonald's unmatched scale for positive global impact.

Ready to Build the Future of Fast Food? Apply Today

McDonald's is scaling aggressively. We need Senior Machine Learning Engineers who can move fast without breaking things. If you've deployed ML systems that power millions of users and crave global impact, this is your opportunity. Join the team redefining how 70 million people eat every day.

Locations: Chicago, IL (HQ) | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA | Austin, TX | Remote-friendly

Apply now and lead AI innovation at the world's most iconic brand. Your code will serve billions.