Sr Director, Enterprise Architecture
Mcdonalds
Chicago, IL · Posted October 28, 2026
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Where Chicago, IL ranks
Where Chicago, IL placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Best cities for government pay after cost of living$146k · of 18
- #1Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the Midwest684 jobs · of 51
- #1Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the Great Lakes684 jobs · of 36
- #1Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Midwest1,140 openings · of 59
- #1Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Great Lakes1,140 openings · of 48
- #1Best all-round cities for mid-career professionals in the Midwest80 / 100 · of 20
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
Pay compared with the market
This listing does not state pay. Across 32 open sr director listings that state pay, the middle half runs $217,000 to $289,500 and the median is $240,500.
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Among computer and information systems managers, AI is already used for some of the tasks. Measured exposure for computer and information systems managers: 16% (some).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Mcdonalds has filed one layoff notice in the last twelve months, covering 2 workers, most recently June 2026. These are public filings with state labor departments, and an open role can sit alongside them. See the filings
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About the job
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
The Senior Director of Enterprise Architecture helps guide the enterprise, proactively and holistically, through transformation and optimization initiatives, supporting the formulation and realization of digital and technology strategy and driving innovation opportunities. The scope of activities includes enabling the organization to achieve targeted business outcomes that support enterprise and C-suite priorities for growing revenue, optimizing costs and mitigating risks. They focus on building relationships with business and IT stakeholders, communicating the value of enterprise architecture (EA) and the services it offers, ensuring ongoing satisfaction with EA services and performance, and shaping and guiding the delivery of EA’s services.
As the Senior Director of Enterprise Architecture, you will shape the future technology landscape of a global brand. You will lead a high-performing team of enterprise architects to mature the EA practice into a highly collaborative, agile, internal consultancy.
This role requires a visionary leader who can operate comfortably at the intersection of business strategy and deep technical execution. You will establish a clear, modern EA vision that empowers engineering teams, simplifies complex legacy ecosystems, and ensures our technology foundations are resilient, scalable, and cost-efficient.
Duties
Lead Enterprise Architecture Practice
Represent the architecture function in executive-level discussions, translating technical strategy into business value and risk implications.
Lead the enterprise-wide architecture governance to ensure the alignment to McDonald’s tech standards and target states while driving cross-functional collaboration.
Mature EA into an internal consultancy offering agile, stakeholder-aligned services.
Set the vision, strategy and roadmap for the enterprise architecture function, in alignment with relevant stakeholders.
Manage EA resources (e.g., budget, including tooling, training, and staffing investments), and ensure governance and compliance.
Provide coaching to develop a skilled EA team, fostering both technical depth / subject matter expertise, and soft skills (behavioral competencies) necessary to influence without direct authority
Mentor and develop future leaders within the organization, creating pathways for internal growth
Identify and develop future leaders in the organization, creating pathways for internal growth.
Build a culture of accountability, setting clear expectations and empowering team members to make sound decisions independently.
Shape and Guide Business Strategy
Analyze market trends, disruptive forces, and financial levers to inform strategy.
Develop future- and current-state models to support strategic decision-making.
Bridge Strategy and Execution
Align business and IT through technology-enabled business models and roadmaps.
Address execution challenges while balancing innovation and growth.
Drive Innovation and Emerging Technology Adoption
Identify and assess disruptive technologies and innovation opportunities.
Provide actionable insights and manage innovation execution using agile methods.
Strengthen Business Engagement
Act as a trusted advisor to business leaders on technology investments.
Develop consumable, timely architecture guidance to support strategic decisions.
Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder alignment.
Emerging Tech & AI Adoption
Lead the evalutation and strategic adoption of disruptive technologies, including Generative AI, machine learning, and advanced data paradigms. Establish safe, ethical, and scalable frameworks for AI implementation.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, system analysis or a related field of study, or equivalent experience.
Professional Experience:
15+ years of progressive technology experience, with at least 8+ years in a senior leadership role guiding enterprise-level architecture, strategic planning, or platform engineering in a global, highly distributed environment.
Proven track record of successfully driving large-scale digital transformation, legacy modernization, or cloud migration initiatives.
Technical Depth:
Multidisciplinary experience spanning at least three key areas: Business/Enterprise Architecture, Solution/Technical Architecture, Cloud Platforms (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), Data/Analytics Engineering, or DevSecOps.
Hands-on familiarity with modern tech stacks, API-led connectivity, microservices architectures, and data mesh principles.
Leadership & Influence: Outstanding capability to lead, inspire, and influence without direct authority. Proven success in navigating highly matrixed, global organizational structures with multiple regional and franchise stakeholders..
Compensation
Bonus Eligible: Yes
Long - Term Incentive: Yes
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Salary Range
The expected salary range for this role is $219,522-$274,403 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 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.