About the Role
We are seeking a Director of People & Culture to help us build an exceptional organization as we grow.
This is a unique leadership opportunity at the intersection of people, culture, leadership development, training, and organizational effectiveness. Working closely with senior company leadership, this individual will help shape the systems, experiences, and leadership practices that enable our people - and our restaurants - to perform at their best.
We are looking for a people-first, business-minded people leader who can build strong relationships, develop talent, translate ideas into action, and help co-create an organization where great people want to build their careers. For an exceptional performer, it also offers a meaningful long-term leadership path: our ambition is to develop this individual into an executive capable of ultimately leading the company's people, training, and culture functions.
What You'll Lead
Culture & Employee Experience
Help define and strengthen the employee experience across our organization. You'll build programs and routines that strengthen connection, recognition, communication, and engagement across our restaurants 0 while ensuring that our culture is something employees experience every day, not simply something we talk about.
Leadership & Talent Development
Build a stronger pipeline of leaders at every level of the organization. You'll partner with restaurant and senior leaders to identify high-potential talent, develop emerging leaders, strengthen coaching and performance management, and create meaningful pathways for employees to grow their careers with the company.
Training & Development
Strengthen how we prepare our people to succeed. Working in close partnership with Operations, you'll help lead our approach to onboarding, restaurant training, management development, and leadership education - building systems that are both effective in our restaurants today and scalable as the company grows.
People Operations
Help build a thoughtful, disciplined people function that supports both our employees and the business. You'll have responsibility across key elements of the employee lifecycle, including recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, policies and practices, benefits, compliance, workforce planning, and people analytics.
Organizational Effectiveness
Help make us a better-run company. You'll work across functions to identify opportunities, solve problems, improve processes, implement new systems, and lead high-priority initiatives from idea through execution.
The common thread is simple: make our organization stronger and make it easier for great people to do great work.
What You Bring
Required
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- Demonstrated success leading people, teams, or significant organizational initiatives
- Strong business judgment and problem-solving ability
- Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Strong organizational skills and consistent follow-through
- Ability to move comfortably between strategic thinking and hands-on execution
- Ability to influence and build credibility across all levels of an organization
- Willingness to spend significant time in our restaurants and remain closely connected to our teams
- Ability to travel regularly throughout our restaurant organization
Strongly Preferred
- McDonald’s experience, particularly within restaurant leadership, People Experience, training, above-store leadership, or an Owner/Operator organization
- Experience developing restaurant managers and General Managers
- Multi-unit restaurant or hospitality leadership experience
- Experience in people leadership, talent development, training, HR, culture, or organizational development
- Familiarity with McDonald’s people, training, and restaurant systems
The Leader We're Looking For
The right person will bring an unusual combination of people orientation, business judgment, energy, and execution.
You're someone who builds trust quickly and genuinely enjoys developing others. You care deeply about culture, but you also understand that strong cultures require clear expectations and accountability.
You're comfortable walking into a restaurant and connecting with a Crew Member, coaching a General Manager, and then sitting down with senior leadership to solve a company-wide organizational challenge.
You're curious. You're highly accountable. You don't need a detailed playbook before taking action. You see opportunities to make things better and naturally take ownership of them.
Most importantly, you're looking for an opportunity to build, not simply administer.
The Opportunity Ahead
We are at a stage where the decisions we make today about our people, leaders, culture, and systems will shape the company we become tomorrow.
This role will have the opportunity to help build that future.
You'll work closely with senior leadership, have meaningful access to the entire organization, and take on increasingly significant responsibility as you demonstrate your capabilities.
We expect the scope of this position to grow alongside the company. Our long-term ambition is to develop the right person into a senior executive capable of leading our people, training, and culture organization.
That progression isn't guaranteed by tenure or title. It will be earned through performance, judgment, leadership, and demonstrated readiness for greater responsibility.
For someone who wants to build a career in people leadership while developing into a broader business executive, this is an opportunity to help shape a company - and grow with it.
Pay: $75,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Raleigh, NC 27601
