Manager, Operations

Department Overview

This 2-year secondment is based in East Finchley, with time spent regionally as required. The purpose of this role is to lead the team responsible for translating business strategy into operationally deliverable solutions in restaurants. You will shape how major initiatives are prioritised, simplified and deployed across the UK & Ireland, ensuring operational excellence is protected at all times. With primary responsibility areas covering Operations PACE, NABIT and the Gold Standard deployment of our menu and marketing strategies, this role requires strong operational judgement, and the ability to influence and build trust with stakeholders across the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership in developing and continually improving operational procedures, communicating changes and improvements.
• Work in partnership with other departments, providing guidance and direction to develop proactive operational solutions and new ways of thinking to enable the implementation of our Menu Strategy and Marketing Calendar.
• Establish ways of driving Simplification, with a restaurant and customer-led mindset.
• Adapt your style to work effectively with a wide range of audiences, including restaurant teams and Franchisees, to senior leaders and global partners.

Duties

• Lead the Gold Standard Localisation & Deployment team within National Operations, setting clear priorities and direction aligned to business strategy.
• Develop the team through effective coaching, feedback, recognition and succession planning.
• Provide leadership in the delivery of major business initiatives, ensuring complexity is mitigated and initiatives are operationally deliverable in restaurants, and that deployments land in restaurants in the most effective way.
• Shape and continuously evolve the UK&I’s Operations PACE strategy, ensuring PACE is used to its full potential to drive operational consistency.
• Set clear team goals and ensuring individual objectives are aligned, regularly reviewed and linked to business outcomes.
• Translate Franchisee and field feedback into practical improvements, influencing central priorities where required.

Qualifications

• Candidates should be comfortable working in a fast-paced operations-focused environment and demonstrate a genuine desire to learn.
• A high level of McDonald’s operations knowledge, including Operations PACE and NABIT, is desirable.
• As a large part of the role involves working cross functionally, candidates should possess strong negotiation and leadership skills, as well as being able to influence others, synthesise information quickly and work to deadlines.
• Travel around the UK & Ireland market to attend meetings and conduct restaurant visits is part of the role, and therefore candidates should have a valid full Driving Licence.

Attributes

• Ability to quickly forge genuine and collaborative relationships with stakeholders.
• Work with energy, empathy and passion and can inspire the same in others.
• Excellent listening and negotiation skills.
• A passion for learning and comfortable to challenge your own and others status quo.
• Strong communications skills, both verbal and written.
• Computer literate with a good understanding of Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word.
• Appreciation of the needs of differing audiences (restaurants, operations and office hierarchy, franchisees, suppliers, global system).
• Good organisational skills – ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities.
• Ability to assess and prioritise workstreams.
• Ability to identify various solutions for problems and present options to the business.
• Comfortable working in a busy environment and remaining calm under pressure.
• Ability to bring an operational perspective to the discussion.
• High degree of self-motivation.
• Ability to work to tight time scales, and to respond to unforeseen changes.
• Flexible approach to travel and restaurant visits.
• Previous experience working cross functionally is essential.