Speedee Labs, McDonald’s state-of-the-art innovation hub located at our Global Headquarters in Chicago’s West Loop, drives rapid learning, iteration, and scaling of innovations across the McDonald’s system worldwide. The Lab welcomes Global market leadership teams and innovation teams about 30 weeks per year. Each visit requires structured planning, preparation, and execution. The Speedee Labs Program Manager will play a crucial support role for the Speedee Labs team and all stakeholders engaging with Speedee Labs. This role will leverage and institutionalize program management best practices to help ensure that each visit is organized, efficient, and aligned to intended objectives. The role reports to the Senior Manager of Speedee Labs Engagement and Support and is based in Chicago, IL, at McDonald’s Headquarters (MHQ).
Primary Duties
Workflow Management (35%)
- Ensure planning and preparation for upcoming visits is visible, organized, consistent, and on track to fit specific market and mission needs.
- Align stakeholders and associated team members by ensuring a mutual understanding of expectations for the visit/engagement.
- Own weekly status and agendas with Engagement team, testing managers, analysts, and technology partners as well all necessary stakeholders (i.e. markets, innovation teams, functional partners, SMEs across the business).
- Build and utilize status tracker to set, manage, and proactively adjust key deadlines and turnovers so that timelines are met.
- Document high-level risks, assumptions, and constraints using historical data and expert judgment to understand limitations or risks.
Alignment and SME Support (25%)
- Coordinate and follow-up with market and mission teams to ensure all necessary inputs are received on time and to standards for planning visits.
- Manage all deadlines markets/mission teams need to hit – data, layouts, tech specifications; communicate upfront and send reminders for deadlines, follow-ups, and calendar adjustments as required.
- Work to implement approved actions and workarounds to mitigate risks.
- Coordinate MHQ and Speedee Labs tours for markets as well as SME support for market testing and schedule presentation needs or testing support.
Calendaring (15%)
- Own master calendar for all market touch points; set dates in partnership with test managers.
- Maintain up-to-date tracking of all calendars and workflows for visit planning.
- Balance calendar for Global calls (some morning and evenings) as needed throughout the lifecycle of various engagements with markets around the world.
Budget Management (10%)
- Maintain visibility, tracking and responsibility for Speedee Labs budget, lead all market and mission chargebacks in partnership with Sr. Manager and test leads, support financial projections throughout the year, and support monthly budget review.
Performance Measurement & Tracking (10%)
- Measure program performance using appropriate tools and techniques to monitor the progress of the testing plan, perform any required corrective actions, and communicate to all stakeholders.
- Track Speedee Labs performance KPIs throughout the year (i.e., number of market and missions supported, space utilization, Speedee visitor surveys etc.).
- Manage Speedee Labs user satisfaction survey, distribution of survey, analysis of survey and socialization of results.
- Lead after-action meetings following test visits to identify process improvements.
Toolkit Management (5%)
- Develop, own, and ensure consistent use of core templates, tools, and protocols to be used for all market and mission visits to Speedee Labs.
- Continually evolve the tools and ways of working and spaces to support innovation speed and a dynamic, fun, comfortable environment.
- 2-3 years’ prior corporate and global project management experience required.
- Demonstrates Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Project Management process and tools.
- Experience communicating effectively with multiple stakeholders across functions, cultures, and geographies.
- Strong service orientation, customer obsessed mentality, and ability to establish meaningful relationships with diverse partners.
- Ability to create presentations.
- Ability to work under tight deadlines managing multiple key business priorities.
- Proficiency across Microsoft Office suite.
- Project budget management/costing expertise.
- Ability to solve problems and deal with a variety of work situations.
- Working understanding of restaurant operations.
- Comfort aligning groups on shared priorities.
- Bachelor’s degree in related field required: Project Management Professional (PMP) preferred; Agile Certifications preferred (e.g. PSM, CSM, etc.) or equivalent work experience preferred.
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 [email protected]. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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