Company Description:
McDonald’s has run its business in the UK since 1974 and currently operates over 1500 restaurants across the UK and Ireland, serving almost four million customers each day. McDonald’s is one of the UK’s largest private sector employers, employing over 170,000 people.
Hybrid Working
This role is based in our East Finchley office working 3 days in the office and 2 days remotely.
Job Description:
The Opportunity
With over 1,500 restaurants across the UK & Ireland, how we engage with our stakeholders (locally and nationally) is a priority - both in supporting our franchisees and restaurants to do so, as well as at a McDonald’s Restaurants Limited level.
This role is designed to work closely with the Head of Government Relations, working in partnership to devise and execute a strategic engagement plan that builds trust with a new political elite across all nations and regions in the UK & Ireland and, critically, influences and shapes the external policy agenda.
You will have a degree of responsibility for the work of other members of the team (a Government Relations Officer) as well as oversight of the day-to-day work of our external consultants & advisors (we currently work with several agency partners).
In your role, you will engage with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders and be required to represent both the Impact department and the Brand with others across the industry. A key part of the job will be to advocate for the brand externally while bringing insights & expertise to share internally to help the brand understand and navigate its external landscape. At times you will be required to work with global counterparts across the Global Impact Team.
You will be passionate about politics and have the ambition to tell a top-down and bottom-up story about McDonald’s with national regional stakeholders. You will act as a representative of the business with political stakeholders and our trade membership bodies, as well as advising and guiding senior spokespeople across the business (from the Senior Leadership Team, to Department Heads to our franchisees).
What will my accountabilities be?
* Policy Advocacy: Monitor, analyse, and influence public policy and regulatory developments affecting the foodservice industry. Drafting senior level briefings and presentations for internal and external audiences will be a requirement.
* Sustainability & Environment / Packaging & Waste: A core part of this role will be working closely with our Supply Chain team and taking a lead on the packaging & waste agenda including issues like Deposit Return Schemes (DRS), Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and single-use packaging taxes.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with government officials, industry associations, and other stakeholders. Representing McDonald’s at key meetings with trade bodies, parliamentarians and policy-makers.
* Communication: Represent McDonald's in meetings with policymakers, industry groups, and other stakeholders. Prepare briefing materials, position papers, and other communication tools.
* Press Office support: Assist in managing government relations and media enquiries, including during out of hours and at weekends at certain times.
What Team will I be a part of?
You will be part of the Impact (Corporate Affairs) team.
Who are my customers?
* The wider department: reporting into Head of Government Relations, working alongside Government Relations Consultant and Government Relations Officer, and the wider comms team.
* Internal audiences: working with a range of departments across the business as well as franchisees and restaurant teams.
* External audiences: stakeholders and agencies.
Qualifications:
What background do I need to have?
Experience
* Must have experience in government relations, public affairs, or a related field - this could be an agency role, a political role or a combination of the two.
* An understanding of key issues impacting the food & hospitality industry is beneficial.
* A good network across Westminster or policy-focused positions.
Skills
* Strong understanding of the political and regulatory landscape in the UK & Ireland.
* Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
* Ability to analyse complex policy issues and develop strategic responses.
* Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders - internal and external.
* Strong organisation and project management skills.
* Ability to lead projects and work both individually and as part of a team.
Additional Information:
Company Vision and Culture
Our Global vision is to build a better McDonald’s and in the UK and Ireland we are working hard to be the UK & Irelands best-loved restaurant company.
McDonald’s is defined by its culture. Our culture shapes and informs everything we think and everything we do. Our culture influences the way we interact with each other, and how we interact with customers, franchisees and suppliers. Our culture motivates and inspires us to attract and retain great talent, creating a positive, energising, exceptional working environment for us all.
Our values drive our culture and shape our beliefs, our priorities and our actions. They influence the decisions we make, how we treat one another and how we show up as a brand to the world.
Serve: We put our customers and our people first
Inclusion: We open our doors to everyone
Integrity: We do the right thing
Community: We are good neighbours
Family: We get better together
At McDonald’s we are People from all Walks of Life...
People are at the heart of everything we do, and they make the McDonald’s experience. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture that means people can be their best authentic self in our restaurants and offices, which helps us to better serve our customers. We have a strong heritage of diversity and representation within our communities, which we are proud of. The diversity of our people, customers, Franchisees and suppliers gives us strength.
We do not tolerate inequality, injustice or discrimination of any kind. These are hugely important issues and a brand with our reach and relevance means we have a very meaningful role to play.
We also recognise our responsibility as a large employer to continue being active in our communities, helping to develop skills and drive aspirations that will help people to be more aware of the world of work and more successful within it, whether with McDonald’s or elsewhere.
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