Manager, External Affairs (Impact Communications)

Job Description
We are enhancing the Global Communications function within the Global Impact Team to advance how we tell the incredible stories of our business, brand and impact!
The Manager of External Affairs (Impact Communications) is part of the Global External Affairs team that develops coordinated communications and media engagement strategies to deliver McDonald’s Accelerating the Arches business strategy and strengthen the brand through advocacy and action across the two Impact priorities of People and Planet. The Manager reports to the Senior Manager for Impact Communications. Primary responsibilities include leading media relations, partner engagement and executive insight to advance McDonald’s People & Planet priorities. For Planet, this would include initiatives linked to programs such as net zero, circularity, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and for People this would include programs like diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), employment opportunity, workforce and community efforts.
In addition to following McDonald’s policies and procedures, principal accountabilities include, but are not limited to:
Strategy & Planning
Apply critical thinking & understanding of the internal/external landscape to support the development of coordinated external affairs and media engagement plans that advance and promote McDonald’s Impact agenda.
Help lead third-party relationships with priority NGOs, SMEs, industry, suppliers, and partners as related to projects/initiatives.
Proactive Storytelling & Narrative Management
Use insights and knowledge of business priorities and reporter interests to identify proactive earned media moments and pitch/place breakthrough stories for targeted audiences.
Complete executive visibility and thought leadership plans for Impact-focused moments such as international climate meetings/convenings, ESG breakthroughs, Purpose & Impact Reporting, etc.
Collaborate with Impact peers and cross-functional business partners to implement integrated communications campaigns in support of key business breakthroughs.
Constantly mines for potential news angles and data to support opportunistic storytelling, and maintain McDonald’s corporate narrative related to People & Planet.
Drafts communications materials, including but not limited to: media strategies, key messages, press releases, statements, question and answer documents and owned assets.
Supports reactive media relations and issues management for Impact initiatives, develops risk and leak mitigation strategies to protect the business and/or influence the landscape for optimal storytelling.
Helps establish new and maintain existing media relationships on behalf of McDonald’s.
Cross-Functional Coordination
Collaborates with global and regional/market Impact and communications partners to serve and advance global Impact initiatives.
Connects with cross-functional subject matter authorities in Global People, Sustainability, Menu, Supply Chain and Legal to understand, develop and deploy key elements/messaging of the Impact narrative.