McDonald's has been operating in the UK since 1974 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The company currently runs over 1,450 restaurants across the UK and Ireland, serving almost four million customers each day.
As one of the UK's largest private sector employers, McDonald's employs over 177,000 people.
The company has a proven track record of investing in employee development and offering flexibility as part of its commitment to being a modern and progressive business.
Every year, McDonald's invests over £40 million in developing its employees, giving them the opportunity to participate in structured training.
McDonald's sources ingredients from over 23,000 British and Irish farmers and spends over £1.1 billion annually on food and packaging requirements.
The company is committed to supporting British and Irish farmers to ensure it can continue to source many of its ingredients from the UK and Ireland.
As a market leader, McDonald's strives for the highest standards of quality, speed, and restaurant experience.
The company's re-generation of its restaurant infrastructure, including digital ordering, re-imaging, and dual-point service, makes working at McDonald's more exciting than ever.
McDonald's is dedicated to using its scale for good: good for people, its industry, and the planet.
The company undertakes bold recycling initiatives and sustainable sourcing efforts, as well as partnering with Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Company Vision and Culture
McDonald's global vision is to build a better brand, and in the UK and Ireland, it aims to be the country's best-loved restaurant company.
The company's culture shapes and informs everything it thinks and does.
Its values drive the culture and influence the way employees interact with each other, customers, franchisees, and suppliers.
The company's five core values are:
* Serve: We put our customers and 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.
The Opportunity
A key role within the McDonald's UK and Ireland Impact (Corporate Affairs) department, we are recruiting for a Communications Manager for Ireland and Northern Ireland to join the team, ideally based in Dublin.
This diverse role spans corporate, consumer, and local PR, including influencer engagement.
The ideal candidate will have a strong knowledge and understanding of the external media landscape in Ireland.
They will be comfortable delivering communications supporting corporate announcements, such as new store openings, as well as consumer communications, like new menu items and activations.
The role leads the creation and delivery of the communications plan in Ireland, working closely to align with the strategy created at a central level.
Experience working with marketing teams and understanding the value that PR can bring alongside and as part of marketing activations is essential.
The successful candidate will be agile, brilliant at building and maintaining relationships, and ideally have experience managing agencies.
They will actively partner with franchisees and suppliers to bring to life their stories at a community level and build positive relationships with journalists.
Accountabilities
The Communications Manager for Ireland and Northern Ireland will be responsible for:
* Developing and owning the communications plan for Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, aligned to the wider communications plan and business objectives.
* Working closely with the Head of Impact & Communications (Consumer and Corporate), Head of Government Relations, Head of Marketing, and wider Impact team to bring to life an ambitious plan for Ireland.
* Partnering with, advising, and providing hands-on support to franchisees on their local engagement plans.
* Supporting the company's business strategy, including growth plans, with communications support and local engagement for new restaurant applications, openings, and extended hours licensing applications.
* Creating briefing documents and messaging for internal stakeholders.
* Working with ROI and NI agencies to ensure timely, relevant, and tailored expertise and activation in support of all activities.
* Developing news and content that informs a range of key audiences.
* Supporting the press office function and leading on reactive media enquiries relating to ROI and NI, including out-of-hours support.
* Strong written and presentation skills are essential.
A full Driving Licence is essential, as there will be regular travel across Ireland. A willingness to travel to the UK once a month for wider department meetings/business needs is also required.
Team and Customers
The Communications Manager for Ireland and Northern Ireland will be part of the Impact (Corporate Affairs) department and will work closely with:
* Franchisees, Restaurant Managers, and Operations.
* Communications agencies.
* Office and field-based departments.
* Elected representatives.
* Media and social influencers.
Their customers will include:
* Franchisees, Restaurant Managers, and Operations.
* Communications agencies.
* Office and field-based departments.
* Media and social influencers.
Qualifications
To be considered for this role, you will need:
* Experience working in a communications role in Ireland, either in agency or in-house, working for big brands – ideally with an understanding of the hospitality/food and drink industries.
* Experience in drafting materials for press, organizing and running events, budget management, and agency management.
* Issues management as well as proactive media relations experience.
* An understanding of social media and influencers, working with talent and agents.
* Proven media and stakeholder relationships across Ireland.
* The ability to adapt quickly and easily to new or changing conditions.
Additional Information
At McDonald's, we are proud to be a People from All Walks of Life company.
We believe that people are at the heart of everything we do and make the McDonald's experience.
We 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.