Cybersecurity Intern

Company Description:

McDonald’s is proud to be one of the most recognized brands in the world, with restaurants in over 100 countries that serve 70 million customers daily. As the global leader in the foodservice industry, our legacy of innovation and hard work continues to drive us.

From drive-thru updates to delivery to mobile order and pay, we are innovating quickly and growing. Joining McDonald's means thinking big and preparing for a career that can have influence around the world.

At McDonald’s, we see every day as a chance to create a positive impact. We lead through our values centered on inclusivity, service, integrity, community, and family. From the support of Ronald McDonald House to our Youth Opportunity project and sustainability initiatives, our values keep us dedicated to using our scale for good: good for our customers, people, industry, and the planet. We also offer outstanding benefits including a sabbatical program, tuition assistance, and flexible work arrangements.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to the diversity of our crew members, staff, operators, and suppliers. We promote an inclusive work environment that creates feel-good moments for everyone. We are interested in people who enhance our company culture: Does this role interest you? We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every single requirement!

Department Overview

This opportunity is a part of Global Cyber Security (GCS) that enables McDonald’s to innovate and grow within a clear risk tolerance. GCS focuses on embedding cybersecurity culture into McDonald’s DNA to fortify the system against cyber threats through proactive defense, relentless innovation, and strategic collaboration.

Overview of University Recruiting portion of program

Our robust programming includes a variety of events such as our Executive Speaker Series, Learning Sessions, Peer Lunches, Employee Business Network sessions, and other exciting events happening at MHQ throughout the summer! We designed this internship to provide a smooth transition into McDonald’s so don’t worry - if you bring curiosity and work ethic, we will guide you through everything you need to know about us. In addition, the skills and knowledge you will gain during the internship will set you up for a variety of career paths depending on your interests and strengths. Being a part of the internship program gives you early access to our full-time post-graduation opportunities as well.

• This internship is based out of our global headquarters in Downtown Chicago. You MUST be willing to relocate to the Chicagoland area, if applicable, for the duration of the internship program.
• We do offer a housing stipend.
• You must be authorized to work in the U.S. and not require visa sponsorship for the internship and future employment.
• Our interns work full time, Monday - Friday, during all 10 weeks of the internship (June 7, 2027 - August 13, 2027).
• You will be eligible to participate in our Summer Hours program.
• The internship pays $32/Hr

Duties

After going through initial training, you’ll dive in with your full-time team on real-world cybersecurity challenges and learn the business. For the duration of the internship, you will be able to enjoy a flexible work environment where you can think critically and feed your need (and ours) for innovation. In GCS, your work might involve

• Detecting & Mitigating Threats - Leverage threat intelligence, automation, and analytics to improve security operations, and evaluate security measures through offensive and defensive testing.

• Managing Information and Asset Risks - Assess IT risks to identify issues and work with vendors and service providers to identify exposure to risks based on third-party services.

• Safeguarding & Managing Data - Embed data security into business processes and protect data risks.

• Strengthening Application Security - Evaluate, educate, guide, and streamline processes to mitigate application risks in partnership with development teams.

• Remediating & Preventing Security Exploits - Track the detection and remediation of security exploits in partnership with resource owners across Global Technology to prevent incidents from occurring.

Qualifications

You are a strong candidate if you:

• Are a Junior working toward your Bachelor’s degree with a graduation date in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027

• Are inquisitive and love problem solving with innovative ideas and new approaches

• Take initiatives to apply your learning to deliver high-quality results

• Show the ability to organize and present ideas in a compelling manner

Preferred Qualifications

You may stand out from the rest if you:

• Are pursuing a preferred major including Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Information Security, Computer Science, or other Technology-related degrees
• Completed coursework, academic projects, or other activities related to cybersecurity or a related technical area.

• Have a basic understanding of cybersecurity concepts such as cyber threats, zero trust, authentication & authorization, incident management, risk & compliance, and SecOps
• Have some exposure to tools commonly used in cybersecurity and software development (e.g. Python, Active Directory, various vulnerability scanning tools, JIRA, etc.)
• Have proven leadership experience through internships, student groups, professional organizations, or community involvement

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The Hourly salary range for this role is $32 - $32.

Additional Information:

Benefits eligible: This position offers health and welfare benefits, including but not limited to comprehensive health insurance, which includes medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental and vision coverage, as well as, life insurance.

McDonald’s is an equal opportunity employer. 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.

McDonald’s provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, age, disability status, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, protected military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Nothing in this job posting or description should be construed as an offer or guarantee of employment.