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Chick-fil-A Danville Leadership Program $22-$25 per hour

Location: Danville, Kentucky

Employment Type: Full-Time

Starting Pay: $22.00-$25.00/hour

Evening Commitment- 2 Nights per week

Program Length: 12 Months (Performance evaluations at the end of each quarter)

About the Opportunity:

Chick-fil-A Danville is seeking an exceptional individual to participate in our 12-Month Leadership Program, a highly selective development program designed to prepare high-potential professionals for future leadership opportunities within our organization.

This is not a traditional entry-level restaurant position.

The Leadership Program is designed for someone who wants to build a career in leadership, operations, people development, and business management. Throughout the 12-month program, you will receive hands-on experience, coaching, leadership development, and increasing levels of responsibility while working alongside the leadership team at Chick-fil-A Danville.

You will be expected to learn quickly, lead others, solve problems, produce measurable results, and demonstrate the character and judgment necessary to lead a large organization.

At the end of the program, successful participants will be considered for a high level leadership position with Chick-fil-A Danville.

Completion of the program does not guarantee a leadership position. Performance will be evaluated and shared throughout the program. Leadership opportunities are earned through demonstrated performance, leadership ability, and organizational need.

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Compensation & Development

Starting compensation: $22.00 - $25.00/hour

This is a full-time, hourly position with the opportunity to earn additional compensation based on performance and program completion.

During the 12-month program, participants will progressively assume greater responsibility and be evaluated against clearly defined leadership milestones.

You will receive:

Hands-on leadership development

Regular coaching from Chick-fil-A Danville leaders

Exposure to restaurant operations and business management

Increasing responsibility and ownership

Leadership projects with measurable outcomes

Opportunities to coach and develop team members

Formal quarterly performance reviews

A final leadership-readiness assessment

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The 12-Month Journey

Months 1–3: FOUNDATION:

Learn the business. Master the fundamentals.

During the first quarter, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of Chick-fil-A Danville’s operations, standards, culture, and business.

You will be expected to:

Become proficient in the restaurant’s primary operational areas (Time split between FOH and BOH)

Demonstrate consistent operational excellence

Understand food safety and quality standards

Learn basic labor and business management principles

Demonstrate reliability and professionalism

Build relationships with team members and leaders

Begin coaching and influencing others

Demonstrate a willingness to receive and apply feedback

Quarter 1 Leadership Project

You will identify opportunities within the restaurant and present your recommendations to the leadership team.

Quarter 1 Outcome: Demonstrate that you have the foundation necessary to begin leading others.

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Months 4–6: OWNERSHIP

Stop observing. Start owning.

During the second quarter, you will take ownership of a defined area of the business and begin operating with greater independence.

You will be expected to:

Independently lead shifts

Make appropriate deployment decisions

Coach team members

Lead effective pre-shifts

Understand and manage labor

Identify operational opportunities

Solve problems independently

Take ownership of measurable business results

Complete a leadership project

Begin developing another team member

Quarter 2 Leadership Project

You will be assigned a measurable business opportunity and expected to develop and execute a plan to improve it.

Quarter 2 Outcome: Demonstrate that you can take ownership of a business area and produce results.

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Months 7–9: LEADERSHIP

Make other people better.

The third quarter focuses heavily on people leadership and development.

You will be expected to:

Lead teams effectively

Conduct meaningful coaching conversations

Hold team members accountable

Handle difficult conversations professionally

Navigate conflict

Develop emerging leaders

Communicate effectively with leadership

Make sound decisions independently

Maintain high operational standards while leading people

Demonstrate emotional intelligence and sound judgment

Quarter 3 Leadership Project

You will identify a team member with leadership potential and create and execute a development plan designed to help that individual grow.

Quarter 3 Outcome: Demonstrate that you can develop people, not simply manage tasks.

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Months 10–12: LEADERSHIP READY

Demonstrate that you’re ready to lead.

The final quarter is designed to determine whether you are ready to assume a formal leadership role.

You will be expected to demonstrate:

Manager-level operational proficiency

Strong business judgment

Consistent execution

Ability to develop other leaders

Understanding of restaurant financial drivers

Ability to analyze business performance

Effective communication

Conflict-management skills

Accountability

Strong decision-making

Ability to build and protect culture

Professional representation of Chick-fil-A Danville

Final Leadership Project

You will present a comprehensive business-improvement proposal to the Chick-fil-A Danville leadership team.

Your presentation will address:

Opportunities you see within the business

The problems you would prioritize

Your recommended solutions

The resources required

The expected business impact

Your implementation strategy

How you would gain team support

Quarter 4 Outcome: Demonstrate that you are ready to assume meaningful leadership responsibility.

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Quarterly Performance Gates

The Leadership Program is a performance-based development program.

At the end of each quarter, participants will receive a formal performance evaluation.

Participants must successfully demonstrate the competencies and requirements established for that stage of the program to continue.

Performance will be evaluated across five areas:

1. Operational Excellence

Ability to execute Chick-fil-A standards consistently and effectively.

2. Leadership

Ability to influence, lead, communicate, and hold others accountable.

3. People Development

Ability to coach, develop, and grow team members and emerging leaders.

4. Business Acumen

Ability to understand business performance, identify opportunities, and produce measurable results.

5. Character & Professionalism

Demonstrated integrity, work ethic, reliability, humility, judgment, ownership, and professionalism.

Failure to successfully complete a required program milestone may result in removal from the Leadership Program and, depending on the circumstances, termination of employment.

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What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who is:

Highly motivated

Intelligent and curious

Coachable

Humble

Hardworking

Comfortable receiving difficult feedback

Comfortable giving difficult feedback

A strong communicator

Organized and dependable

Comfortable taking ownership

Driven by measurable results

Passionate about developing people

Interested in building a long-term leadership career

Hands on, dedicated heart for the business

Restaurant experience is not required.

We are more interested in your ability to lead people, learn quickly, solve problems, and produce results than whether you already know how to run a restaurant.

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Ideal Background

We welcome candidates with leadership experience from a variety of backgrounds, including:

Business

Sales

Hospitality

Military

Education

Athletics

Healthcare

Operations

Retail

Professional services

Entrepreneurship

Recent college graduates with significant leadership experience

The strongest candidates will be able to demonstrate examples of taking ownership, overcoming challenges, developing others, and achieving meaningful results.

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What Success Looks Like

At the end of 12 months, you should be able to:

Lead people.

Run operations.

Solve problems.

Understand the business.

Develop leaders.

Produce results.

Most importantly, you should be someone we would trust with significant responsibility within Chick-fil-A Danville.

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What Happens After 12 Months?

Participants who successfully complete the Leadership Program will be evaluated for available leadership opportunities within Chick-fil-A Danville.

Potential opportunities may include positions with responsibility for:

Restaurant operations

Team development

Training

Hospitality

Catering

Sales and brand growth

Food safety and quality

Other areas of organizational leadership

Successful completion of the program does not guarantee promotion or placement into a specific position. Final placement decisions will be based on demonstrated performance, leadership readiness, available opportunities, and organizational needs.

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Why Chick-fil-A Danville?

Chick-fil-A Danville is committed to developing leaders from within.

We believe great restaurants are built by great people, and great leaders are developed through intentional investment, meaningful responsibility, coaching, and accountability.

If you are looking for a job, this probably isn’t the opportunity for you.

If you are looking for an opportunity to build something, lead people, grow professionally, and earn your way into leadership, we want to meet you.

Working at Chick-fil-A Danville is more than a job – it’s an opportunity for teamwork and leadership development in a positive, people-focused environment. Come join our team as we excellently serve our community daily!