Chick-fil-A Danville Leadership Program $25 per hour
Location: Danville, Kentucky
Employment Type: Full-Time
Starting Pay: $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.
Compensation & Development
Starting compensation: $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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Work schedule
- Weekend availability
- Day shift
- Night shift
- Other
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Flexible schedule
- Employee discount
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching