Kitchen Director

Chick-fil-A Kitchen Production Director

At Chick-fil-A The Village At North Elm, our Directors are leaders that are empowered to truly lead. The ideal candidate will possess a natural entrepreneurial spirit and wants a rewarding challenge.

We ONLY serve Craveable food. The food we serve has a huge impact on our community and gives us the opportunity to serve thousands of people everyday and make a positive difference in their lives. The ideal candidate will uphold these objectives to maintain, build and grow trust with every guest, everyday. The most qualified candidates share our vision, extreme ownership and responsibility of the business.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Experience in food safety and quality management
• Strong leadership and coaching skills
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Team Building: The BOH Director is responsible for leading a cohesive team of managers, team leads, trainers, and team members. It's important to foster a culture where employees feel appreciated, respected, and recognized for their contributions
• Ensures that the restaurant meets all food safety requirements
• Foster a culture of learning, growth, and excellence across the restaurant.
• Lead and oversee all food safety and quality assessments to ensure 100% compliance.
• Train and develop kitchen team members to uphold food safety standards.
• Lead by example - must adhere to all Chick-fil-A policies and procedures
• Monitor time and temperature of all products, ensuring they are within safe limits.
• Communicate food safety findings and coach team members on best practices.
• Combine critical thinking and practical leadership to create a culture of innovation
• Quickly recognize bottleneck and delegate resolution and operational issues
• Clearly communicates key strategies from the Director team, Executive Director(s) and/or Operator to team members
• Mentor all operational leaders and recognize future potential leaders within the team
• Coach leaders to recognize best practices and problem resolution
• Communicate all issues with team members and guests to Director team in a timely manner
• Bachelor's degree
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends
• Flexible schedule with weekend availability
• 3+ years of leadership experience in training, hospitality, education, or people development
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop others
• Organizational and systems-driven mindset
• Experience in curriculum design or adult learning preferred (not required).
• Training and Onboarding: The director partners with the Training Director to ensure that new hires are trained properly, receive constructive feedback, and are integrated into the team seamlessly. They set the tone for each shift and act as a role model. In the absence of the Training Director, the candidate will assume full ownership of the new hire experience
• Mentorship: Mentoring is a huge part of this role. The director is expected to guide the BOH team members on their culinary journey, helping them grow both professionally and personally
• Consistent Development: Regular feedback, biannual performance evaluations, and consistent training opportunities ensure that the team remains engaged and on track for growth. The director must identify potential talent gaps and communicate these to HR to fill positions promptly

Quality & Customer Experience

• Food Safety: Ensuring that food safety is the top priority is a critical responsibility. The director ensures all team members follow hand-washing protocols, temperature tracking, product rotation, and other food safety guidelines.
• CEM Goals: The director works to meet Chick-fil-A’s Great Food, Fast and Accurate Service, and Genuine Hospitality goals by monitoring key areas like taste, temperature, and portion sizes while ensuring customer throughput is maximized.
• Customer Focus: The director must be proactive and quick to resolve any operational or guest concerns, while maintaining a calm and focused demeanor in high-pressure situations.

Sales & Brand Growth

• Support Marketing Initiatives: The BOH Director collaborates with the Marketing Team to implement promotions like Mobile Mondays and ensure that kitchen operations can support marketing strategies without compromising quality or customer experience.
• Promotions & Staffing: Aligning marketing events with operational capacity is key. The director ensures that there are enough staff, products, and supplies to execute promotions and seasonal events.
• Communication with Marketing: If operational constraints arise due to marketing initiatives, the director is responsible for communicating these issues promptly with the Marketing team.

Financial Return & Operational Efficiency

• The director manages inventory, including ordering supplies, tracking food costs, and minimizing waste. They work to keep food cost within preset variances.
• The director is tasked with maximizing kitchen productivity and ensuring that labor costs are kept within company goals. This includes scheduling efficiently to avoid overstaffing or understaffing, and reducing unnecessary labor costs.
• Tracking actual vs. scheduled hours, managing the ordering of truck deliveries, and overseeing End of Month processes are all key tasks for the director to maintain strong financial returns.

Operations & Administration

• Operational Excellence: The director ensures that the BOH operations are executed efficiently and meet Chick-fil-A standards. They must lead by example, setting the pace and energy for each shift, maintaining high urgency while ensuring quality standards are never sacrificed.
• Problem-Solving: In an environment where things can change quickly—like equipment failures, supply shortages, or busy periods—the director must act swiftly and make decisions that prevent disruptions to the kitchen flow.
• Safety & Security: Maintaining safety and security protocols (such as opening and closing procedures, cash management, and team safety) is essential for the smooth operation of the kitchen.

Professionalism & Leadership Philosophy

• Servant Leadership: The director leads by example, modeling professionalism, and serving the team through clear, effective communication and leadership. They must be reliable, on-time, and show proficiency in all operational areas.
• Influence Through Relationship: As a leader, the director influences their team not just through authority, but through relationship-building, providing constructive feedback, and modeling positive behaviors.
• Growth Mindset: The director should actively seek out new ideas, systems, and ways to improve, encouraging their team to do the same. This mindset drives continuous operational improvement.
• Work-Life Balance: The director must be available for calls during off-hours but also ensure that the team is well-trained enough to handle issues without constant intervention, promoting a balanced work environment.

Requirements & Expectations

• Availability: Ability to work 40-45 hours/week with flexible hours to open or close the kitchen and act as a key holder as needed.
• Bilingual: The director must be able to communicate effectively in at least English and Spanish languages to manage a diverse team.
• People Skills: The role requires strong interpersonal skills and a genuine desire to serve team members, manage performance, and foster a positive work environment.
• Leadership Experience: The director should have at least 2 years of restaurant leadership experience, ideally at a Chick-fil-A.
• Adaptability in High-Volume Settings: The director must be flexible and adaptable, able to handle high-volume operations with precision and calm under pressure.
• Communication Skills: Timely responses to emails, phone calls, and any communication channels are expected. The director will need to ensure open lines of communication with both front-of-house and other leadership staff.

Join us and become a part of something special! Please note that this leadership position includes a 90-day probationary period to ensure a great fit for both you and our Chick-fil-A values.

This position will consist of 3 rounds of interviews.

Working at a The Village At North Elm is more than a job – it’s an opportunity for teamwork and leadership development in a positive, people-focused environment. Most Chick-fil-A restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent, franchised Operators who invest in the future of their Team Members and give back to their communities.

Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,300 restaurants in 48 states and Washington, D.C.

Working at a Chick-fil-A® restaurant is more than a job – it’s an opportunity for teamwork and leadership development in a positive, people-focused environment. Most Chick-fil-A restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent, franchised Operators who invest in the future of their Team Members and give back to their communities.

Salary

Benefits

Job Type

Schedule