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Panera Bread's Starter Leadership Development Program gives you a front-row seat to all the action occurring in our Boston, MA Support Center. You’ll enjoy hands-on experience working with mulitple teams throughout the business, have an impact you can see, and gain real-life insights into your career aspirations. 
 
The goal is simple: The program is designed to develop high-performing talent into future leaders. Successful program graduates typically move into into full-time analyst-level roles that are aligned to their strengths and Panera’s business needs, jumpstarting their career growth. 
A sense of mutual respect and mindfulness permeates our culture-in fact, it’s the key to our success.

ready to rise with panera? 

Panera Bread's Starter Leadership Development Program gives you a front‑row seat to the action based out of our Boston, MA Support Center it delivers hands-on experience in multiple parts of the business, impact you can see, and a real-life viewpoint of your career long-term.

The goal is simple- the program devleops high-performing talent and the company's next leaders, positioning them for future success across the organization after the program. Successful graduates typically move into full-time Anaylst-level roles aligned to business needs. 


18 Months

A hands-on leadership development experience where you learn fast, do real work, and make an impact from day one. 

4 Rotations

Explore four out of five departments across the company – Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations and Transformation – helping to align your interests and skillset. 

1 Great Career

Work on real priorities across the company and build a career that will grow with you! 
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Panera Bread 
STARTER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Click on each section to explore and learn more

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Program Experience
Program Culture
Explore Rotations
Recruitment Process
Program Benefits
Upcoming Events
FAQs

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the program experience

Gain real experience, explore multiple career paths, and grow with a brand shaping the future of the industry! 
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cohort culture

A built-in professional network helps support you through a shared program experience.
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Mentorship



A carefully matched mentor is in your corner before Day One, helping to accelerate your growth and guide you throughout the program. 
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Immersive Onboarding

An in-depth, two week orientation connects you to Panera through interactive experiences, cafe immersion, and meaningful conversations with our leaders. 
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Strategic Work 

Each rotation is aligned to key business priorities, so your work contributes directly to the company's Panera RISE strategy. 
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Learning and Development

Ongoing development is tailored to you, plus specialized cohort sessions to grow together as a group.
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Executive Exposure

Our leaders are actively invovled, and champions of early talent helping you understand how Panera operates as a business. 
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Program Values and Culture

During the Starter Leadership Development Program, you’ll complete four rotations across five key areas of the business. Each rotation is designed to ensure you work on business-critical projects, offering meaningful exposure, hands-on learning and real impact.
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We believe in quality ingredients, thougfully prepared. There are no substitutes for craft- that belief baked into all we do.
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It's something you can feel. And we share that warmth with everybody. We truly, genuinely care for our guest and teammates.
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We work together and win as one or we don't win at all. We ask for help when we need it and offer our help fully to others.
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We're accountable. We each take responsbility for our actions and performance so we can do big great things together.
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 We embrace the challenge of doing hard things better than others to achieve extraordinary results. We don't give up, we rise up. 
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Explore our rotations

During the Starter Leadership Development Program, you’ll complete four rotations across five key areas of the business. Each rotation is designed to ensure you work on business-critical projects, offering meaningful exposure, hands-on learning and real impact.

Bringing the Brand to Life - Explore how Panera connects with guests by strategically amplifying the brand, promoting new menu and category items and igniting value. You may support new loyalty initiatives, help bring new menu items to life and collaborate with cross-functional partners to market everything we create. 

Understanding the Business – Play a part in how Panera plans, invests and measures success. You may work with budgets, forecasts, or performance insights that help teams make smart, informed decisions that set up the company for future success.

Seeing How It All Comes Together – Learn how partnerships, ingredients and products come together behind the scenes to support our cafes. You will explore sourcing, logistics and quality assurance that keep operations running smoothly at more than 2,000+ cafes across the country. 

Shaping the Innovation that Powers Tomorrow’s Successes – Be part of the team that drives initiatives focused on change, innovation and continuous improvement across the business. You will work to bring Panera RISE to life, helping teams analyze consumer insights and data to deliver results as we adapt and grow. 

Experiencing the Heart of Panera and What Makes Us Tick – Get closer to the consumer experience and the teams and technology that bring Panera to life every day. You’ll support operational processes, find ways to improve the guest experience through service and technology, and learn how decisions are made without compromising the guest experience. 
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Recruitment Process

At Panera, every guest gets our best, and the recruitment process is no different. We approach it with care, clarity and warmth. Our process is clear, fast‑moving and transparent, with communication at every step.  

apply

Once you submit your application, our recruiting team takes a close look at your experiences, skills and interests to understand how they align with The Starter Leadership Development Program and Panera’s values. Yes, a team reviews all applications in real-time as submitted. 

Skills Based Assessment

Skills-based hiring allows us to go beyond what’s on your resume to understand how you think, problem solve and approach real‑world scenarios. We're looking to find the best match for everyone, with a focus on transferrable skillsets. 

Recruiter Phone Screen

A two‑way conversation allows us to get to know you – and we also want you to get to know Panera and the Starter Leadership Development Program. 

In-person interview day

Final candidates meet with us in person! The day is designed to be interactive, with case studies and group activities, along with the opportunity to understand more about the program.

Offers

We make decisions Interview Day, with offers being extended shortly after. 

Find Your Path

Once you join, watching your future unfold is just the start!
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Benefits at Panera 

At Panera, we have benefits to support your career, your goals, and your life. 
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Your Health & Well-Being

  • Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and Disablity Coverages
  • Mental Health and Wellness support
  • Pet Insurance 
  • Paid Time Off and Company holidays
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Your Future & Growth 

  • 401 (k) with Company Match
  • Tuition Programs and Professional Development Opporunities
  • Leadership Development and Career Growth Pathways
  • Mentorship and Networking Opporunities
  • Rotational Learning Experiences Across Business Functions
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Your Lifestyle & Perks

  • Hybrid Working Model
  • 50% Off Bread Bucks Gift Cards Monthly
  • Dress-For-Your-Day Envirnoment
  • Paid Community Day of Service
  • Associate Discount Programs and Perks
A sense of mutual respect and mindfulness permeates our culture-in fact, it’s the key to our success.

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FAQ1
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Early Talent- FAQ's

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Approximately two months from beginning to end. 

We will be back in touch within two weeks after each step of the recruitment process. 

Yes, candidates are informed of updates via email, both if they are moving forward or not.

Once per year. Applications post each September for the program that will begin the following July. This is not a rolling timeline when applications open and close.

This timed assessment is designed to reveal your transferrable skills and how you approach problem solving in real-life scenarios, helping us ensure you are a good match for Panera and Panera is a good match for you. We are committed to delivering on our promise of providing you the experience you’re searching for. 

All your experiences count and are weighted equally in the recruitment process. Please include on your resume any extracurricular activities, part-time or full-time work, and internships. Feel free to also include class and group projects that are relevant to the program.  

The screening is a formal, 30 minute interview. You should expect to discuss your experiences beyond what’s shared on your resume, speaking to specific situations that are relevant to the program, and be prepared to ask thoughtful questions. 

No, we do not take every candidate through each step of the process. After each step, we will communicate whether candidates are moving forward in the process or not. This increases transparency and allows us to move quickly. 

You will receive additional information on what to expect and how to prepare for each step of the recruitment process. You should also be prepared to speak to the experiences you share on your application, giving specific examples of what you’ve accomplished,  during any interviews.

What you see is authentic! At Panera, we are All In for each other and our guests, consistently doing things the right way. Panera Warmth is the best way to describe our culture – we care deeply about our people, the work and delivering results. You will have the chance to ask questions about the culture and feel the culture throughout the recruitment process. 

Panera partners with a trusted recruitment agency to help create a smooth and candidate-friendly experience. The agency supports the early stages of the process by conducting initial phone screens and coordinating  logistics for interview days. All hiring decisions are made by Panera, ensuring every candidate is evaluated against our standards and values.
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