Recruitment Matters

Job Description

To take full ownership of bakery production, recipe integrity, quality, people leadership, and cost control, ensuring consistent, high-quality output while continuously improving efficiency, yield, and team capability.Job alerts subscription

This is a hands-on leadership role, suited to a technically strong baker who can manage production at scale while developing people and processes.

Key Accountability Areas

1. Production & Operations

• Plan, manage, and supervise daily bakery production to meet volume, quality, and delivery targets
• Ensure consistent output across shifts and batches
• Optimise production flow, oven utilisation, proofing schedules, and labour deployment
• Maintain smooth end-to-end operations in a fast-paced production environment

2. Recipe Development & Technical Baking

• Develop, test, and standardise bread and baked-goods recipes
• Optimise recipes for cost, yield, shelf life, and consistency
• Troubleshoot technical baking issues (crumb, volume, colour, texture, moisture, staling)
• Adjust formulations based on ingredient variability, climate, and equipment
• Train staff on correct mixing, fermentation, dough handling, shaping, and baking techniques

3. Quality Control

• Implement and maintain quality control checks from raw materials through to finished product
• Ensure product specifications (weight, size, colour, taste, texture) are met consistently
• Investigate and resolve quality deviations quickly and effectively

4. People Leadership

• Lead, train, and discipline bakery staff (bakers, assistants, supervisors)
• Set clear expectations, production targets, and SOPs
• Build technical capability through hands-on coaching and mentoring
• Create accountability and a strong production culture

5. Cost, Yield & Stock Control

• Control ingredient usage, waste, and rework
• Monitor raw material stock levels and yields
• Work closely with procurement on ingredient and supplier approval
• Drive continuous improvement to reduce cost per unit

6. Equipment & Maintenance

• Ensure correct operation and basic maintenance of mixers, proofers, ovens, slicing and packing equipment
• Report faults promptly and coordinate with maintenance
• Support commissioning of new equipment and process improvements

7. Reporting & Compliance

• Maintain accurate production, wastage, and performance records
• Report daily and weekly results to management
• Ensure compliance with food safety, labour, and regulatory standards

Background & Experience

• Proven experience as a Bakery Manager, Head Baker, or Senior Production Baker
• Strong technical bread baking expertise
• Demonstrated experience in recipe development and optimisation
• Experience managing people, production targets, and costs simultaneously

Skills & Attributes

• Highly hands-on and detail-oriented
• Strong problem-solving ability
• Comfortable in a high-volume, production-driven environment
• Practical leader who leads from the floor, not the office

• Plan, manage, and supervise daily bakery production to meet volume, quality, and delivery targets
• Ensure consistent output across shifts and batches
• Optimise production flow, oven utilisation, proofing schedules, and labour deployment
• Maintain smooth end-to-end operations in a fast-paced production environment
• Develop, test, and standardise bread and baked-goods recipes
• Optimise recipes for cost, yield, shelf life, and consistency
• Troubleshoot technical baking issues (crumb, volume, colour, texture, moisture, staling)
• Adjust formulations based on ingredient variability, climate, and equipment
• Train staff on correct mixing, fermentation, dough handling, shaping, and baking techniques
• Implement and maintain quality control checks from raw materials through to finished product
• Ensure product specifications (weight, size, colour, taste, texture) are met consistently
• Investigate and resolve quality deviations quickly and effectively
• Lead, train, and discipline bakery staff (bakers, assistants, supervisors)
• Set clear expectations, production targets, and SOPs
• Build technical capability through hands-on coaching and mentoring
• Create accountability and a strong production culture
• Control ingredient usage, waste, and rework
• Monitor raw material stock levels and yields
• Work closely with procurement on ingredient and supplier approval
• Drive continuous improvement to reduce cost per unit
• Ensure correct operation and basic maintenance of mixers, proofers, ovens, slicing and packing equipment
• Report faults promptly and coordinate with maintenance
• Support commissioning of new equipment and process improvements
• Maintain accurate production, wastage, and performance records
• Report daily and weekly results to management
• Ensure compliance with food safety, labour, and regulatory standards

• Highly hands-on and detail-oriented
• Strong problem-solving ability
• Comfortable in a high-volume, production-driven environment
• Practical leader who leads from the floor, not the office

• Proven experience as a Bakery Manager, Head Baker, or Senior Production Baker
• Strong technical bread baking expertise
• Demonstrated experience in recipe development and optimisation
• Experience managing people, production targets, and costs simultaneously