Artisan Baker

Artisan Baker (Trained)

Reports to: Head Baker / Production Manager

Location: Bleary, Craigavon

Hours: 48 hrs/week, 6 nights over 7. Shift starts 9pm. Sunday to Friday

Rate: £16/17

About the role

We are a scratch bakery. Every loaf starts with flour weighed out by hand and finishes as a baked product ready for our customers — no premixes, no part-baked shortcuts. We're looking for an experienced baker who can take ownership of the full process: weighing, mixing, bulk fermentation, knocking back, dividing, shaping, proving and baking.

This is a night production role. Our shift starts at 9pm, six nights a week, so the bakery's output is cooled, packed and out on the vans first thing in the morning. It suits someone who is settled into night working or genuinely wants to be.

Key responsibilities

• Accurately scale and weigh all ingredients to recipe, every time
• Mix doughs to the correct development, adjusting for flour, water temperature and the conditions on the night
• Manage bulk fermentation — knocking back and folding at the right stage to build strength and flavour
• Divide, pre-shape and final-shape by hand to a consistent weight and appearance
• Judge proof by feel and sight, not just by the clock
• Load, steam, bake and unload the oven; adjust bakes to get consistent colour, crust and crumb
• Look after sourdough starters and pre-ferments (feeding, refreshing, judging readiness)
• Work to the nightly production plan so orders are baked, cooled and ready for dispatch on time
• Keep accurate records: batch weights, temperatures, bake times, wastage
• Maintain food safety and hygiene standards at all times, including allergen controls and cleaning down as you go
• Support and help train less experienced team members

Essential

• Proven hands-on experience in a craft or scratch bakery
• Genuine understanding of dough — you can tell when a mix is under- or over-developed, and when a proof is ready
• Confident shaping by hand at pace, to a consistent standard
• Able to commit to a 9pm start, six nights a week, and comfortable working to fixed dispatch deadlines
• Food hygiene certificate (Level 2 minimum) or willingness to obtain
• Physically able to handle sacks of flour, trays and repeated lifting

Desirable

• Sourdough and long-fermentation experience
• Experience in a wholesale environment with fixed dispatch times
• Experience mentoring apprentices or trainees

What we offer

• 28 days holidays, pension, staff bread allowance, training and progression, free parking, medical Cover.