At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a dynamic bakery production team and ensure top-quality products.
- Company: Respected South London bakery known for premium products.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, leadership role, and career progression opportunities.
- Other info: Join a business that values craft, quality, and sustainable practices.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a hands-on leadership position within a thriving bakery.
- Qualifications: Strong bakery production experience and leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 45000 - 55000 € per year.
Location: South London
Salary: £45,000 to £55,000 pa depending on experience
Working Pattern: Five days out of seven, including weekends
Shift Pattern: Rotating day and night production shifts, typically between 14:30 and 02:30
Future Development: Longer term progression into a pure day shift leadership role as the bakery operation evolves.
This respected London bakery business, producing premium bakery products for hospitality, cafés and retail customers, is looking to appoint a Senior Head Baker to lead its bakery production function within a Central Production Unit. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role for someone with strong bakery production experience who can bring together craft, quality, people management and operational structure. This is not a hospitality bakery role.
Candidates must have experience within bakery production, whether that is a Central Production Unit, wholesale bakery, retail bakery production, artisan production bakery, food manufacturing bakery environment or another high volume bakery setting. The business is looking for someone who still values proper bakery craft, but who is also ready to lead a team, improve standards, strengthen processes and help shape a more organised, scalable and sustainable bakery operation.
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Lead the bakery production team across daily production activity
- Take ownership of production standards, output, consistency and quality
- Ensure products are produced to specification and delivered on time
- Maintain strong standards across bread, sourdough and wider bakery production
- Support the team during busy production windows
- Lead by example through strong technical knowledge and hands-on involvement
- Manage, support and develop bakers across the team
- Train and coach the team to improve skill, confidence and consistency
- Improve shift handovers, production communication and daily organisation
- Support rota planning, holiday cover and staffing requirements
- Help implement stronger process, planning and team structure
- Monitor dough quality, fermentation, proving, baking and finished product standards
- Oversee flour ordering, ingredient control, deliveries and storage standards
- Maintain excellent food safety, hygiene and housekeeping standards
- Work closely with senior management to improve operational control and production reliability
What’s In It for You:
- A senior leadership opportunity within a respected South London bakery business
- The chance to lead a busy bakery production function within a Central Production Unit
- The opportunity to work with premium bakery products supplied to hospitality, cafés and retail customers
- A hands-on role where craft, quality, leadership and process all matter
- Real influence over team structure, standards, planning and ways of working
- Longer term development towards a pure day shift leadership position
- The opportunity to help build a more structured, consistent and sustainable bakery operation
Your Background:
- Strong bakery production experience, this is essential
- Experience leading or supervising bakers within a production environment
- A strong technical understanding of bread and bakery production
- Good knowledge of sourdough, fermentation, dough handling and bake quality
- Experience working to production plans, quality standards and output requirements
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced bakery production setting
- Experience managing people, standards, communication and daily production activity
- The ability to improve structure, process, consistency and ways of working
- A strong understanding of food safety, hygiene and production discipline
- Comfortable working across a rotating shift pattern, including nights and weekends initially
You may have experience in a Central Production Unit, wholesale bakery, retail bakery production, artisan bakery with meaningful production scale, food manufacturing bakery environment, multi-site supply bakery operation or high volume bakery production setting. Hospitality only bakery backgrounds are not suitable unless supported by clear bakery production experience.
Join a Business That Invests in You:
This is a rare opportunity for a senior bakery production professional to join a respected South London bakery business at an important stage of development. You will have the chance to take ownership of a key production function, lead a team, protect premium bakery standards and help shape how the operation develops over the next stage of growth. If you are a hands-on bakery production leader who can balance craft, quality, people and process, we would love to hear from you.
Senior Head Baker in London employer: Found Food & Drink
Join a respected South London bakery that values craftsmanship and quality, offering a senior leadership role with the opportunity to influence production standards and team structure. With a commitment to employee development, you will have the chance to progress into a pure day shift leadership position while working with premium bakery products in a supportive and dynamic environment. This is an excellent employer for those looking to make a meaningful impact in a thriving bakery operation.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Head Baker in London
✨Tip Number 1
Get your hands dirty! When you’re in the bakery, show off your skills and passion for baking. Let your experience shine through by demonstrating your technical knowledge and hands-on approach during the interview.
✨Tip Number 2
Connect with the team! Building rapport with the bakers and management can make a huge difference. Show that you’re not just a leader but also a team player who values collaboration and communication.
✨Tip Number 3
Be ready to discuss improvements! Come prepared with ideas on how to enhance production processes and quality standards. This shows you’re proactive and ready to take ownership of the bakery’s success.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it gives us a chance to see your enthusiasm for joining our respected bakery business right from the start.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Head Baker in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Experience:Make sure to highlight your strong bakery production experience in your application. We want to see how your background aligns with the role, so don’t hold back on sharing your journey in the bakery world!
Craft Your Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re the perfect fit for our Senior Head Baker position. Be sure to mention your leadership skills and how you can improve our bakery operations.
Be Specific About Your Skills:When detailing your skills, be specific about your technical knowledge of bread and bakery production. We love a candidate who knows their sourdough from their ciabatta, so let us know what you bring to the table!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and get you one step closer to joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Found Food & Drink
✨Know Your Craft Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your technical knowledge of bread and bakery production. Be ready to discuss specific techniques, like fermentation and dough handling, as well as how you maintain quality standards. This will show that you’re not just a leader but also a hands-on expert.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully led a team in a bakery production environment. Talk about how you've trained and developed bakers, improved processes, or managed busy production windows. This will demonstrate your ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced setting.
✨Understand the Business Needs
Research the bakery's operations and their premium product offerings. Be ready to discuss how you can contribute to improving production standards and operational control. Showing that you understand their goals will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Be Ready for Shift Patterns
Since this role involves rotating shifts, including nights and weekends, be prepared to discuss your flexibility and experience with such schedules. Highlight any previous roles where you successfully managed similar shift patterns, ensuring you come across as adaptable and committed.
