At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a bakery production team, ensuring quality and consistency in premium products.
- Company: Respected South London bakery known for premium bakery products.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, leadership opportunities, and a chance to shape bakery operations.
- Other info: Opportunity for long-term progression into a day shift leadership role.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a hands-on leadership role within a dynamic bakery environment.
- Qualifications: Strong bakery production experience and leadership skills required.
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 employer: Found Recruitment Solutions Ltd
Join a respected South London bakery business that values craftsmanship and quality, offering a senior leadership role as a Senior Head Baker. With a focus on employee development and the opportunity to influence production standards and team structure, this company fosters a collaborative work culture where your expertise will be recognised and rewarded. Enjoy the chance to lead a dedicated team in a dynamic environment, with long-term progression towards a pure day shift leadership position as the operation evolves.
Contact Detail:
Found Recruitment Solutions Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Head Baker
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to fellow bakers, suppliers, or even customers. You never know who might have a lead on that perfect Senior Head Baker role. Plus, it shows you're passionate about the industry!
✨Tip Number 2
Get your hands dirty! If you can, visit bakeries and offer to help out for a day. This not only gives you insight into their operations but also helps you make connections that could lead to job opportunities.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your best bakes, production processes, and any improvements you've made in previous roles. This tangible evidence of your expertise can really set you apart from the competition.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team. Tailor your application to highlight your leadership experience and passion for quality bakery production.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Head Baker
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. Talk about your leadership style and how you can improve standards and processes in our bakery.
Be Specific About Your Skills:When detailing your skills, be specific about your technical knowledge of bread and bakery production. Mention any experience with sourdough, fermentation, and quality control – we love a candidate who knows their stuff!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Found Recruitment Solutions Ltd
✨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 in a fast-paced environment.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led teams in previous roles. Highlight your experience in training and developing bakers, and be ready to discuss how you improve team communication and structure during busy production windows.
✨Understand the Business Needs
Research the bakery's operations and their premium product offerings. Be prepared to talk about how you can contribute to improving processes and ensuring timely delivery of products while maintaining high standards.
✨Be Ready for Shift Patterns
Since this role involves rotating shifts, including nights and weekends, be honest about your availability. Show that you're flexible and willing to adapt to the needs of the bakery operation.
