The Senior Lead Baker owns production quality across sourdough sandwiches and donuts, and related bakery components - ensuring every batch produced meets brand standard. This role bridges hands-on production with technical leadership, acting as the quality backstop and training authority for junior bakers.
Key Responsibilities
Production & Quality Control
- Conduct bake QC: crumb structure, crust color, proof level, and visual/decoration standards
- Troubleshoot production issues in real time (over-proofed batches, inconsistent starter activity, oven/equipment variance) and adjust process to correct
- Ensure daily output volumes meet demand forecasts
Team Leadership & Training
- Train and mentor junior bakers and trainees on technique, SOPs, and food safety standards
- Run skills assessments and sign off when a junior baker is ready to progress to independent production
- Model and enforce SOP compliance on the production floor
Process & Standards
- Maintain and refine bakery SOPs in collaboration with the Bakery Supervisor
- Monitor ingredient quality on intake (flour, starter culture, inclusions) and flag sourcing issues
- Support new product development/testing when new sourdough items are introduced
Operational Coordination
- Coordinate with kitchen crew to align bakery output
- Report production issues, equipment faults, or supply shortages promptly to the Bakery Supervisor
- Support end-of-week reporting on output volumes, wastage, and quality incidents
