Head of Bakery Operations (Artisan Production Manager)

Mygration Pty Ltd; Brisbane; Presencial; AUD 144.000 - 176.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Mygration Pty Ltd seeks a strategic Head of Bakery Operations (Artisan Production Manager) to lead its Brisbane bakehouse at Darra. You will balance artisanal craft with scalable production, guiding fermentation, lamination, and quality across a 7‑day operation.

You will mentor diverse teams, manage budgets, and drive improvements in safety, yield, and product development, while maintaining the brand’s handcrafted integrity.

Formación

• Experience leading complex bakery operations, preferably artisanal or premium production.
• Strong knowledge of fermentation processes, lamination, and craft methods.
• Proven ability to plan production, schedules, and rosters for a 7‑day bakehouse.
• Demonstrated capability to manage budgets, labor costs, and material waste.

Responsabilidades

• Develop artisan production strategy and coordinate 7‑day schedules balancing wholesale and retail demand.
• Allocate raw ingredients, equipment, and labour to optimize flow without compromising traditional methods.
• Drive sustainable craft-production practices and assess new equipment for bakehouse use.

Conocimientos

Bakery ops leadership

Fermentation expertise

Production planning

Labour cost control

Food safety knowledge

Cross-functional comms

Educación

Management qualification or 5+ years leadership

Descripción del empleo

Head of Bakery Operations (Artisan Production Manager)

Job Type: Permanent position | Full time position

Job Description

Position Title: Head of Bakery Operations (Artisan Production Manager) Location: Darra, Brisbane, Queensland Remuneration: $160,000 + Superannuation Reports To: General Manager / Executive Leadership Team About the Employer Using traditional techniques, stone-hearth ovens, and a signature slow-fermentation sourdough process, the business creates bespoke, handcrafted loaves and pastries of exceptional quality.

As the business expands its footprint in Queensland, its Darra bakehouse serves as the heart of its Brisbane operations, blending time-honoured artisanal methods with innovative, sustainable production practices. Role Overview Our client is seeking a strategic yet hands‑on Head of Bakery Operations (Artisan Product Manager) to lead their Brisbane bakehouse.

Unlike conventional mass‑production roles, this position requires a delicate balance between operational rigour and artisanal integrity. You will plan, organise, direct, and coordinate the end‑to‑end production activities of the 7‑day bakehouse. Your primary objective is to lead and mentor the specialised baking and pastry teams, ensuring that as production volume grows, the employer’s handcrafted quality, strict food safety standards, and financial performance remain uncompromising.

Responsibilities & Duties

1. Artisan Production Strategy, Planning & Coordination

• Production Formulation: Plan, direct, and coordinate daily and weekly production schedules across a 7‑day operation, balancing custom wholesale orders and retail demand with the biological timelines of slow‑fermentation sourdough and laminated pastry production.
• Resource & Inventory Allocation: Manage the allocation of raw artisanal ingredients, specialized bakehouse equipment, and skilled labour to optimize operational flow without compromising traditional baking methods.
• Bespoke Process Improvement: Develop and implement sustainable, efficient craft‑production practices.

Coordinate the trial and adoption of new artisanal baking equipment and contribute strategically to bakehouse layout design, equipment selection, and new site planning.

• Supply Chain & Vendor Management: Maintain strong relationships with specialty millers, sustainable ingredient suppliers, and equipment vendors, ensuring all incoming goods meet the employer’s strict ethical and quality specifications.

2. Quality Assurance, Craft Integrity & Product Leadership

• Quality Systems Management: Plan and direct strict quality control programs across every stage of the craft process.
• Maintain a 90% plus quality pass rate through rigorous sensory and physical assessments of crumb, crust, fermentation, and bake consistency.
• Hands‑on Technical Leadership: Remain an active, technical presence on the bakehouse floor to troubleshoot complex fermentation or baking issues, conduct weekly quality reviews, and provide technical support to department leads.
• Product Development: Partner with the General Manager and Commercial team to scale new artisanal recipes from concept to production, ensuring new products are commercially viable and true to the employer’s brand.

3. Financial, Cost & Efficiency Management

• Budget & KPI Accountability: Drive the financial performance of the Brisbane operation by managing production within established budgets, specifically focusing on departmental labour costs and raw material wastage.
• Production Reporting: Prepare and analyse comprehensive production reports, tracking yield efficiencies, ingredient variance, labour metrics, and equipment downtime to inform executive decision‑making.

4. Compliance, Food Safety & Maintenance

• Regulatory & Audit Compliance: Direct and enforce comprehensive food safety and quality assurance frameworks, including HACCP, GMP, BRC, and FSANZ/WQA standards.
• Lead internal QA assessments and prepare the bakehouse for external audits with a target of zero major non‑conformances.
• Preventative Maintenance: Drive proactive maintenance initiatives across ovens, mixers, retarder‑provers, and facility infrastructure to minimize production downtime and maintain a pristine, pest‑free environment.
• Workplace Health & Safety (WHS): Cultivate a zero‑harm workplace by enforcing WHS policies, proactively identifying and mitigating bakehouse hazards, and driving continuous safety improvements.

5. Team Leadership, Culture & Capability Development

• Departmental Direction: Direct, mentor, and coordinate a multidisciplinary team of Shift Supervisors across Mixing, Hand‑Shaping, Stone‑Baking, Artisanal Pastry, Packing, Sanitation, and Maintenance.
• Workforce Planning & Development: Oversee recruitment, onboarding, roster management, and annual performance reviews.
• Foster a collaborative, passionate, and accountability‑driven craft culture.
• Stakeholder & VIP Training: Act as a subject matter expert by delivering specialized product and process training to senior production staff, retail/sales teams, and VIP wholesale clients.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Artisanal Quality: Achieve and maintain a >90% quality assurance pass rate across all product lines.
• Labour Efficiency: Manage rosters and workflows to maintain labour costs strictly within departmental budgets.
• Sustainability & Yield: Control dough, ingredient, and packaging wastage within targeted budget tolerances.
• Compliance & Safety: Zero major non‑conformances in food safety audits (HACCP/BRC) and continuous improvement in WHS metrics.

Qualifications & Experience Required

• Relevant Management qualifications or at least 5 years of equivalent senior leadership experience managing complex bakery environments.
• Proven track record in bakery operations leadership, ideally within scaled artisan, premium food production, or multi‑site bakehouse environments.
• Deep understanding of traditional baking processes (fermentation, lamination) paired with expertise in production planning, 7‑day rostering, and labour/cost control.
• Comprehensive working knowledge of Australian and global food safety standards (HACCP, GMP, BRC, FSANZ).
• Demonstrated success in continuous improvement, specialized equipment optimization, and preventative maintenance scheduling.
• A hands‑on, mentoring leadership style with exceptional cross‑functional communication skills.