Kitchen Team Leader (Afternoon Shift)

LiveHire Limited; Victoria; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

40% team member discount

Job summary

Koko Black is seeking a hands-on Kitchen Team Leader to coordinate and support the kitchen team in preparing the foundations of our handcrafted chocolates. This role is an afternoon shift, 3:00pm–11:06pm, Monday to Friday, reporting to the Afternoon Shift Manager.

You will oversee daily production, ensure safety, quality, and efficient prep in a fast-paced environment. You will lead by example, develop capability across the team, and ensure all ingredients and processes meet approved standards

Qualifications

• Proven leadership or supervisory experience in a kitchen or food-manufacturing setting.
• Strong communication and team-development abilities.
• Solid knowledge of food safety, hygiene and allergen management.
• Ability to prioritise, organise tasks and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to consistent, high-quality outcomes and continuous improvement.
• Hands-on leadership style with the ability to coach and develop the team.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily production plan within prep and pastry kitchen areas.
• Allocate tasks, monitor progress, and escalate issues as needed.
• Ensure ingredients and products are prepared to approved recipes and specs.
• Maintain correct handling, storage, labelling and rotation of ingredients.
• Record production, temperature, allergen and quality checks accurately.
• Provide direction, coaching and feedback to team members.
• Support onboarding, training and skill development across kitchen teams.
• Collaborate with Shift Manager, QA, Maintenance, Supply Chain and Warehouse.
• Identify practical improvements to reduce waste, downtime and rework.
• Champion Koko Black's food safety, quality and craftsmanship culture.

Skills

Leadership experience

Team coordination

Food safety knowledge

Communication skills

Organisation skills

Quality focus

Allergen management

Job description

We're seeking a hands-on Kitchen Team Leader to coordinate and support our kitchen team in preparing the foundations of our handcrafted chocolates. Working alongside the team, you'll help ensure ingredients and key components are prepared safely, efficiently and to approved quality standards.

If you enjoy sharing your skills and helping a team deliver consistent, high-quality products, this is an opportunity to contribute to a proudly Australian artisan brand.

Afternoon shift position

3:00pm-11:06pm Monday to Friday

The Role

Reporting to the Afternoon Shift Manager, you'll coordinate the daily production plan within the prep and pastry kitchen areas. This is a hands-on role, combining preparation and production work with task allocation, clear communication and practical support for team members. You'll monitor progress against daily priorities and elevate production, equipment, safety or quality issues to the Shift Manager or relevant support team.

You'll act as a role model for Koko Black's values, Passion, Leadership, Ownership and Trust, and play a key role in developing capability and building a high-performing production team.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure all ingredients, components, fillings, and other products are prepared according to approved recipes and specifications.
• Coordinate workflow, prioritise tasks, and allocate team members to meet the daily production plan.
• Monitor product quality, consistency, presentation, and yield throughout the preparation process.
• Ensure correct handling, storage, labelling, and rotation of ingredients and finished products.
• Ensure the team follows cleaning, hygiene, food safety and safe operating procedures, addressing hazards promptly and escalating concerns as required.
• Ensure required production, temperature, allergen and quality checks are completed and recorded accurately, and escalated non-conformances appropriately.
• Provide clear direction, coaching, and feedback to team members.
• Support onboarding, training, and skill development across the kitchen teams.
• Work with the Afternoon Shift Manager, Quality Assurance, Maintenance, Supply Chain and Warehouse teams to address production issues and keep daily work on track.
• Identify and support practical improvements within the kitchen areas to reduce waste, downtime and rework.
• Champion Koko Black's food safety, quality, and craftsmanship culture at all times.

What You'll Bring

• Proven leadership or supervisory experience in a commercial kitchen, pastry kitchen, food manufacturing, or FMCG environment.
• Hands-on leadership style with the ability to inspire, support, and develop your team.
• Strong knowledge of food preparation, pastry production, food safety, hygiene and allergen management.
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach.
• Strong organisation skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• A commitment to consistency, continuous improvement, and high-quality outcomes.
• Confidence in providing timely feedback, addressing day-to-day issues and recognising when to escape concerns to the Shift Manager.
• A passion for pastry, craftsmanship, and pride in creating premium products.

Why Koko Black?

• Be part of an iconic Australian chocolate brand with craftsmanship and quality at its heart
• Bring innovation to life - influence packaging solutions across a growing portfolio of brands and products
• Make an impact on sustainability - help us explore smarter, lower-impact packaging solutions
• Work cross-functionally - collaborate with Innovation, Marketing, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain and more
• Grow with us - join Koko Black Group during an exciting period of growth and evolution
• And of course enjoy a 40% team member discount!