Assistant Head Baker

The Watch House & Co; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

The Watch House & Co in Greater London is seeking an experienced Assistant Head Baker to support the Bakery Manager. This role involves overseeing all aspects of bakery operations, ensuring high-quality products and efficient workflows.

The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, experience in high-volume production, and a genuine passion for food. Responsibilities include collaborating on menu development, managing production across multiple shifts, and driving food safety compliance.

Qualifications

• Genuine passion for food and a desire to deliver best-in-class products.
• Strong experience in lamination, Viennoiserie, enriched doughs, and patisserie.
• Level 3 Food Hygiene or ability to complete it by probation end.

Responsibilities

• Oversee bakery operations and team leadership.
• Collaborate on menu development and product launches.
• Manage production across multiple shifts.

Skills

Leadership abilities

Lamination

Viennoiserie

Patisserie

Food hygiene knowledge

Food costing

Education

Formal culinary training

Tools

Professional bakery equipment

Job description

TheAssistant Head Baker serves as the right hand to the Bakery Manager, able todeputise in their absence. They will help to oversee all aspects of bakeryoperations, including team leadership, production planning, training, andquality assurance. This is a strategic role focused on maintaining excellenceacross all product lines and ensuring operational consistency at the higheststandards.

Directly reports into (Line Manager ): Bakery Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Collaboratewith the Bakery Manager and wider Food Team on menu development and productlaunches.
• Leadand mentor the bakery team to maintain quality and develop talent.
• Solve production issues andoptimize workflow and labour usage.
• Managebakery production across multiple shifts and departments.
• Monitoringredient inventory, coordinating efficient and accurate stock management.
• Keep working equipment safe and good orderwhilst ensuring any maintenance followed up through correct channels.
• Drivefood safety compliance to ensure the bakery and all processes remain held tohighest standards of cleanliness and traceability.
• Enforceadherence to recipes, product standards, and portion control.

Key Requirements

• Genuine passion for food and desire to deliverbest in class products to our Houses.
• Strong leadership abilities, with a positivecan-do attitude and a proven track record with management-levelresponsibilities.
• Experience in staff development.
• Strong experience in lamination, Viennoiserie,enriched doughs and patisserie. Able to troubleshoot and offer solutions tocomplex production issues.
• Previous experience leading a team in ahigh-volume production bakery - with the ability to deliver effective feedbackand hold their team to account.
• Knowledge of professional bakery equipment,production scaling and workflow optimisation.
• Familiarity with food costing, inventorymanagement systems, and scheduling.
• Level 3 Food Hygiene or successful completionof by end of probation, knowledge of HACCP and ability to implement and managefood safety practicesto remain compliant.
• Excellent verbal and written communicationskills.
• Formal culinary training preferred.