Bakery Manager, WatchHouse.

TN United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Bakery Manager to lead their team and drive operational excellence. This pivotal role involves overseeing all aspects of bakery production, ensuring quality and compliance while fostering a positive team culture. The ideal candidate will have a passion for food and a proven track record in bakery management, along with strong leadership and communication skills. Join a dynamic environment where your contributions will directly impact the success of the bakery and delight customers with exceptional baked goods. If you thrive in a fast-paced setting and are committed to quality, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years' experience in a professional bakery environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
• Food Safety qualifications, including Level 3 Food Hygiene.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the bakery team to uphold high standards.
• Oversee food production, ensuring quality and compliance.
• Manage recruitment, training, and development of bakery staff.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Planning and Organization

Attention to Detail

Food Safety Knowledge

Education

Food Safety qualifications

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

MarketMan

Trail

Job description

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The Bakery Manager at WatchHouse plays a key role in shaping the future of our food vision and execution. Joining at a pivotal time—with a bakery relocation project underway—this role demands a balance of long-term strategic planning and meticulous attention to daily operations.

As a hands-on and inspiring leader, the Bakery Manager is passionate about quality, consistency, and provenance. They lead from the front, driving high standards and operational excellence while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability across the team.

Responsible for the day-to-day running of the WatchHouse Bakery, this role ensures all food is produced to spec, on time, and within budget. The Bakery Manager oversees every stage of the production process, from planning and coordination to execution and delivery, guaranteeing consistent quality across all Houses.

They also uphold the highest standards of health and food safety, ensuring full compliance through rigorous processes, ongoing training, and proactive team development. With a clear focus on both people and product, the Bakery Manager plays a critical role in delivering best-in-class baked goods and leading a high-performing team to success.

Directly reports into (Line Manager): Head of Food.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Leading, managing, and holding the bakery team to account, fostering a positive and engaged culture committed to excellence.
2. Overseeing all food production across the WatchHouse Bakery, ensuring all items are produced to recipe, spec, and deadline.
3. Planning and organising production schedules to ensure orders are completed accurately, on time, and in full.
4. Maintaining an efficient, well-utilised bakery workspace with the right staffing, resources, and equipment to meet operational demands.
5. Managing recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing training of bakery staff to maintain high performance and team development.
6. Upholding quality standards across all product lines, ensuring consistency and attention to detail in every bake.
7. Supporting successful new product development (NPD) launches and training the team accordingly.
8. Managing supplier relationships to ensure high-quality ingredients are sourced at the best possible value.
9. Overseeing stock management via MarketMan: ordering accurately, minimising waste, conducting weekly stocktakes, and controlling inventory levels.
10. Ensuring compliance with food safety and health & safety legislation, and maintaining a clean, hygienic, and safe working environment.
11. Managing the use of Trail to log daily tasks and compliance checks, ensuring all records are completed accurately and used effectively.
12. Acting as the owner of company nutrition software, keeping all product data up to date.
13. Ensuring all bakery equipment is well-maintained, safe, and fit for purpose, escalating issues promptly for resolution.
14. Implementing and embedding company policies, processes, and hygiene standards across the team.
15. Monitoring team schedules to meet production targets while staying within budget.
16. Generating and presenting bakery production reports, tracking KPIs and identifying opportunities for improvement.
17. Supporting the Head of Food on ad-hoc duties, planning, and business initiatives as required.

Professional Qualifications / Experience Preferred:

1. Minimum 5 years' experience in a professional bakery environment, with proven responsibility for leading and managing a team.
2. A genuine passion for food, with a drive for innovation and a commitment to delivering exceptional standards.
3. Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage with the Food team, direct reports, and key stakeholders across the business.
4. Excellent planning and organisational abilities, with a clear sense of priority, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines.
5. A calm, solutions-focused approach under pressure, with the ability to make sound decisions in fast-paced, high-volume environments.
6. A confident, hands-on leader who leads by example, inspires their team, and holds others to account with fairness and clarity.
7. Adaptable and resilient, able to respond to change, overcome challenges, and drive continuous improvement.
8. Food Safety qualifications, including Level 3 Food Hygiene and HACCP, with the capability to implement, manage, and uphold food safety practices in a high-volume production setting.

The role in more detail:

1. A self-motivated, proactive individual with strong problem-solving skills and the initiative to drive improvements where needed.
2. A practical thinker and doer—able to organise your workload efficiently while contributing positively to a growing, fast-paced business.
3. Demonstrates a strong work ethic, flexibility, and a commitment to operational excellence.
4. Proven leadership capability with the confidence to lead, manage, and hold a team to account (LMA).
5. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong working relationships across departments and all levels of the business.
6. Exceptional attention to detail to ensure consistency and accuracy across all product lines.
7. Operationally focused, with the ability to identify inefficiencies and implement solutions to keep the bakery running smoothly.
8. Confident decision-maker who can adapt quickly to change and maintain momentum under pressure.
9. Competent in recipe costing and margin management, with a solid understanding of food production economics.
10. Clear and effective communicator, both written and verbal, able to present information and instructions with clarity.
11. Calm and composed in a busy production environment, able to lead by example and maintain high standards under pressure.
12. Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, with the ability to manage production data and reporting.

Working at WatchHouse

WatchHouse was born from a passion to do better. Diligence and attention to detail are paramount to what we do; we focus on the detail. We strive for perfection. We really care.

We are a people-first business, curious and interested in those around us. We treat everyone with respect. We pride ourselves on creating an environment where diversity is celebrated, equality is insisted, and inclusion expected.

A company where we believe in having the right person in the role; personality and individuality at the top of the list of what we are looking for in applications and throughout our hiring process.

We also know that everyone is different, and we value and respect diversity, standing up for equality and standing against any form of discrimination.

Decisions about and the treatment of people at work should be based on the individual’s abilities, skills, performance, and behaviour—these should be assessed against the WatchHouse job description requirements for each individual role.

We are always patient and considerate towards others. Encouraging, approachable, and communicating brilliantly. We strive to be the best we can be, by giving and receiving regular and honest feedback in a professional manner.

We plan, prioritise, and are mindful and respect the time of others. We complete every task to the best of our ability. Always happy to ask for help, work in cohesion with other people/departments, and share successes.

We work to make WatchHouse an environment of trust and camaraderie, where others are inspired to play their part in working effectively together. Building strong relationships with others and demonstrating positive energy. We recognise and value the contribution of others across the business, working together to deliver the Modern Coffee experience to each and every person touched by our business.

Our four core values - passion, can do, diligence, and empathy - are what makes WatchHouse who we are. Our decisions are made based on these principles. To grow and succeed at WatchHouse, it is imperative that these values also resonate strongly with you and can drive your ambition in the same way they do ours.

The WatchHouse Bakery Manager is able to work collaboratively alongside their line manager and senior Food team, as well as the existing team at the kitchen team. Hands-on and willing to get the job done, the successful candidate will work independently in the bakery, managing their own time effectively to deliver products in a timely fashion.

To directly liaise with suppliers, keep on top of stock levels, and ensure that the products produced meet the standards and specifications required by WatchHouse. You will also be managing the performance of your team members and ensuring rota schedules are published and to budget.