Stephens Bakery - Despatch Supervisor - 40 Hours - Rosyth

Wm. Stephen (Bakers) Ltd.; Dunfermline; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Wm. Stephen (Bakers) Ltd. in Dunfermline is seeking a Despatch Supervisor to lead the night shift, ensuring orders are picked, packed and ready for delivery on time. You will supervise a team of around 7–8 and report to the Night Shift Manager.

This hands-on role requires clear leadership, close coordination with Bakery, Confectionery and Driving teams, and strong decision-making to maintain fulfilment levels.

Qualifications

• Experience in despatch or warehouse supervision preferred.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the despatch plan by ensuring orders are picked, packed and prepared for delivery on time.
• Maintain quality and food safety standards across the despatch process and ensure compliance.
• Lead the despatch team, allocate workload and coordinate with bakery, confectionery and driving teams.
• Own routine problems, escalate when needed, and provide recommended solutions.
• Support team performance and development, conduct training and manage first-line issues.
• Provide additional leadership during Night Shift Manager holidays, six days per week when required.
• Uphold Stephens' values and ensure a calm, practical, solutions-focused approach.

Job description

Department Despatch

Reports to Night Shift Manager

Hours 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday

Normal shift pattern 8:00pm-4:30am, with an earlier 6:00pm-2:30am shift on Fridays

Rate of Pay Competitive

Role Purpose

The Despatch Supervisor is responsible for the effective day-to-day running of the Despatch team, ensuring customer orders are accurately picked, packed and ready for delivery on time.The role supervises a team of approximately 7-8 people and works closely with Bakery, Confectionery and the Driving team to balance production availability with customer requirements and maintain strong fulfilment levels.This is a predominantly hands-on supervisory role. The Despatch Supervisor will work alongside the team while providing clear leadership, coordination and decision-making throughout the shift.

Key Accountabilities

1. Delivery of the Despatch Plan

Ensure customer orders are accurately picked, packed and prepared for delivery in line with required timings and service standards.Coordinate priorities throughout the shift and make appropriate operational decisions where shortages or changing circumstances arise.Routine shortages should be managed directly by the Supervisor. Significant shortages or issues likely to materially affect customer fulfilment should be escalated to the Night Shift Manager, together with a recommended course of action.

2. Quality, Food Safety & Process Standards

Ensure the Despatch team consistently operates to the required standards for quality, food safety, hygiene, health & safety and departmental processes.Maintain appropriate checks, records and housekeeping standards, and ensure any quality, safety, maintenance or compliance concerns are identified and acted upon promptly.The Despatch team represents the final quality check between Production and the customer, and the Supervisor is responsible for maintaining this standard throughout the shift.

3. Team Coordination & Shift Control

Lead and coordinate the Despatch team throughout the shift, ensuring people and workload are allocated effectively and priorities are adjusted where required.Maintain clear communication with Bakery, Confectionery, the Driving team and other relevant departments to ensure issues are understood and the wider night-shift operation remains coordinated.Provide clear and effective handovers where required.

4. On-Shift Problem Solving & Escalation

Take ownership of routine operational problems and make appropriate decisions to keep the shift moving.Identify significant issues early, understand the available options and escalating appropriately to the Night Shift Manager.Where escalation is required, the expectation is that the Supervisor will, wherever possible, provide a recommended solution rather than simply escalating the problem.

5. Team Performance, Behaviour & Development

Provide positive day-to-day leadership to the Despatch team and help maintain high standards of performance, behaviour and teamwork.Lead by example, consistently living and role modelling Stephens' values and expected behaviours, and supporting team members to understand what these look like in their day-to-day work.Responsibilities include supporting new starters and trialists, coordinating training and job rotation, carrying out return-to-work discussions and addressing appropriate first-line performance or behavioural matters.Complete annual development conversations with team members and support their ongoing training and development.Recognise good performance and behaviours, while addressing issues constructively when standards or behaviours fall below what is expected. More significant or formal people matters should be raised with the Night Shift Manager.

Additional Leadership Cover

As part of the role, the Despatch Supervisor will be required to provide additional leadership support during periods of Night Shift Manager holiday.This will involve working six days during the relevant week, up to a maximum of six weeks per year.This does not involve taking on the full responsibilities of the Night Shift Manager. The purpose is to ensure the Despatch team continues to be well supported, effectively led and appropriately represented within the wider night-shift operation.

General Expectations

As a leader within Stephens, the Despatch Supervisor is expected to lead by example and consistently live and role model our values in how they work, communicate, make decisions and treat others.They should help create a positive working environment where people understand what is expected of them, work well together and feel supported to perform at their best.The Despatch Supervisor is expected to work constructively with other departments and maintain a calm, practical and solutions-focused approach in a fast-moving environment.The role requires good judgement, particularly when balancing customer fulfilment, production availability, quality standards, people and operational priorities.