Head of Production (Central Kitchen)

CL Bakery Sdn Bhd; Selangor; On-site; MYR 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading bakery company in Malaysia seeks a Head of Production to oversee the Central Kitchen. The role involves ensuring consistency in bakery and pastry production, managing food safety standards, and optimizing production capacity. Candidates should have proven experience in large-scale kitchen operations, strong leadership skills, and technical knowledge in bakery processes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as Head Chef or Chef in Central Kitchen or large-scale production.
• Familiar with HACCP and food safety standards.
• Ability to manage multi-section teams effectively.

Responsibilities

• Oversee bakery, pastry, and hot kitchen production for quality and consistency.
• Plan and schedule production to meet demand.
• Ensure adherence to food safety and hygiene compliance.

Skills

Leadership skills

Excellent organizational skills

Strong technical knowledge in bakery and pastry

Financial acumen for cost management

Job description

The Head of production is responsible for leading and managing the Central Kitchen production that supports Christine’s Bakery outlets. This role ensures that all bakery, pastry, and hot kitchen products are produced consistently, efficiently, and in line with company quality standards. The Head of production oversees production planning, food safety, cost control, and team development to ensure reliable stock supply and readiness for all outlets.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee production of Bakery, Pastry, and Hot Kitchen to ensure consistency in recipes, portioning, and quality.
• Plan and schedule production in collaboration with the Production Planner to meet daily and weekly demand of outlets.
• Ensure smooth coordination across dough mixing, shaping, baking, and hot kitchen lines.
• Monitor and optimize production capacity to balance demand and minimize downtime or shortages.

2. Product Quality & Standardization

• Enforce strict adherence to company recipes, SOPs, and portion controls.
• Work with QA Executive to implement quality assurance checks before dispatching to outlets.
• Maintain high product consistency across all outlets supplied by the Central Kitchen.
• Lead and mentor section heads (CDPs, Pastry Chef, Hot Kitchen Chef, Bakers) and ensure their teams are well-trained.
• Build a culture of discipline, teamwork, and continuous improvement in the production kitchen.
• Identify training needs and skill development programs for kitchen staff.

4. Food Safety & Hygiene Compliance

• Ensure compliance with HACCP, food safety, and hygiene requirements throughout the Central Kitchen.
• Implement and monitor proper storage, handling, and labelling of raw materials and finished goods.
• Conduct regular audits with QA to uphold food safety standards.

5. Cost & Inventory Control

• Manage food cost, wastage, and yield control across production.
• Work with Supply Chain on forecasting, ordering, and vendor evaluation.
• Monitor usage of raw materials to reduce overproduction and spoilage.
• Work closely with COO, Head of Culinary and Production Planner to align production capacity with sales forecasts.
• Provide daily/weekly reports on production volume, efficiency, wastage, and manpower needs.
• Coordinate with outlet operations to gather feedback for continuous product improvement.

Requirements

• Proven experience as Head Chef / Chef in Central Kitchen, large-scale production, or bakery/pastry manufacturing.
• Strong technical knowledge in bakery, pastry, and hot kitchen processes.
• Leadership skills to manage multi-section teams across dough, pastry, and hot kitchen.
• Excellent organizational and production planning abilities.
• Familiar with HACCP, ISO, or other food safety standards.
• Strong financial acumen for cost management and efficiency improvements.