Bakery Manager

KD Market; Palatine (IL); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Paid Time Off

401(k) Retirement Plan

Store Grocery Discount

Shift Meal Perks

Whole Life Insurance

Job summary

Krystyna’s Deli, Inc. (KD Market) in Palatine, IL, seeks a Bakery Department Manager to lead daily operations, drive sales, manage margins, and oversee labor budgets while upholding high merchandising and sanitation standards.

You’ll train and motivate department staff, coordinate fresh baking, inventory control, FIFO rotation, and customer service excellence, ensuring flawless execution across the bakery.

Qualifications

• Experience in retail grocery or bakery management with budgeting and inventory control.
• Proficient with POS systems and inventory software.
• Strong knowledge of food safety and equipment maintenance.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily bakery operations and schedule baking to ensure freshness before store opening.
• Lead labor scheduling and staff onboarding, training, and performance coaching.
• Maintain inventory levels with FIFO rotation and shrinkage control.
• Negotiate with suppliers for pricing, quality, and delivery terms in collaboration with leadership.
• Enforce sanitation standards, waste tracking, and quality directives across the department.
• Coordinate merchandising, pricing integrity, and promotional activities with marketing partners.

Skills

Bakery management

Budgeting

Cost control

Inventory control

Pricing

Ordering

Leadership

Staff training

P&L management

Tools

POS systems

Inventory software

Store dashboards

Job description

The Bakery Department Manager oversees all day-to-day operations within the Bakery Department. This leadership role is responsible for driving sales, managing product margins, controlling labor budgets, enforcing pricing integrity, and maintaining top-tier merchandising and sanitation standards. The Manager leads, trains, and motivates department personnel to ensure flawless execution in fresh baking, ordering, product rotation, inventory control, and customer service excellence.

Key Responsibilities & Core Duties

• Daily Baking Operations: Oversee daily baking schedules, ensuring rolls, paczki, and sweet yeast rolls are freshly baked, packaged, and displayed in sales cases prior to 8:00 AM daily.
• Opening & Closing Procedures: Manage morning bread cutting and packaging for inter-store transportation, as well as evening prep, including preparing breadcrumbs, cart setup for morning baking, and display case shutdown.
• Equipment Maintenance & Sanitation: Ensure proper operation, cleaning, and maintenance of all department equipment, including commercial ovens, proofers, mixers, bread slicers, and service display cases.
• Logs & Quality Control: Enforce strict daily waste logging, temperature tracking, and sanitation standards across all baking, storage, and service areas.
• Supplier Negotiations & Purchasing: In coordination with store leadership, negotiate with suppliers for favorable pricing, quality, and delivery terms.
• Inventory & Rotation: Maintain optimal inventory levels to eliminate out-of-stock items while preventing overstocking. Enforce strict First-In, First-Out (FIFO) product rotation across backroom storage coolers and customer displays.
• Stock Counts & Audits: Conduct periodic physical inventory counts using the SMS LOC / PDA backstore count system and manage zero-out inventory audits.
• Invoice Audits & Credits: Review vendor delivery invoices for accuracy, process credits for damaged or expired goods, and coordinate price scanning and labeling with the Pricing Manager.
• Customer Commitment: Lead by example in delivering prompt, polite, and attentive service ('Customer is always a priority').
• Immediate Service Rule: Enforce the policy requiring clerks to immediately pause side work or restocking tasks to serve customers at the counter.
• Quality Standard: Strictly enforce the store quality directive: 'Don't sell bad quality products to customers — don't sell anything you wouldn't eat or give your family members to eat'.
• Labor Scheduling: Create weekly employee schedules structured around established labor budgets and arrange coverage for vacant shifts.
• Onboarding & Training: Hire, orient, and train qualified department staff, completing new-hire training checklists.
• Performance Management: Provide ongoing coaching, conduct performance evaluations, and implement corrective counseling or progressive discipline in accordance with company policy.
• Team Communication: Conduct regular department staff meetings to communicate operational goals, safety protocols, and promotional initiatives.
• Display & Merchandising: Plan attractive bakery displays, seasonal feature tables, and cross-merchandising initiatives with other department managers.
• Promotional Coordination: Partner with the Marketing Director and Promotion Manager to structure product selections for printed weekly circular ads and digital KD Club loyalty program offers.
• Dashboard Analysis: Continuously review Department Dashboard metrics to monitor sales velocity, labor percentage, gross margins, and shrinkage, adjusting department operations to meet financial targets.

Experience & Technical Skills

• Proven experience in retail grocery or commercial bakery management, including budgeting, cost control, margin management, ordering, pricing, and inventory control.
• Proficiency with computers, point-of-sale (POS) systems, inventory software, reports, and store dashboards.
• Strong knowledge of commercial baking techniques, food safety standards, and equipment maintenance.

Certifications & Licenses

• Must possess a valid State of Illinois Department of Public Health Food Handler Certification

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand for extended periods, walk, bend, stoop, climb ladders, and balance throughout the shift.
• Ability to frequently push/pull equipment and carts weighing up to 100 lbs.
• Ability to frequently lift/move up to 50 lbs, and occasionally lift up to 75 lbs.
• Flexibility to work variable shifts, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and peak holiday seasons.

Compensation, Benefits & Employee Perks

KD Market offers a competitive salary along with a comprehensive benefits package for regular full-time employees:

• Medical Insurance: Available for full-time employees after 90 days of employment.
• Paid Time Off: Paid Holidays and Paid Vacation accrual after 90 days.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan: Qualified retirement plan with up to 4% company match after 180 days of employment.
• Store Grocery Discount: 10% employee discount on store purchases, extended to the employee's spouse.
• Shift Meal Perks: One complimentary custom sandwich per shift during meal breaks, plus discounted pricing on store lunch meals.
• Whole Life Insurance: Voluntary portable whole life insurance options.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Krystyna’s Deli, Inc. (KD Market) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or protected status.