Head of Bakery

Meet Us: King Arthur Baking Company is an award-winning, audience-leading baking company with a strategic vision to be the resource for baking education and inspiration. Through traditional and new media, in-person and virtual education, we strive to be a leader in helping novice and expert bakers alike. We're not going anywhere - we've been part of the family since 1790. We work to build stronger communities and increase access and the connection to real foods. We take pride in our responsible sourcing and our "never bleached" guarantee. And we work closely with farmers, millers, and suppliers in a continued commitment toward sustainability. Our wheat flour is grown and milled right here in the United States. Flour this good uses only the purest ingredients, free from GMOs. As a founding B Corporation, we are committed to using the power of business as a force for social and environmental good. We believe every employee's contributions make our company what it is: vibrant, successful, and committed to spreading the joy of baking. We are a welcoming and inclusive 100% employee-owned company.

The Position: The Head of Bakery oversees all aspects of daily bakery production and wholesale operations to ensure high-quality, consistent products that reflect King Arthur Baking’s brand values. This role leads the creative vision for the bakery, driving quality standards. They report to and partner with the Director of Experience to inform and support the strategic direction of the flagship location The Bakery Manager builds and develops a skilled team of artisan bakers and pastry chefs, fostering a positive and collaborative culture focused on excellence and continuous learning. They work closely with Café and Kitchen leadership to ensure cohesive menu and merchandising strategies, and partner with company leaders to set financial goals, manage budgets, and optimize production efficiency. This role plays a key part in positioning the bakery as a unique and valued business unit within the organization.

The Benefits: Yes, we have the regular "stuff" - medical, dental, vision, company paid short- and long-term disability, life insurance, paid parental leave, paid time off to rest, paid holidays to have fun, a 401(K) with a company match. But here's what makes us different: 40 paid volunteer hours a year, profit sharing*, participation in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)* and knowing that those working with you are dedicated and engaged co-employee owners that believe in you and your extraordinary abilities to move us all forward.

The Location: Norwich, VT; onsite daily.

The Pay: $60,400 to $81,600 annual salary; commensurate with experience

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee daily Bakery production, scheduling, and workflow to ensure efficiency and consistency. Establish and monitor production standards, formulas portioning and presentation. Ensures food and occupational safety standards compliance.
• Leads and manages Wholesale business and develops effective programs and menus that respond to and serve local customers.
• Leads and develops the creative vision for the Bakery. Evaluates existing programs and creates a culture of innovation and new product development. Establishes menu change timelines that align with seasonality and company initiatives. Ensures products align with KAB brand values and customer expectations.
• Supports Bakery Leads to recruit, train and mentor artisan bread bakers and pastry chefs. Develop staff through coaching, performance management, and succession planning. Fosters a positive, collaborative, and high-performance work culture.
• Partner closely with Café and Kitchen leadership to ensure collaborative and positive team culture, with a special focus on par setting, menu development, and attractive food merchandising.
• Partners with Director to set sales and profitability goals via annual budget planning process. Manages Bakery budget, labor costs, COGs, and inventory to achieve financial targets. Identifies opportunities to increase efficiency, reduce costs and drive profitability.
• Works cross-functionally with KAB business partners to drive continuous improvement and recognition of the Bakery as a unique and differentiating business unit in the company.
• Provides hands-on support in bakery production when necessary to maintain operational continuity, model best practices, and reinforce a collaborative team environment.

Experience and Education

• 5-7 years of progressive bakery leadership with experience in high volume retail café and wholesale production. Formal education in baking/pastry arts or culinary management preferred.
• Strong technical knowledge of artisan breads and pastries.
• Proven track record of successfully leading teams and achieving operational goals.
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Proficient with Microsoft Office suite.
• We value those who can demonstrate capability and articulate how prior experiences will help them transition into this role.

Competencies

• Communication and collaboration: Foster a collaborative and supportive work environment where team members can share their ideas, opinions, and feedback. Effectively communicates expectations, feedback, and ideas across bakery, café, and cross-functional teams. Actively listens and collaborates to ensure smooth operations, aligned goals, and a positive team culture. Fosters an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and leveraged for team synergy and success.
• Leadership Skills: Strong leadership skills, including the ability to set clear, measurable performance goals, coach, mentor, inspire, team to reach their full potential, lead through change, and model desired behaviors, values, and culture of KAB. Ability to build trust, drive collaboration, and gain buy-in across a team of production bakers.
• Strategy development: Ability to set goals and objectives that support Bakery and Norwich location performance, build comprehensive team roadmaps and plans that drive results, allocate resources, and identify and mitigate risks. Identify team opportunities that reflect brand values and drives revenue and profitability growth.
• Business/financial Acumen Strong financial knowledge and skills including purchasing and Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) management, sales forecasting, and labor analysis. Ability to leverage these skills for strategic business planning, budgeting, and investment choices. (sales, shrink, COGS, labor). Makes informed budget decisions to support profitability while maintaining product quality and team sustainability.
• Customer Service: Uphold a customer-centric approach to ensure outstanding experience. Implement strategies to enhance customer satisfaction through excellent service, superior product quality, innovative menu and program offerings, and high standards for cleanliness and food safety.
• Decision Making and Problem Solving. Analyze complex situations, weigh the pros and cons of various options, and make sound and timely decisions while considering the impact on the team and organization. Identify and define problems and analyze relevant information to generate and implement effective solutions.
• Results driven: Drives accountability towards meeting and exceeding goals. Approaches their work with curiosity, adaptability, critical thinking, and a growth mindset.

Success Factors

• Genuine enthusiasm for King Arthur’s mission and products and a commitment to living our values.
• Is community minded gets involved, volunteers

Physical Requirements/Work Environment/Safety

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical requirements

• This role consistently uses standard office equipment such as computers and phones.
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.
• Ability to remain standing for extended periods of time and frequently walk, stand, bend and reach at or below shoulders.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds
• Must be able to operate commercial bakery equipment
• Repeat the same movements

Work environment

• Fast-paced bakery environment
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will regularly be in an indoor production environment with exposure to sound and temperature of various equipment such as mixers as well as cleaning products.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but may be loud dependent on specific work site and/or equipment operation.
• Ability to regularly work in a kitchen environment where allergens may be present
• Ability to regularly touch and taste food products which may contain allergens

Safety

• Understands that safety is the responsibility of everyone at the organization and is responsible for adhering to/providing work in a safe and ergonomic manner, identifying unsafe conditions and correcting conditions immediately or reporting them promptly.
• Participates in safety and compliance training and safety and health programs.

Supervision

• Supervises a team of baking professionals.

Travel

• Up to 5%

Other Duties

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

It is the responsibility of every employee to contribute to a positive and safe work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers, and vendors. As a proud Benefit Corporation, King Arthur Baking expects our employees to adhere to company-wide green norms and remain educated on company impact campaigns.

There's room at our table for you! Apply today.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors protected by law. King Arthur Baking provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities to allow them to participate in both the application process and during employment. Such individuals are encouraged to seek accommodations to allow them to apply for a position, participate in the application process, and meet the essential functions and requirements of the position.

*Amounts vary based on achievement of financial targets. Participation based on hire date and program entry date.