Job description
Golden Hearth Bakery is seeking a seasoned Head Baker to lead our pastry and artisan bread program in San Francisco. We craft rustic loaves, viennoiserie, and contemporary desserts in a fast-paced, quality-first environment.
As Head Baker, you will oversee daily production, mentor a skilled team, and drive product innovation while maintaining exceptional standards of taste, texture, and presentation.
Join a culture that values craftsmanship, continuous learning, and career growth. Competitive compensation, performance incentives, and comprehensive benefits accompany this role.
Responsibility
- Lead daily baking operations, ensuring on-time production and consistent quality across all products.
- Develop and optimize bread and pastry recipes; drive product innovation and seasonal menus.
- Oversee quality control, recipe standardization, portion control, and product consistency.
- Manage inventory, ordering, supplier relationships, and maintenance of ovens, proofers, mixers, and other equipment.
- Train, coach, and schedule the baking team; foster a safe, collaborative, and high-performance work environment.
- Enforce food safety, HACCP compliance, sanitation standards, and allergen controls.
- Collaborate with front-of-house and procurement to meet demand and seasonal goals, analyzing sales data to inform production planning.
- Monitor costs, reduce waste, and optimize yield to support profitability.
Qualification
- 5+ years of bakery or pastry experience, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or head baker role.
- Expertise in sourdough, laminated dough (croissants, danishes), desserts, and rustic bread production.
- Proven leadership and people management skills with a track record of building cohesive teams.
- Excellent knowledge of commercial ovens, proofing cabinets, mixers, sheeters, and baking equipment.
- Strong understanding of food safety, HACCP, sanitation, and allergen controls; ServSafe or local equivalent certification preferred.
- Ability to work early mornings, weekends, and long hours as production requires; physical stamina and attention to detail.
- Culinary degree or equivalent formal training preferred; passion for baking and learning new techniques.