Production Supervisor / Head of Production

Responsibilties:

Production Planning and Coordination:

• Plan and coordinate daily, weekly and periodic production activities based on sales forecasts, customer orders, stock levels and management instructions.
• Prepare production schedules and allocate duties to bakers, assistants and other production staff.
• Ensure the required quantities of bread and other bakery products are produced on time.
• Coordinate the complete production process, including weighing, mixing, dough development, cutting, moulding, proofing, baking, cooling, slicing, packaging and dispatch.
• Ensure production targets are achieved without compromising product quality or food-safety standards.
• Adjust production plans when there are changes in demand, equipment availability, staffing or raw-material supply.
• Coordinate with the sales, dispatch, stock and accounts teams to ensure smooth production and delivery operations.

Supervision and Team Management:

• Supervise, guide and motivate all production staff.
• Assign duties and ensure that employees understand their responsibilities and production targets.
• Monitor staff attendance, punctuality, productivity, conduct and compliance with company policies.
• Train new and existing employees on production procedures, equipment operation, hygiene and safety requirements.
• Conduct regular briefings before production shifts.
• Identify training needs and recommend appropriate development for production staff.
• Address minor staff issues promptly and escalate serious disciplinary or performance matters to management.
• Ensure adequate staffing and proper shift coverage at all times.
• Promote teamwork, discipline, accountability and professionalism within the production department.

Recipe Compliance and Product Quality:

• Ensure all products are made according to approved recipes, specifications and production procedures.
• Monitor the accurate weighing and measurement of flour, yeast, sugar, salt, fats, improvers, water and other ingredients.
• Check dough consistency, temperature, development and handling throughout the production process.
• Monitor cutting, weighing, moulding, panning, proofing and baking to ensure consistent product results.
• Ensure finished products meet approved standards for weight, size, colour, texture, taste, shape and appearance.
• Investigate product defects, customer complaints, production errors and quality deviations.
• Take corrective action and prevent repeated quality problems.
• Ensure no unauthorized changes are made to recipes, ingredient quantities or production procedures.
• Approve or reject products that do not meet the required quality standards.

Raw-Material and Inventory Control:

• Work with the stock officer, storekeeper or management to ensure adequate availability of raw materials and packaging materials.
• Confirm that ingredients issued for production correspond with approved production requirements.
• Monitor the proper storage, handling and use of flour, yeast, sugar, fats, improvers and other ingredients.
• Check raw materials for quality, expiry dates, contamination, damage and suitability before use.
• Report shortages, damaged materials, expired items or suspected quality problems immediately.
• Monitor ingredient usage and investigate unusual variances.
• Ensure proper stock rotation using the first-in, first-out principle where applicable.
• Prevent unauthorized removal, misuse or wastage of raw materials and finished products.

Waste and Cost Control:

• Monitor production yield and ensure efficient use of raw materials.
• Minimize wastage of flour, ingredients, dough, fuel, electricity, packaging materials and finished products.
• Ensure accurate dough scaling and compliance with approved cut weights.
• Monitor underweight, overweight, burnt, underbaked, misshapen, contaminated and rejected products.
• Record and investigate production losses, rejects and wastage.
• Identify opportunities to reduce production costs without compromising quality.
• Ensure overproduction is minimized and production quantities are aligned with demand.
• Report significant wastage, unexplained losses or cost variances to management.

Equipment Operation, Maintenance and Safety:

• Ensure mixers, dough dividers, moulders, proofers, ovens, slicers, packaging equipment and other production equipment are operated correctly.
• Conduct or supervise daily pre-start equipment checks.
• Ensure equipment is used only by trained and authorized personnel.
• Monitor equipment performance and report unusual noise, overheating, leakage, vibration, electrical faults or other defects.
• Coordinate with management and maintenance personnel regarding repairs and preventive maintenance.
• Ensure defective equipment is removed from service where necessary.
• Prevent unauthorized repairs, unsafe operation or bypassing of safety devices.
• Ensure equipment is properly cleaned, maintained and stored after production.
• Maintain an equipment fault and maintenance log where required.

Hygiene, Food Safety and Workplace Safety:

• Enforce strict personal hygiene and food-safety standards throughout the production department.
• Ensure all production staff wear approved uniforms, hair coverings, footwear, gloves and other required PPE.
• Ensure production areas, work surfaces, trays, pans, mixers, ovens, floors and surrounding areas are cleaned and sanitized properly.
• Prevent cross-contamination between raw materials, dough, finished products, chemicals and waste.
• Ensure proper handling, cooling, storage, slicing and packaging of finished products.
• Enforce handwashing, illness reporting and restricted-access procedures.
• Ensure cleaning schedules, sanitation procedures and pest-control requirements are followed.
• Report accidents, injuries, contamination risks, unsafe conditions and food-safety incidents immediately.
• Ensure waste is properly separated, handled and disposed of.
• Maintain a safe, orderly and hygienic production environment at all times.

Production Records and Reporting:

• Maintain accurate records of daily production activities.
• Record quantities of raw materials issued and used for each production batch.
• Record the number of batches produced, product quantities, cut weights and actual output.
• Record production rejects, wastage, rework, shortages and damaged products.
• Monitor expected yield against actual yield and investigate significant variances.
• Prepare daily, weekly and periodic production reports for management.
• Report equipment breakdowns, staff shortages, production delays, quality issues and other operational challenges.
• Provide information required for stock reconciliation, costing, payroll and management decision-making.
• Ensure production records are complete, accurate, timely and properly filed.

Dispatch and Finished-Product Control:

• Ensure finished products are properly cooled, handled, packaged, labelled and stored before dispatch.
• Confirm that products released for sale meet approved quality and quantity requirements.
• Coordinate with the dispatch or sales team to ensure orders are prepared accurately and on time.
• Prevent the release of damaged, contaminated, expired or substandard products.
• Monitor returned products and investigate the reasons for returns.
• Ensure proper accountability for finished products leaving the production area.

Continuous Improvement:

• Review production processes and recommend improvements in efficiency, quality, safety and cost control.
• Identify bottlenecks, recurring production problems and opportunities for process improvement.
• Introduce practical measures to improve production yield and reduce downtime.
• Encourage staff to report operational challenges and improvement ideas.
• Support the development and implementation of standard operating procedures.
• Keep up to date with good bakery production, hygiene and food-safety practices.

Requirements:

• Minimum of a diploma, certificate or secondary-school education with substantial practical bakery experience.
• Formal training or certification in baking, food production, food technology, hospitality management or a related field is an advantage.
• Minimum of three to five years’ experience in a commercial or industrial bakery.
• Previous supervisory or management experience in bakery production is strongly preferred.
• Practical knowledge of bread mixing, dough development, scaling, moulding, proofing, baking, cooling, slicing and packaging.
• Experience operating and supervising the use of commercial bakery equipment.
• Knowledge of food hygiene, food safety, workplace safety and quality-control procedures.
• Ability to prepare and interpret production records and basic operational reports.
• Basic understanding of production costing, yield calculation and raw-material control.

Required Skills and Attributes:

• Experienced and competent in commercial bakery production.
• A strong team leader with good supervisory skills.
• Organized, disciplined and able to plan production effectively.
• Quality-conscious and detail-oriented.
• Honest, accountable and trustworthy.
• Skilled in problem-solving and decision-making.
• Able to communicate clearly with staff, management and other departments.
• Physically fit and capable of working in a demanding production environment.
• Able to work under pressure and meet strict production deadlines.
• Clean, safety-conscious and committed to food-safety standards.
• Proficient in basic calculations, recordkeeping and production reporting.
• Willing to work early mornings, nights, weekends, public holidays or shifts when required.
• Able to enforce company policies fairly and consistently.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Achievement of daily and periodic production targets.
• Timely completion of production schedules.
• Consistency of product weight, size, appearance, texture and taste.
• Actual production yield compared with expected yield.
• Percentage of production rejects, returns and wastage.
• Accuracy of raw-material usage and stock reconciliation.
• Compliance with approved recipes and production procedures.
• Reduction in production losses and avoidable costs.
• Equipment uptime and proper equipment handling.
• Compliance with hygiene, food-safety and workplace-safety requirements.
• Accuracy and timeliness of production reports.
• Staff productivity, attendance, discipline and teamwork.
• Customer satisfaction and reduction in product-related complaints.
• Effective coordination with sales, dispatch, stores, accounts and management.
• Ability to maintain production continuity during staff or equipment challenges.

Authority and Restrictions:

• Allocate duties and supervise production staff.
• Coordinate daily production activities and shift assignments.
• Stop or hold production where there is a serious quality, safety, hygiene or equipment concern.
• Reject products that do not meet approved standards.
• Request raw materials and packaging materials according to approved production requirements.
• Recommend equipment repairs, staff training, disciplinary action and process improvements.
• Escalate operational, staffing, quality and safety issues to management.

The Production Supervisor / Head of Production must not:

• Change approved recipes, ingredient quantities or product specifications without authorisation.
• Approve the use of expired, contaminated, damaged or unsuitable raw materials.
• Release substandard, contaminated or improperly labelled products for sale.
• Permit unauthorised persons to enter restricted production areas.
• Allow untrained or unauthorised persons to operate production equipment.
• Conceal production errors, wastage, stock shortages, equipment faults or safety incidents.
• Remove raw materials, finished products or company property without authorisation.
• Bypass equipment safety devices or authorise unsafe repairs.
• Falsify production, stock, attendance, wastage or quality records.
• Compromise food safety or product quality in order to meet production targets.

Working Conditions:

• The role is based in a bakery production environment with exposure to heat, flour dust, noise, machinery and standing for extended periods.
• The position may require lifting, carrying, bending and moving raw materials, trays and finished products.
• The role may involve early-morning, night, weekend, public-holiday or shift work.
• The employee must comply with all company health, safety, hygiene and food-safety requirements.

Remuneration: NGN150,000 Monthly