Experienced Sourdough Baker

Job summary

Lead daily production operations at the Hamilton facility, ensuring consistent quality and adherence to the bakery's fermentation philosophy. Manage baking shifts, mentor the production team, and collaborate on product development and capacity planning.

Job details

About Dear Grain Dear Grain Sourdough Studio is one of Canada's most respected artisan sourdough bakeries. Founded in the Hamilton area and rooted in a philosophy of slow, intentional baking, we've built a loyal community around high-hydration sourdoughs made with locally sourced, organic, and heirloom grains — slow-fermented for 12 to 36 hours for depth of flavour and maximum digestibility. Our business is growing, including a growing number of retail boutiques and a sourdough bakery opening September 2026. Dear Grain has an incredible team of Bakers today. However with our growth, and new facility, we’re looking for experienced bakers to join our leadership team and build a truly special Sourdough Operation, rooted in Hamilton, Ontario. Key Responsibilities Making Bread Learn our production practices and participate as a leader in daily production operations at the newly constructed Hamilton Sourdough Bread Bakery facility, ensuring our product is of consistent quality and integrity every day Manage scheduling and workflow for all baking shifts, including overnight and early morning production Collaborate with the leadership team to maintain and protect Dear Grain's product standards and fermentation philosophy Bring your favourite recipes and bready passions to our team - integrate these recipes, along with the required commercial equipment required to deliver it at high quality and at scale Support product development, in collaboration with the head baker to take recipes and integrate them into the production model and team Personal & Team Development Support to hire, train, and mentor the production team of bakers and production staff Take initiative to learn and implement new product lines within our standards. Bring your love of sourdough bread and baking to the team and bring forward incredible products together. Be a positive part of our team culture. We are looking to build a team of experienced bakers, both from within our existing team, and with experienced hires. Foster a culture of craftsmanship, accountability, and continuous learning in the production kitchen Operations Participate in the production planning, output targets, and ingredient ordering in coordination with the operations team Monitor and minimize waste through efficient production scheduling and creative use of off-cuts and surplus Ensure food safety, sanitation, and HACCP compliance across the production environment Contribute to production capacity planning as we scale wholesale, retail, and new channel distribution Identify opportunities to improve processes, reduce bottlenecks, and support the bakery's long-term growth Required WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR A passion for incredible bread and developing a truly unique and special regional brand 3–5+ years of professional baking experience, with preference for sourdough / fermented bread experience Prior experience in a leadership or supervisory role in a commercial bakery environment Understanding of fermentation science, high-hydration doughs, and long-cold-proof baking processes Demonstrated ability to manage and develop a production team Comfortable with commercial-scale equipment and the ability to learn new systems quickly A willingness to innovate and learn - balancing our product standards with scale, and building capacity without compromising quality Experience with a broad range of bread and dough types, and the ability to integrate new recipes into a standing team Who You Are Passionate about the craft of sourdough — you understand why 36 hours of fermentation matters Someone who wants to grow with a locally owned business, alongside founders, owners and fellow bakers Detail-oriented and process-driven without being inflexible Committed to sustainability, quality ingredients, and an ethical approach to food production A person of high integrity and a high quality team member What We Offer Competitive wages salary of $60,000 – $110,000 CAD, commensurate with experience Share of gratuities earned by this group, averaging $5K per annum Variable compensation based on achieving pre-set milestones. A rare opportunity to build a regional hero brand and concept from the early stages, and to work in a state of the art sourdough facility A passionate, talented team that cares deeply about what they make Alignment with company values; sustainability, local sourcing, community development Incredible growth opportunity, as the bakery is just at the outset of it’s growth story We'll be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. We thank all applicants for their interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted

What you’ll do

Lead daily production operations at the Hamilton facility, ensuring consistent quality and adherence to the bakery's fermentation philosophy. Manage baking shifts, mentor the production team, and collaborate on product development and capacity planning.

Requirements

Requires 3-5+ years of professional baking experience with a focus on sourdough and prior leadership experience in a commercial bakery. Candidates must have a deep understanding of fermentation science and the ability to manage a production team at scale.

Benefits

• Competitive wages • Share of gratuities • Variable compensation based on milestones • Growth opportunities

Listed skills

• Production Planning · Preferred
• Production Management · Preferred
• Food safety · Preferred
• Quality Control · Preferred
• Team Leadership · Preferred
• Inventory management · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Sourdough Baking
• Fermentation Science
• Production Management
• Team Leadership
• High-Hydration Doughs
• Commercial Baking Equipment
• HACCP Compliance
• Food Safety
• Production Planning
• Recipe Development
• Staff Mentoring
• Inventory Management
• Workflow Scheduling
• Quality Control
• Waste Reduction

Job areas

• Food & Beverage
• Manufacturing
• Management & Leadership
• Trades
• Hospitality