General Manager

Job Description – General Manager – Bakery Manufacturing Location: Dubai, UAE Function: Bakery Manufacturing / Operations / NPD Position: General Manager – Bakery Experience: 12–18 years Employment Type: Full-time Role Overview We are looking for an experienced General Manager – Bakery Manufacturing to lead the end-to-end operations of a bakery manufacturing business in Dubai. The ideal candidate should have a strong technical foundation in baking, having started their career as a professional baker or in a hands-on bakery production role, and subsequently progressed into managing large-scale bakery manufacturing operations. The role requires a combination of technical bakery expertise, new product development (NPD), manufacturing leadership, operational excellence, and commercial understanding. The candidate will be responsible for overseeing the entire manufacturing function while driving product innovation, developing new bakery products, improving production efficiencies, and ensuring consistent product quality and profitability. Key Responsibilities 1. Bakery Manufacturing & Operations Lead end-to-end bakery manufacturing operations, including production planning, execution, quality, and dispatch. Oversee the production of a wide range of bakery products, including breads, buns, cakes, pastries, croissants, cookies, and other baked goods. Apply strong technical knowledge of baking processes, recipes, ingredients, dough preparation, fermentation, proofing, baking techniques, and finishing. Drive production efficiency, capacity utilisation, yield optimisation, and cost control. Ensure consistent product quality, food safety, hygiene, and compliance with relevant UAE regulations. Manage production teams, including bakers, supervisors, technicians, and factory personnel. Implement standard operating procedures, production controls, and continuous improvement initiatives. Oversee raw material planning, inventory management, procurement coordination, and wastage reduction. Drive automation, process improvements, and operational scalability. Manage factory budgets, operational KPIs, and overall manufacturing performance. 2. New Product Development (NPD) & Innovation Lead the end-to-end New Product Development process, from concept creation and recipe development to product trials, commercialisation, and full-scale production. Develop innovative bakery products across categories such as breads, buns, cakes, pastries, croissants, cookies, and speciality baked goods. Drive product innovation in line with evolving consumer preferences, market trends, and customer requirements. Lead recipe formulation, ingredient selection, and optimisation of product taste, texture, appearance, and shelf life. Conduct product trials, pilot runs, and production testing to ensure successful transition from development to large-scale manufacturing. Collaborate with R&D, Quality, Procurement, and Commercial teams to assess ingredient suitability, product costing, and manufacturing feasibility. Drive product reformulation initiatives to improve quality, nutritional profiles, shelf life, and cost efficiency. Establish standard recipes, product specifications, process parameters, and quality benchmarks. Identify opportunities to introduce new product categories, premium offerings, and customised bakery solutions for B2B and retail customers. Monitor market trends, competitor offerings, and emerging bakery technologies to drive continuous product innovation. 3. Quality & Food Safety Ensure adherence to food safety, hygiene, and quality management standards. Implement and maintain HACCP, ISO 22000, and other relevant food safety systems. Establish quality control processes across raw materials, production, packaging, and finished products. Ensure consistency in product quality, taste, texture, appearance, and shelf life. Drive corrective and preventive actions to minimise product defects, customer complaints, and production wastage. 4. People & Business Management Lead, mentor, and develop bakery production, NPD, and factory teams. Build a performance-driven culture focused on quality, innovation, productivity, and accountability. Work closely with sales and commercial teams to align production capacity with customer demand. Manage operational budgets, manufacturing costs, and overall business performance. Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and profitability. Candidate Profile 13–18 years of experience in bakery operations and manufacturing, preferably with substantial experience in large-scale bakery production. Must have started their career as a professional baker or bakery production specialist, with genuine hands-on baking experience. Should have progressed into senior manufacturing, factory, or operations leadership roles. Strong technical knowledge of bakery products, production processes, ingredients, recipes, and industrial baking equipment. Demonstrated experience in managing end-to-end bakery manufacturing operations. Hands-on exposure to bakery NPD, recipe formulation, product innovation, product trials, and commercialisation. Experience in scaling new product concepts from kitchen or pilot-level trials to industrial manufacturing. Strong understanding of bakery ingredients, functionality, substitutions, and their impact on finished products. Experience managing large production teams and driving operational efficiencies. Knowledge of food safety standards, with understanding ofrelevant UAE requirements. Experience in the UAE or GCC bakery/food manufacturing industry would be an advantage. Ideal Candidate Profile The ideal candidate would be someone who has: Started their career as a Baker / Master Baker / Bakery Chef. Progressed into Bakery Production Management and Manufacturing Leadership. Gained hands-on experience in NPD, recipe development, and product commercialisation. Managed large-scale bakery manufacturing facilities. Show more Show less