A family-owned bakery and café in downtown Antioch, Illinois, with roots in a multi-generational baking tradition dating back to 1930 (founded in 1989).

The company specializes in gourmet baked goods, especially award-winning custom cakes for weddings and special occasions, and offer private consultations. Their menu includes over 800 items like cookies, pastries, donuts, breads, and tortes, along with a full-service café serving breakfast, lunch, coffee, sandwiches, and soups. They also provide catering for events, wholesale, and Co-Packing Expertise.

The business operates out of a large 43,000-square-foot flagship location, which serves as both a bakery production hub and a café space seating up to 100 people, known for its warm, community-focused atmosphere.

Production Manager

Location: Antioch, IL (1 production facility; 2 retail locations)

Job Type: Full-Time

Role Summary

We are seeking a hands-on Production Manager to lead and scale our production operations across our retail, wholesale, and co-packing channels.

This role is responsible for building efficient, repeatable systems that support growth while maintaining exceptional product quality. As we expand our wholesale distribution and co-packing partnerships, this position will play a critical role in ensuring our operation can scale efficiently, profitably, and consistently.

The ideal candidate brings strong baking knowledge and operational leadership experience, with a track record of improving throughput, reducing waste, and leading high-performing teams. This role will sit on the leadership team.

Key ResponsibilitiesProduction & Operations Leadership

Oversee daily production across all channels including retail, wholesale, and co-packing (baking, decorating, packaging, and distribution)
Develop and manage production schedules based on demand, seasonality, wholesale growth, and co-packing commitments
Ensure on-time, accurate fulfillment of all retail, wholesale, and co-packing orders
Build scalable production systems to support increasing volume and complexity across multiple revenue streams
Standardize processes across facilities to ensure consistency, efficiency, and scalability
Collaborate with leadership team on cross-functional growth initiatives, particularly wholesale and co-packing expansion

Wholesale & Co-Packing Expansion

Partner with leadership to scale wholesale and co-packing operations, including capacity planning and workflow design
Ensure production readiness for new wholesale accounts and co-packing partnerships
Develop processes that support high-volume, consistent output while maintaining quality standards
Identify operational constraints and proactively solve for growth-related bottlenecks

Team Leadership & Development

Lead, coach, and develop team leads and production staff across all departments
Own hiring, scheduling, performance management, and team accountability
Build a culture of ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement

Continuous Improvement (Lean Operations)

Identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements to increase throughput and efficiency
Develop and maintain SOPs for all production processes
Drive initiatives around waste reduction, labor efficiency, and workflow optimization
Implement and maintain organized, efficient production environments (5S principles a plus)

Quality & Food Safety

Ensure consistent product quality across all batches, locations, and production channels
Maintain and enforce HACCP and food safety standards
Partner with team to troubleshoot quality issues and implement corrective actions

Inventory & Cost Management

Oversee ingredient and packaging inventory, ordering, and usage
Monitor and improve key metrics including food cost %, labor cost %, and waste
Collaborate with leadership on budgeting and cost control initiatives

Product Development & Scaling

Partner with leadership and production team on new product development
Ensure new products are designed for efficient production, scalability, and wholesale/co-packing viability

Equipment & Facility Oversight

Ensure all equipment is maintained and operating efficiently
Coordinate repairs and preventative maintenance to minimize downtime

Key Success Metrics

Labor cost % and productivity
Food cost % and waste reduction
On-time order fulfillment (retail, wholesale, and co-packing)
Production throughput and capacity utilization
Product quality and consistency
Successful onboarding and scaling of wholesale and co-packing accounts

QualificationsRequired

3–5+ years of experience in bakery or food production
2–4+ years in a leadership or management role
Strong understanding of baking and formulating product
Hands-on experience with baking and/or pastry production
Strong understanding of production workflows and quality standards
Experience managing teams in a fast-paced environment

Preferred

Experience in high-volume production, wholesale, or co-packing environments
Experience scaling production operations or supporting rapid growth
Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing or continuous improvement principles
Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Skills

Strong leadership and team-building ability
Excellent organization and problem-solving skills
Data-driven mindset with ability to manage KPIs
Ability to balance hands-on work with strategic oversight
Clear communication and decision-making under pressure
Collaborative approach to problem solving

Schedule & Benefits

Full-time role with flexibility based on production needs (early mornings, occasional weekends/holidays)

Benefits include:

Competitive Pay with bonus potential
Health, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) with matching
Paid time off
Employee discount
If you're someone who enjoys building systems, leading teams, and scaling production in a growing business—including expanding wholesale and co-packing operations—this role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact.

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