General Manager (Marrickville)

About The Bread & Butter Project The Bread & Butter Project (TBBP) is Australia’s first social enterprise bakery. Founded in 2013 by Paul Allam and David McGuinness of Bourke Street Bakery, TBBP runs a year-round wholesale bakery in Sydney with approximately 30 employees. TBBP reinvests 100 per cent of profits into the trainee programme, which combines on-the-job production training, English-language tutoring and job-readiness support. 120 trainees have graduated from the program to date. The Opportunity The Board is recruiting a General Manager with a clear operational mandate is to:
- Run a profitable commercial bakery that generates the surplus required to sustain and grow the trainee programme.
- Steward the trainee programme so that completion rates and post-programme employment outcomes continue to improve.
- Support the Board in fundraising to underwrite training capacity and growth investment. The successful candidate will combine deep bakery / food manufacturing experience with the judgment to lead a workforce that includes trainees, qualified bakers and an executive team. Key Accountabilities Deliver the mission
- Hold the mission as the organisation’s reason for existing and ensure every operational decision serves and advances it.
- Build a culture in which commercial discipline and mission impact reinforce one another. Commercial bakery
- Lead strategy, operational and financial performance, with full P&L; accountability.
- Oversee manufacturing operations, distribution and supply chain performance, including production planning, procurement, ingredients management and logistics.
- Drive profitability, cost control and operational efficiency through yield improvement, waste reduction, pricing discipline and continuous improvement of the operating model.
- Oversee WHS, HACCP food safety compliance and operational governance to retain customer and regulatory accreditations.
- Lead capital planning and recommend equipment, plant and capacity investment to the Board. Sales, marketing and stakeholder engagement
- Guide the sales strategy and business development across wholesale channels: Woolworths, other supermarkets, foodservice and independent customer base.
- Lead marketing strategy and brand stewardship to grow demand, reputation and awareness of TBBP’s impact.
- Lead media engagement and oversee TBBP’s social media presence as a coherent expression of brand and mission.
- Lead strategic partnerships, funding negotiations and commercial agreements with customers, suppliers and channel partners.
- Represent the organisation with government stakeholders, media and industry partners as the principal executive spokesperson. Trainee program stewardship
- Ensure trainees complete the program with strong outcomes and progress into sustained employment in the baking and food industries.
- Maintain partnerships with settlement agencies, English-language tutors and the employer partners that absorb graduates.
- Foster a culturally safe, inclusive and respectful workplace for trainees, staff and volunteers.
- Ensure training outcomes are measured, reported and embedded in the commercial operating model. Fundraising and Board support
- Partner with the Chair and Board on the fundraising strategy
- Lead grant applications and acquittals, donor reporting and impact storytelling.
- Provide the Board with papers on strategy, performance, risk and financial position. Leadership and Governance
- Lead the executive leadership team across core business functions; set and maintain culture and performance standards.
- Drive continuous improvement and business model optimisation as the operating environment evolves.
- Manage the organisation’s risk profile — financial, operational, WHS, food safety, reputational and people risk.
- Ensure compliance with the Corporations Act, ACNC obligations, modern awards and all applicable food safety and workplace legislation. Success Factors Success in this role will be evident when:
- The bakery operates as a financially sustainable commercial business that consistently generates the surplus required to fund and grow the trainee programme.
- Trainee outcomes (completion rates, employment transitions and cultural safety) are maintained or improving as the business grows.
- Customer, brand and stakeholder relationships and a more diversified wholesale base, are healthy and growing
- Food safety, WHS, governance and compliance standards are met without exception, with strong audit and regulatory outcomes.
- The GM is seen as a trusted, mission-aligned and commercially capable leader who builds confidence in the organisation over time. Selection Criteria Commercial
- At least five years’ senior leadership experience in the bakery, artisan-food sector, or commercial food manufacturing with full profit and loss accountability.
- Demonstrable track record of improving profitability and operational efficiency.
- Experience leading sales, marketing and external communications, including media and digital channels.
- Experience managing major retail or wholesale customer executive relationships.
- Established networks in Australian grocery, foodservice, hospitality or philanthropy
- Strong financial literacy: budgets, cash flow, capital investment and financial reporting. Leadership
- Effective Board-facing communicator, able to produce concise, decision-ready papers.
- Cross-cultural workplace experience, including non-English-speaking cultures.
- Experience leading a workforce covered by modern awards.
- Strong working knowledge of HACCP, WHS and food safety management systems, and the regulatory workplace for food manufacture in Australia. Social Impact (non-essential)
- Experience in a social enterprise, not-for-profit or registered charity
- Experience supporting Board-led fundraising or stakeholder management. Application Process Candidates are invited to submit a current CV and a covering letter that responds to the selection criteria and outlines how the candidate would approach the key accountabilities. Applications should be addressed to the Chair, The Bread & Butter Project, Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a panel interview, followed by a site visit to the bakery and a final meeting with the full Board. The Bread & Butter Project is an equal opportunity employer. We particularly welcome applicants from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and from communities with lived experience of forced migration. Apply on Kit Job: kitjobau.com/job/3r39ja