Bakery Associate

About the role

Assists in the daily operations of the bakery department. Increases customer confidence and loyalty by promoting and executing consistent and compliant operating conditions. Provides fresh and appealing products, courteous, knowledgeable and prompt service. Values diversity and supports an inclusive environment by embracing the backgrounds and experiences of the team.

Responsibilities

• SERVICE (60%): Creates an environment that enables customers to feel welcome, important and appreciated, increasing confidence and loyalty. Delivers daily conditions that meet company expectations for shelf product availability, freshness, quality and value. Offers product samples, answers product questions, and assists customers in finding or suggesting products. Ensures customer requests and special orders are fulfilled.
• LEADERSHIP (20%): Promotes trust and respect among associates by collaborating, promoting teamwork, and communicating company, department, and job‑specific information. Adheres to all local, state, and federal laws, and company guidelines.
• FINANCIAL (10%): Maintains awareness of inventory/stocking conditions and reports discrepancies. Reviews/inspects products for quality and freshness and takes appropriate action. Prepares, packages, labels, and displays products for sale. Utilizes production planning tools to accurately produce fresh products and follows discard or markdown processes to reduce shrink. Ensures product is held at proper temperature per food safety guidelines and retains documentation of temperature logs per policy.
• COMPLIANCE/SAFETY (10%): Ensures company standards for safety, proper food handling practices, sanitation and productivity are maintained. Adheres to regulatory compliance requirements for USDA, Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), and Department of Agriculture (DOA). Executes product recalls and withdrawals promptly, securing items from customer access. Reinforces safety programs, inspects and reports unsafe conditions, notifies management of accidents, and reports safety risks, illegal activity, robbery, theft or fraud. Ensures adherence to wage and hour policies, cultivates a culture of safety, and verifies that all associates have received necessary safety training. Posts Hazardous Assessments, provides Personal Protective Equipment, and assists with remediation of safety hazards (e.g., lock‑out/tag‑out).
• Disclaimer: Performs other job‑related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education: Preferred – High School diploma or GED.
• Language: English required; Spanish preferred.
• Experience: 0–3 years supervisory experience minimum.
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
  • Must be 18 years of age and authorized to work in the United States (or able to obtain authorization).
  • Successful completion of pre‑employment drug testing and background check.
  • Strong customer service skills.
  • Exceptional interpersonal, motivational and communication skills.
  • Ability to operate bakery equipment (e.g., slicer, oven, scale, knives, box cutter, pricing gun) according to company guidelines.

Environmental Factors

• Physical Demands: Regularly required to stand or walk on various flooring, use manual dexterity, talk, see, hear, smell, and perform repetitive movements with both hands and/or feet. Frequently required to reach at waist level or overhead, carry, push, or lift loads up to required weights. Occasionally required to sit, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb up to 10 ft.
• Working Conditions: May be exposed to indoor, outdoor, cold, freezing, heated, and wet/humid environments.
• Safety Risk Factors: Frequently required to twist back and/or neck, walk on slippery or cluttered floors, work with hazardous equipment, and be exposed to sharp objects. Occasionally exposed to loud noise, skin irritants, dust, fumes, sprays, hazardous cleaning solutions, and other toxins.
• Required Equipment – General: Cleaning supplies, office equipment, register, pricing gun, scales, scanner, material handling equipment (racks, carts, pallet jacks, shopping carts).
• Required Equipment – Department Specific: Powered cutting equipment (slicers, saws, grinders), various knives, ovens, stoves, rotisserie, fryers, steamers, proofer, wrapping equipment.
• Preferred Equipment: Baler/compactor, general hardware tools (ladder, pliers, wire cutters, box cutter).
• Personal Protective Equipment: Goggles, gloves, cutting gloves, fryer gloves, oven gloves, back brace.
• Pulling Requirement: 250 lb.
• Lifting Requirement: 35 lb.

Schedule

Varied shifts.