Baking Assistant Jobs in Pullman, WA (NOW HIRING)

The Moscow Food Co-op Bakehouse is seeking a Baker to join our team! This role is responsible for preparing and baking a wide variety of goods, fulfilling special orders, prepping ingredients, and ensuring products are attractively merchandised. Bakers also support a clean, safe, and sanitary kitchen environment and deliver baked goods to our downtown Co-op, Campus Co-op, and wholesale partners.

What You'll Do:

• Prepare, bake, and decorate a variety of breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods according to recipes and quality standards.
• Ensure products are fresh, visually appealing, and ready for customers each day.
• Follow food safety, sanitation, and proper food handling procedures at all times.
• Maintain accurate production records, ingredient usage, and product labeling.
• Monitor inventory levels and communicate ingredient and supply needs.
• Assist with product rotation, storage, and minimizing waste.
• Keep bakery equipment, workstations, and production areas clean and organized.
• Work collaboratively with bakery team members to meet production goals and customer demand.
• Provide friendly and helpful customer service when assisting customers with bakery questions or special orders.
• Support seasonal offerings, new product development, and special bakery projects as needed.
• Drive the Co-op vehicle to deliver products to multiple locations.
• Support team success by being punctual, reliable, and proactive in planning absences.
   

What We're Looking For:

• Passion for baking and creating high-quality products.
• Previous baking, food production, or culinary experience preferred, but we are willing to train the right candidate.
• Ability to follow recipes, production schedules, and food safety standards consistently.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Ability to work independently while also contributing positively to a team environment.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• Dependable attendance and a strong work ethic.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and stand for extended periods.
• Availability to work early mornings, weekends, and holidays as needed.

Schedule & Availability

• Full-time and/or part-time opportunities may be available
• Evening and weekend availability required for the Bread Crew
• Early morning shifts starting as early as 4am are required for the Pastry Crew
• Flexible scheduling within department needs
• Must be available to work during holidays and university breaks

Why Work at the Moscow Food Co-op?

We're a community-minded workplace that values teamwork, inclusion, and employee well-being. 

Employee Perks & Benefits

• 20% store discount
• Participation in our 401(k) plan
• Employee Profit Sharing

• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Accident and Hospital Insurance
• Telemedicine and Mental Health Services

• Dental Insurance
• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Accident and Hospital Insurance
• Telemedicine and Mental Health Services

Position Summary

The Baker and Baker 2 is responsible for producing and packaging quality baked goods according to recipes, consistently, on schedule, and with attention to detail. Bakers will also provide courteous, personalized customer service and maintain proper inventory levels of products and ensures the cleanliness and appearance of the Bakery Department. Bakers work closely with the Bakery Team and the Bakery Manager on achieving goals for customer service, sales, margin, and labor.

Baker 2 is an experienced baking position and requires two years of baking experience in a high volume production style bakery and/or culinary degree preferred.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Preparation

• Prepare consistent high quality baked goods and met production deadlines.
• Prep ingredients for upcoming day/week as scheduled.
• Complete special orders as needed.
• Proficiently use ingredients, bakery equipment and follow established procedures.
• Practice and be knowledgeable of all Food Safety and Sanitation rules.
• Use local, seasonal, and organic ingredients whenever possible.
• Ensure cases are full and attractive.
• Properly label and date foods in coolers.
• Maintain accurate production and waste log records.
• Work well with team members.
• Follow instructions of supervisors.

Product Merchandising 

• Maintains and encourages an atmosphere of enthusiastic customer awareness with an emphasis on providing fast, friendly, courteous customer service. Treats all customers and coworkers with dignity and respect.
• Assists the Bakery Department by wrapping, packaging, and pricing all products. Follows proper packaging and product handling procedures. Products are given the correct label for product identification, allergy identification, and PLUs for cost.
• Duties include maintaining presentable and adequately filled shelves.
• Able to answers phones and takes special orders.
• Controls freshness by coding all products and pulling out of code merchandise daily. Responsible for following Moscow Food Co-op code dating procedures for all in-store bakery products. Prevents sale of out-of-date products.
• Must be self-motivated, energetic and customer service oriented.
• Ensures cleanliness and sanitation of bakery equipment, utensils, bake-ware, and work area.
• Ensures a safe work environment.
• Follows company guidelines for setting up and maintaining the stock, cleanliness and appeal of product show cases, display tables, and special displays. Follows proper signing procedures.
• Helps customers with special orders for cakes and other bakery items.
• Assists bakers preparing and displays product for sampling.
• Offer tastes, samples, suggestions for purchase and ways to prepare baked goods.
• Responsible for staying informed on the price, ingredients, and availability of products.
• Keeps baker informed of inventory levels of labels, packaging materials, and products to ensure a constant supply of products.
• Helps close the bakery according to operational guidelines.
• Completes all other duties as assigned by the Bakery Manager.

Maintenance

• Work with other staff to keep bakery area clean and sanitary and review checklists daily for cleaning tasks.
• Keep equipment in good working order and notify managers of needed repairs.
• Stock and rotate supplies.
• Leave workspace clean and ready for following shifts
• Maintain a clean and organized workspace throughout shift.
• Wash dishes as assigned.
• Drive the delivery van and delivery product to other co-op locations and vendors as assigned.
• Maintain facility cleanliness, including cleaning bathrooms, break room, and outside of building as assigned.

Department Safety

• Maintain personal hygiene through conscientious hand washing and clean appearance; wears apron, covers hair, and follows other aspects of the Dress Code Policy
• Maintain the highest possible safety and sanitation for the preparation and serving of food under the guidelines set by the State of Idaho Health Department.
• Properly dispose of and record food waste in waste logs.
• Record damaged and out of date products promptly and accurately.

PIC Responsibilities

• Assist in scheduling staff as needed/ helping to fill holes and find subs.
• Conduct training of new staff as assigned by the manager and provide feedback.
• Provide ongoing coaching of new staff to help them meet Department performance standards.
• Give input in evaluations of department staff to manager.
• Assist manager in creating agendas and facilitating department meetings and huddles, ensuring information documented in the log book.
• Help coordinate sampling of bakery product to promote it throughout the community.
• When there is no supervisor or manager on duty, make appropriate decisions as necessary. Be a problem solver and communicate actions taken.
• Ensure flow of communication between bakers and management.

Co-op Performance Standards

Customer Service

• Demonstrate excellent customer skills, both internally and externally; Follow the 10-4 service rule.
• Make yourself available to customers; greet each customer promptly with a smile.
• Handle customer complaints and questions courteously.
• Coordinate with all supervisors and leads to address customer concerns, questions or thoughts. i.e., refunds, oops coupons, angry customers, broken machinery etc.
• Help customers place special orders.
• Accurately and completely record special orders and ensure the forms are delivered for processing.

Communication

• Communicate directly and professionally, following the Moscow Food Co-op Coworker Conduct Commitment.
• Stay up to date on information in department log books and other communication.
• Answer and route phone calls according to Moscow Food Co-op procedures.
• Keep a working phone and personal email address for necessary communication from the Co-op.
• Report customer suggestions, comments, and complaints to Mod and Department Manager.

Other Duties

• Work cooperatively with others in the department and throughout store
• Maintain excellent attendance and punctuality; arrive 5 minutes early for scheduled shifts.
• Take breaks according to department and store policy.
• Requests time-off according to department and store policy, arranges subs for scheduled shifts and subs when needed.
• Follows the direction of the Manager on Duty (MOD).
• Maintain accurate use of the time system, substitute for other staff as needed
• Ensure a safe working environment for all staff and customers.
• Assist with training new staff when appropriate
• Carry out established opening and closing procedures.
• Complete Co-op-wide trainings as required.
• Attend all inventories, dept. meetings, and all-staff meetings.
• Participate in department and store-wide initiatives such as Open Book Management and others as they occur.
• Offer suggestions and information about products.

Requirements

Required

• Commitment to the mission and goals of the Moscow Food Co-op.
• High school diploma or equivalent; bakery experience preferred
• Motivated, energetic, outgoing, self-directed, positive, adaptable team player.
• Excellent communication and problem solving skills.
• Highly motivated with a sense of urgency and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment at all times with all levels of employees; able to work on a team or independently.
• Organized and able to handle multiple demands; Reliable and dependable.
• Basic computer and math skills
• Operate kitchen machinery (oven, mixer, scales, etc).
• Hold or obtain a current food safety card for the state of Idaho.
• Willingness and ability to meet the changing requirements of the job.
• Regular, predictable attendance including, weekend, evening and holiday work required
• Must be 18 or older to work in the bakery.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand for long periods and work in close quarters with other people.
• Must be able to lift 50 lbs.
• Ability and skill to operate bakery and kitchen equipment.

The job duties, responsibilities, skills, and the requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. The employer reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and require employees to perform other tasks as circumstances or conditions of its business, competitive considerations or the work environment change.