Cafe Manager / Head Barista

Centurian Group Pty Ltd; Sydney; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Rostering & inventory

Central purchasing support

New food & beverage offerings

Long-term career opportunities

Job summary

Bar Bellaccino in Sydney is seeking a highly experienced, hands-on Café Manager / Head Barista to lead coffee operations, staff, inventory and daily service. This role combines hands-on coffee excellence with strategic team leadership in a busy café environment.

You will recruit, roster, monitor food safety, maintain espresso equipment and drive profitability while delivering exceptional customer experiences. This is a long-term opportunity for a committed professional.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of professional barista experience, including busy café environments.
• Minimum 3 years of café management or supervisory experience.
• Advanced knowledge of espresso extraction, grinder calibration and specialty coffee preparation.
• Experience operating and maintaining commercial espresso machines and grinders.
• Strong leadership, communication, and rostering skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead coffee operations and consistently deliver exceptional specialty coffee, including espresso-based beverages and latte art.
• Train, coach and assess baristas, ensuring high standards and equipment readiness.
• Prepare and manage weekly staff rosters based on forecast sales.
• Monitor attendance, breaks and availability; arrange replacements as needed.
• Oversee inventory, stock movement, purchases, and liaise with central purchasing.

Skills

Barista expertise

Leadership

Staff rostering

Inventory management

Customer service

Espresso extraction

Dishwashing & hygiene

Problem solving

Tools

Espresso machines

Grinders

POS systems

Job description

Bar Bellaccino is seeking a highly experienced, hands-on Café Manager / Head Barista with exceptional barista skills, strong leadership capabilities and proven experience in café operations, staff rostering, inventory control and purchasing. This is a hands-on management position where you will lead coffee operations, manage staff, control inventory, and take full responsibility for the operational and financial performance of the café. You will have significant autonomy in managing daily operations, recruiting staff, preparing rosters, controlling inventory and driving business performance.

Key responsibilities

Lead coffee operations and consistently deliver exceptional specialty coffee, including espresso-based beverages, grinder calibration, espresso dial-in and extraction adjustments

Demonstrate advanced milk texturing and latte art techniques and maintain coffee consistency, quality and presentation

Train, coach and assess baristas to maintain high standards and manage commercial espresso machines, grinders and equipment maintenance

Prepare and manage weekly staff rosters for kitchen and front-of-house employees according to forecast sales and operational requirements

Monitor staff attendance, punctuality, breaks, leave and availability, and arrange replacement staff for last-minute absences

Take full responsibility for café inventory, stock levels and stock movement, including monitoring daily usage and conducting regular stocktakes

Manage daily and weekly ordering requirements based on inventory levels and projected sales, and coordinate with Central Purchasing regarding supplier deliveries

Take full responsibility for daily café operations, including opening and closing procedures, POS systems, cash handling and daily reconciliation

Ensure compliance with food safety, hygiene and workplace health and safety requirements and resolve customer complaints professionally

Monitor daily, weekly and monthly sales performance, analyse labour productivity and identify opportunities to increase profitability

About you

Minimum 5 years of professional barista experience, including substantial experience in busy Australian cafés

Minimum 3 years of café management or supervisory experience

Advanced knowledge of espresso extraction, grinder calibration and specialty coffee preparation

Excellent milk texturing and latte art skills and proven ability to produce consistently high-quality coffee during busy service

Experience operating and maintaining commercial espresso machines and grinders

Proven experience preparing and managing staff rosters and strong knowledge of labour cost management

Demonstrated experience in inventory management, stocktakes, wastage control, purchasing and stock ordering

Strong understanding of COGS, gross profit margins and café profitability

Experience managing both kitchen and front-of-house operations with excellent leadership, communication, organisation and problem-solving skills

Full working rights in Australia

About us

Bar Bellaccino is a busy, established café located in the heart of Sydney's Circular Quay, specialising in specialty coffee, freshly prepared food and exceptional customer service.

• Competitive salary plus performance-based incentives
• Full responsibility for rostering, inventory management and ordering
• Support from senior management and a central purchasing team
• Opportunity to introduce new food and beverage offerings
• A long-term career opportunity with genuine responsibility for business performance