Coffee Specialist

Compass Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food service provider is seeking a Coffee Specialist to enhance coffee culture across teams in London & South. This role involves training baristas, ensuring quality standards, and supporting new openings to drive engagement and innovation. Ideal candidates should have a strong background in coffee training, excellent barista skills, and a passion for inspiring others. Join us to make every coffee experience memorable and to be part of a supportive community dedicated to excellence.

Benefits

Life assurance scheme

Pension scheme

Access to Healthcare Support App

Holiday allowance

Personal Development and Training opportunities

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Coffee Trainer or Café Manager.
• In-depth knowledge of brewing and coffee equipment.
• Experience supporting multi-site operations.

Responsibilities

• Deliver engaging training to empower baristas.
• Ensure every drink meets high standards.
• Support new site openings and activations.

Skills

Coffee training experience

Excellent barista skills

Strong communication skills

Flexibility and resilience

Education

SCA accreditation (preferred)

Job description

At Gather & Gather, great food in the workplace isn't simply about fuel. It's about increasing productivity and improving performance; it's about happy motivated people and inspiring environments. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do - we live to bring food and people together.

We are brave, bold and curious adventurers in food and drink. Never shy of being different, always challenging the conventional.

Our passionate team of chefs, baristas, servers, nutritionists and much more, love nothing more than creating memorable moments that enrich the everyday. Come and join our award winning teams - we are currently recruiting for a Coffee Specialist to join our amazing team at London & South, with some National coverage.

Location:

London & South, with some National coverage

Salary:

£32,000 - £35,000 per annum plus car/car allowance

Working Pattern:

40 hours per week, predominantly Monday-Friday, with flexibility for occasional weekend events

Role Purpose:

Coffee is at the heart of what we do - but it's our people who bring it to life.

As a Coffee Specialist, you'll be the driving force behind building skills, confidence, and passion across our teams.

You'll tune in to our people and clients, spark joy with every training session and drink crafted, and help our teams nail it with consistently repeatable, high-quality beverages.

This is an exciting field-based role where you'll showcase what great looks like, work alongside some of the best in the coffee industry, and play a key part in shaping our brand's coffee culture.

Your key responsibilities will include:

Training & Development:

• Deliver engaging, practical training that empowers baristas to deliver consistent, exceptional drinks.
• Act as a coach and mentor - bringing energy, clarity, and encouragement to every interaction.
• Demonstrate best practice, ensuring drinks are crafted with care, speed, and efficiency.
• Develop talent, supporting baristas to grow into confident ambassadors for coffee.

Quality & Standards:

• Carry out quality checks across sites, ensuring every drink meets our high standards.
• Help teams to nail it every time with repeatable recipes and processes that guarantee consistency.
• Maintain high standards in presentation, workflow, and service - showing the difference between good and great.

Operational Support:

• Support new site openings from pre-launch to beyond, embedding coffee excellence from day one.
• Drive activations and product launches, creating excitement and confidence in new offers.
• Deliver on site and regional coffee and beverage schools.
• Ensure teams are fully equipped to deliver great customer experience, coffee and beverages, every day through the correct equipment, menu offer and operational delivery.

Innovation & Community:

• Engage with some of the best people in the coffee world - including specialty roasters and leading baristas - to keep our offer fresh, exciting, and industry-leading.
• Stay on top of SCA developments, coffee trends, and innovations, translating them into real impact across our sites.
• Champion drink innovation, helping us deliver experiences that spark joy for our customers and clients.

Engagement & Culture:

• Champion our brand values:
• Tune In - listen, adapt, and connect with baristas and clients.
• Spark Joy - deliver training and experiences that inspire and delight.
• Nail It - help teams perfect every cup, making great coffee & beverages repeatable.
• Foster a supportive, passionate barista community across the brand.
• Build strong relationships with clients, colleagues, and suppliers - acting as a trusted ambassador for our coffee programme.

Our Ideal Candidate Will:

• Have proven experience as a Coffee Trainer, Café Manager, or similar leadership role with a strong coffee background.
• Has genuine passion for coffee and people – able to inspire, coach, and elevate others.
• Have excellent barista skills with in-depth knowledge of brewing, milk, and coffee equipment.
• Strong presentation, coaching, and communication skills.
• Be flexible and resilient, able to travel extensively.
• Be available to work mainly Monday-Friday, with occasional weekends for events or activations.
• SCA accreditation highly desirable (or willingness to study and achieve it).
• Ideally have direct experience working with specialty roasters or within the specialty coffee sector.
• Have experience supporting multi-site operations and new openings.
• An eye for innovation – curious about new drinks, methods, and industry developments.

What's in it for you?

Working with Gather & Gather has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we've developed a range of benefits to keep you happy.

• Personal Development and Training opportunities
• Life assurance scheme
• Pension scheme
• Holiday allowance
• Access to Healthcare Support App which includes annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion
• Eye care
• A great wellbeing strategy - including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance
• Family friendly support
• Regular social events and communication with our leaders
• A holiday purchase scheme
• Volunteering days
• Professional subscriptions
• Recognition schemes and people awards
• Long service awards
• Access to some great high street discount vouchers