program manager, Coffee Initiatives/Excellence - International

Starbucks Coffee Company; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) matching

Education benefits

Job summary

Starbucks Coffee Company seeks an experienced Program Manager for Coffee Initiatives and Excellence to lead international strategies, governance, and learning solutions. You will drive end-to-end programming across markets, licensees, and regional teams, ensuring scalable execution of coffee quality standards and customer experiences.

The role requires global coordination, strong stakeholder engagement, and the ability to translate enterprise strategies into actionable playbooks, tools, and

Qualifications

• Experience leading cross-functional programs in international retail or similar environments.
• Ability to translate complex strategies into clear standards and learning tools.
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end programs from strategy to sustainment across international markets.
• Establish governance, benchmarks, and learning resources for coffee quality and excellence.
• Align global and regional teams, markets, and licensees around shared goals.
• Develop playbooks, tools, and adoption plans for scalable execution.
• Monitor risk, interdependencies, and program health to drive measurable outcomes.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Programme management

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Now Brewing – program manager, Coffee Initiatives/Excellence – International! #tobeapartner

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others.

This role contributes to Starbucks success by advancing the company’s mission to be the premier purveyor of the world’s finest coffee and by leading the strategy, development, implementation, and continuous improvement of coffee quality and coffee excellence initiatives across international markets.

The program manager, coffee initiative, will establishes scalable systems, processes, tools, and learning solutions that enable markets and licensees to consistently deliver exceptional Starbucks coffee quality and customer experiences. The role leads end-to-end programming—from strategy and cross-functional development through engagement, training, implementation, equipment programming, and sustainment—to address capability gaps and drive coffee excellence across every coffeehouse.

This role translates enterprise and global coffee strategies into implementation-ready solutions; aligns global, regional, market, and functional stakeholders; manages interdependencies, risks, decisions, and resources; and measures business and operational impact. The role indirectly leads globally distributed partners and Licensee stakeholders and models Starbucks guiding principles.

As a program manager, you will…

• Coffee Quality Strategy and Centre of Excellence: Leads an internationally applicable Centre of Excellence for coffee brewing, beverage quality, and equipment standards to drive consistent execution across all coffeehouse formats.
• Establishes governance, benchmarks, diagnostic tools, and performance measures to monitor and improve coffee quality across international markets, embedding requirements into standards, learning, engagement programs, and operating routines.
• Identifies quality and capability gaps and leads targeted mitigation and sustainment programs, applying coffee, equipment, retail, and industry expertise to strengthen execution and decision-making.
• Coffee Initiatives and Program Management: Identifies opportunities and leads coffee initiatives from strategy through implementation and sustainment, with accountability for stakeholder engagement, operational readiness, delivery quality, and measurable outcomes.
• Applies program-management discipline to define scope, governance, milestones, resources, dependencies, risks, decision rights, and success measures, while maintaining visibility to program health and required actions.
• Leads complex, multi-year programs across international teams, adapting priorities and resolving tradeoffs among business value, coffee quality, market needs, operational feasibility, timing, and enterprise priorities.
• Cross-Functional Leadership and Stakeholder Management: Aligns senior leaders, international and regional teams, markets, licensees, and cross-functional partners around shared goals, decision rights, ownership, and handoffs.
• Builds cohesive stakeholder communities and engagement plans that strengthen advocacy, readiness, adoption, and sustained execution across international markets.
• Models a productive team environment and coaches partners to navigate team dynamics and deliver shared outcomes.
• Implementation, Adoption, and Continuous Improvement: Translates coffee strategies, and cross-functional inputs into scalable, implementation-ready programs, playbooks, tools, and learning resources for international markets.
• Evaluates cross-functional and market interdependencies and partners with regional teams to validate operational feasibility, readiness, and adoption while maintaining central ownership of program content and quality.
• Monitors and evaluates market needs, program adaptations, risks and opportunities across coffee excellence portfolio to continuously improve execution, driving value to partners, customers and Licensee business.

We’d love to hear from people with:

• Experience leading cross-functional programs in an international retail environment, including collaboration with regional teams, market operators, licensees, or franchisees. Proven ability to navigate competing market priorities, cultural differences, implementation constraints, and varying levels of capability while delivering scalable solutions that can be adopted across multiple countries.
• Strong retail and industry coffee knowledge, including coffee quality, brewing, beverage, and equipment standards; Q Grader, SCA, AST, or comparable accreditation is an advantage.
• Experience leading cross-functional programs in international, multi-market retail environments and delivering scalable solutions across regional teams, market operators, licensees, or franchisees.
• Program-management expertise across portfolio planning, governance, resources, budgets, dependencies, risks, decisions, stakeholders, and delivery of multiple workstreams.
• Ability to translate complex strategies, technical requirements, and operational needs into clear standards, playbooks, learning solutions, communications, and implementation tools.
• Strong strategic thinking, business acumen, analytical judgment, problem solving, and decision making, with the ability to navigate competing priorities, cultural differences, implementation constraints, and varying market capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, align diverse stakeholders without direct authority, and move teams from consultation to decision and action.
• Strong written, verbal, facilitation, and executive-communication skills, including leadership engagement, change, and adoption planning.
• Ability to prioritize and adapt across multiple programs while maintaining accountability for outcomes, quality, timelines, and stakeholder visibility; proficiency with AI tools, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and collaborative planning and content-management tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Four-year degree in business, operations, program management, communications, organizational development, coffee, food science, or a related field; project or program management certification considered.
• Eight or more years of experience leading cross-functional programs or projects in a large, matrixed organization.
• Five or more years of coffee-industry experience; recognized coffee, sensory, roasting, brewing, or equipment accreditation preferred.
• Experience supporting international retail operations, licensees, franchisees, or geographically distributed market operators.
• Experience designing and implementing operational standards, quality systems, learning programs, tools, resources, processes, or launch plans.
• Experience mentoring project or program managers and building capability in cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of retail store operations, implementation planning, operational readiness, change management, adoption, and sustainment.
• Experience evaluating the financial, operational, customer, partner, or brand value of programs and investments.
• Knowledge of sustainability, regulatory, compliance, sourcing, food-safety, or responsible-business considerations affecting coffee and retail operations.

As a Starbucks partner, you (and your family) will have access to medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits. Partners have access to short-term and long-term disability, paid parental leave, family expansion reimbursement, paid vacation from date of hire*, sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked), eight paid holidays, and two personal days per year. Starbucks also offers eligible partners participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, a discounted company stock program (S.I.P.), Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock), incentivized emergency savings, and financial well-being tools. Additionally, Starbucks offers 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, student loan management resources, and access to other educational opportunities. You will also have access to backup care and DACA reimbursement. Starbucks will comply with any applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, and in accordance with its plans and policies. This list is subject to change depending on collective bargaining in locations where partners have a certified bargaining representative. For additional information regarding partner perks and more detailed information about benefits, go to starbucksbenefits.com.

*If you are working in CA, CO, IL, LA, ME, MA, NE, ND or RI, you will accrue vacation up to a maximum of 120 hours (190 in CA) for roles below director and 200 hours (316 in CA) for roles at director or above. For roles in other states, you will be granted vacation time starting at 120 hours annually for roles below director and 200 hours annually for roles director and above.

The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will be based on multiple factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, and internal equity. At Starbucks, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

We believe we do our best work when we're onsite four days a week

Starbucks Coffee Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.

Starbucks Coffee Company is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail] or 1(888) 611-2258.