Shift Lead

Blue Bottle Coffee Inc; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading coffee company seeks a Shift Lead to oversee café operations and enhance team performance. This role requires strong leadership, communication skills, and a commitment to training, as well as ensuring exceptional coffee experiences and operational standards.

Benefits

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage

Best-in-class coffee training and continuing education

Free Specialty Coffee Association membership

401(k) plan

Paid time off & paid volunteer hours

50% discount on all products

Employee Assistance Program

Qualifications

• 6 months - 1 year of supervisory experience.
• Completed Barista training within 90 days post-hire.
• Basic math and computer skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead team ensuring operational tasks and café standards.
• Train new hires in beverage and food offerings.
• Provide feedback to improve workflow and hospitality.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem Solving

Empathy

Education

Food Safety Certification

Job description

At Blue Bottle, our mission is to connect the world to delicious coffee. From seed to cup, we elevate the craft of coffee in everything we do. We strive to build a better tomorrow by investing in what matters: a sustainable future for our people, the company, and our planet.

About the Job

A Blue Bottle Shift Lead is part of the cafe’s leadership team. They lead the team to consistently deliver great hospitality and coffee experiences while maintaining cafe standards and achieving business goals.

A Shift Lead ensures that everything in the cafe is operating smoothly during their shifts, from the front of the house to the back of the house. They support the success of the team and cafe by ensuring that the right people are in the right places at the right time and that Blue Bottle standards are upheld. They create a learning environment in the cafe, inspiring and motivating their fellow teammates to always improve.

A Shift Lead is an influential team leader but does not have direct reports.

You Will:

• Be a role model to your fellow team members, setting the standard for everything you do—and striving constantly to do it better
• Lead your shift by ensuring the right people are in the right places and that the team is giving exceptional hospitality and executing every beverage and food item according to Blue Bottle standards
• Assist with training new hires and training current team members on new beverage and food offerings
• Guide completion of operational tasks and adherence to Blue Bottle standards and safety guidelines
• Provide timely and consistent feedback to your team to inspire continuous improvement in workflow, hospitality, and product quality
• Lead your team in actively working to reach our company-wide sustainability goals
• Continuously cultivate your own curiosity and knowledge of coffee through in-house tastings, cuppings, and trainings
• Prepare delicious beverages and food to quality standards
• Promote a safe and respectful working environment
• Uphold and follow all health, food safety, and safety guidelines

You Are:

• A leader who is passionate about training and helping to develop a team
• Aware of your impact on others, and seek regular feedback to continually improve
• A strong communicator who can provide impactful and motivating feedback to improve the team’s beverage, food, and hospitality delivery
• Always curious, you are excited about finding new ways to delight our guests
• Savvy with your resources, with the ability to make decisions and problem-solve
• Dedicated to your team and your guests, you understand and value empathy and use it to guide interactions on and off the job
• Passionate about the planet and creating a sustainable future for our people, the company, and our planet
• Eligible to work in the United States and 18 years of age or older

You Have:

• 6 months - 1 year of supervisory experience or experience leading a team
• Completed Blue Bottle’s Barista training and validation program or will complete it within 90 days post-hire
• Existing Food Safety Certification required for the state you will be working in and your specific role, or will obtain it within 30 days post-hire
• Basic math and computer skills
• A flexible schedule and are available to work mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays

A few benefits we offer:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for eligible employees starting on your first day
• Best-in-class coffee training and continuing education
• Free membership into the Specialty Coffee Association of America and discounts on events (including Expos and Championships)
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off & paid volunteer hours
• 50% discount on all products, both online and in-cafe; this includes food, beverages, whole-bean coffee, and merchandise
• 2 free drinks during shifts for cafe team members
• Flexible spending account & commuter benefits
• Employee Assistance Program

Our Shift Lead position is a dynamic one! Below, we’ve mapped out the physical demands that are essential to the role:

• Ability to stand and walk for long periods of time; you’re on your feet the majority of the day, whether you are standing behind bar pulling shots or walking the cafe floor
• Use of hands to reach, grip, turn, and perform precision work; you’re using your hands to operate beautiful espresso machines, pour delicious pour overs, and operate the register (among other responsibilities)
• As needed, squat, bend, twist, and reach for items below waist level or above shoulders; for example, you may have to bend down or reach up to grab cups, lids, and towels
• Ability to lift, push/pull, carry, and/or move up to 50 pounds; for example, you’ll be handling bags of coffee beans, coffee kegs, crates of milk, tubs of dishes, and trash bins
• As needed, climb ladders, stairs, ramps, and uneven floors and/or surfaces; for example, climb on a step stool to change menu slats or go up and down stairs and ramps to storage areas
• Ability to smell and taste; you’re tasting and smelling coffee and food, helping ensure quality control for each cup and plate
• Ability to listen and speak; you’re listening and speaking with our guests to take and fill orders, and guide and create experiences

Compensation:

• $19.00 + tips averaging approximately $6-9 per shift hour
• Cafe Incentive Program

$19 - $19 an hour

Blue Bottle is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value an open mind, dedication to work, and a collaborative spirit. We hire based on these qualities, a job’s requirements, our business’s needs, and an applicant’s qualifications. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind in the hiring process or in the workplace.

We comply with the ADA and provide reasonable accommodations that allow qualified applicants/employees to perform the essential functions of the job. We also provide reasonable religious accommodations to applicants/employees to allow them to practice their bona fide religious beliefs. To request an accommodation, contact your People Partner.

We may refuse to hire relatives of present employees if doing so could result in actual or potential problems in supervision, security, safety, or morale, or if doing so could create other conflicts of interest.

We will consider employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We participate in E-Verify. We will provide the federal government with employees’ Form I-9 information to confirm authorization to work in the U.S. We will only use E-Verify once an employee has accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.