Shift Lead

Equator Coffees; Larkspur (CA); On-site; USD 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Commuter benefits

Employee discount

Continuing education classes

Free mental health app subscription

Paid time off for voting

Job summary

Equator Coffees is looking for a Shift Lead in Larkspur, California, to assist the store manager in overseeing the team and ensuring quality service. The role requires a passion for coffee and a commitment to customer satisfaction.

As a Shift Lead, you will lead baristas, provide customer service, and maintain café operations. Ideal candidates will have retail experience and a flexible schedule. Join our committed team at Equator Coffees!

Qualifications

• Retail and/or customer service experience is required.
• Must be patient and able to multi-task.
• Flexibility to work variable schedules, including weekends and holidays.

Responsibilities

• Assist the store manager in leading baristas.
• Ensure high-quality beverages and excellent customer service.
• Communicate efficiently with the store manager on team performance.

Skills

Customer service

Coffee knowledge

Team leadership

Cash handling

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

Position

Shift Lead

Classification

Non‑Exempt

Reports To

General Manager

Compensation

$19.00 per hour

About Equator

In 1995, Equator Founders Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell began their values‑driven path, roasting coffee in a Marin County, CA garage. Possessing an obsessive commitment to green coffee sourcing and unparalleled roasting expertise, Equator has committed over 30 years to sustainable and fair trade coffee practices all in the name of creating a remarkable coffee experience for consumers. Today, Equator Coffees is a retail and wholesale coffee roaster and coffee farm owner with twelve retail cafés throughout California—from Marin County to San Francisco to Oakland to Los Angeles and beyond. Throughout the years, Equator Coffees has spearheaded industry‑leading sourcing and roasting practices, and has forged progressive partnerships with Michelin‑starred chefs, specialty grocers, tech campuses, and more. Women‑owned, LGBTQ‑founded, and an early adopter of Fair Trade and Regenerative Organic certifications, Equator Coffees is the first California coffee roaster to achieve B Corp Certification.

Position Summary

The Shift Lead is responsible for assisting the store manager in leading the baristas to deliver an exceptional experience to every customer in our retail cafés, including providing the utmost in hospitality and kindness, consistent high‑quality beverages, and specialty coffee knowledge. You are responsible for learning operations and leading the team in the absence of the general manager. The role requires that you act with integrity and respect, promote an accessible, safe, clean, and healthy work environment, act fiscally responsible, produce quality work, and be ethical and passionate about coffee.

Key Responsibilities

• Share passion for coffee and knowledge of specialty coffee with customers and employees
• Lead the team in preparing and serving the highest quality handcrafted beverages
• Provide regular coaching and feedback to team members on drink quality
• Lead the team in sharing product knowledge
• Plan and execute the deployment of staff
• Remain calm, professional, patient, kind, and productive in all situations
• Lead and help with store cleaning, stocking, and organizing
• Ensure and uphold store cleanliness, organization, and food safety
• Act responsibly in protecting the store assets and facilities by ensuring compliance with Equator Coffees policies and procedures
• Communicate efficiently with the store manager on concerns such as employee engagement, work performance, customer feedback, and areas to improve
• Work with the store manager to perform inventory control tasks
• Model teamwork as the ideal example
• Make decisions in the best interest of the customer as well as problem‑solve in the absence of the manager
• Contribute to store goals for achieving sales and improving profits
• Responsibly open and close the café
• Demonstrate respect, integrity, honesty, and knowledge to promote the culture, values, and mission of Equator Coffees

Qualifications and Requirements

• Kind, welcoming, and patient even amid multi‑tasking
• Coffee experience preferred
• Retail and/or customer service experience required
• Demonstrate a passion for coffee and tea
• Make customers the priority
• Provide ongoing positive and constructive feedback with ease
• Curious to learn and gain knowledge and apply it to daily interactions
• Be a team player
• Maintain effective relationships with co‑workers and customers
• Cash handling skills
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• May be required to work more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position
• High school diploma or GED
• Work agreed‑upon full‑time or part‑time hours that include early mornings, evenings, weekends, and/or holidays
• Maintain a current state‑issued food handler card
• Flexibility to work a variable schedule, including early mornings, weekends, and holidays, is strongly preferred
• Must be 16 years of age or older

Benefits

• Available to all employees
  • Commuter benefits – pre‑tax parking and transit
  • Employee assistance program – physical and mental health, financial and legal coaching available at no cost to the employee
  • Free mental health app subscription
  • Employee discount on merchandise, coffee gear, and at Equator cafés
  • Continuing coffee education classes
  • Free coffee
  • Paid time off for voting on Election Day
• After 60 days as an employee at Equator
  • Healthcare benefits (for full‑time employees working over 30 hours per week)
    • 100% employer‑covered premium medical insurance
    • Voluntary insurance plans – dental, vision, long‑term disability, pet, and supplementary life insurance
    • Employer‑covered life insurance premium
    • Flexible spending account – healthcare and daily dependent care
• After 90 days as an employee at Equator
  • Holiday pay after 90 days of employment. Eight Equator‑observed holidays per year
  • Paid time off with tenured increases for full‑time employees
  • One paid volunteer day per year
• After six months as an employee at Equator
  • 401(k) with up to a 4% company match on employee contributions

Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

Equal‑Opportunity Employment Statement

Equator Coffees is an equal‑opportunity employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, and discharge will be based on competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability or any other applicable legally protected characteristics.