Shift Lead

Equator Coffees; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 26,174 - 31,684; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Paid time off

Employee discount

Commuter benefits

401K with company match

Job summary

Equator Coffees is seeking a Shift Lead in San Francisco to support the General Manager and guide baristas in delivering exceptional experiences. You will supervise service, train teammates, and ensure consistency in beverage quality with a friendly, guest‑focused approach.

The role requires hospitality excellence, strong communication, and the ability to manage opening/closing duties while maintaining cleanliness and safety standards across the café.

Qualifications

• Kind, welcoming, and patient with customers.
• Retail and/or customer service experience required.
• Passion for coffee and tea.
• Able to work early mornings, weekends, and holidays.
• Maintains a current state-issued Food Handler Card.

Responsibilities

• Lead team in preparing and serving the highest quality handcrafted beverages.
• Provide regular coaching and feedback to team members on drink quality.
• Lead the deployment of staff and inventory tasks.
• Open and close the café and uphold store cleanliness and safety.
• Communicate with the General Manager on concerns and opportunities for improvement.
• Promote Equator Coffees policies and procedures and protect store assets.

Skills

Customer service

Team leadership

Coffee knowledge

Cash handling

Multi-tasking

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

Position

Shift Lead

Classification

Non-Exempt

Reports To

General Manager

Compensation

$21.000/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. We love coffee and want you to love it too.

Key Responsibilities

• Share passion for coffee and knowledge of specialty coffee with customers and employees
• Lead team in preparing and serving the highest quality handcrafted beverages
• Provides regular coaching and feedback to team members on drink quality
• Leads the team in sharing product knowledge
• Plan and execute the deployment of staff
• Able to remain calm, professional, patient, kind, and productive in all situations
• Help with store cleaning, stocking, and organizing
• Ensure and uphold store cleanliness, organization, and food safety
• Always 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
• You will be the ideal model for teamwork
• Able to 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
• Responsible for the opening and closing of 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
• Demonstrates a passion for coffee and tea
• Able to make customers the priority
• Can provide ongoing positive and constructive feedback with ease
• Curious to learn and gain knowledge and apply it to daily interactions
• Is a Team Player
• Capability to interface and maintain effective relationships with co‑workers and customers
• Cash handling skills
• Occasionally must lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• May be required to work more than 40 hours per week to perform essential duties
• High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED)
• Able to work agreed‑upon full‑time or part‑time hours that include early mornings, evenings, weekends, and/or holidays
• Maintains 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 (EAP) - 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 (FSA) - 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
• 1 paid volunteer day per year
• After six months as an employee at Equator
• 401K with up to 4% company match on employee contributions

Other Comments

Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

Application Note

We’d love for you to use the video answer feature for our screening questions! It’s a great way for us to get a better sense of your experience and how comfortable you are discussing your skills. Plus, it helps us see your personality and passion for the role!

Disclaimer

This position description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. Job responsibilities and can change according to the operational needs of the business. The order in which duties and responsibilities are listed is not significant.

Equal‑Opportunity Employer 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, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability or any other applicable legally protected characteristics.