Head of Roastery

The Role

As Head of Roastery, you will be at the helm of our coffee operations, guiding our team to deliver the best possible coffee experience while maintaining a strong commitment to quality, sustainability, and operational excellence. This is a pivotal leadership role that requires a balance of strategic vision and hands-on expertise.

Your Responsibilities

Roasting and Production Operations

- Develop and refine coffee profiles to achieve optimal taste and quality, ensuring consistency across all roasts

- Oversee roasting and production schedules to meet order demands and anticipate sales trends.

- Balance roasting timelines with packaging and distribution needs to ensure smooth workflow across departments.

- Ensure accurate and efficient order fulfillment, shipping, and delivery.

- Optimize roastery workflows, systems, and equipment for efficiency and scalability.

- Plan and oversee the distribution schedule to ensure orders are packed and shipped on time.

- Optimize routes and work with logistics partners to reduce shipping costs and improve delivery efficiency.

- Document roast profiles, production yields, inventory status, and quality control notes.

- Prepare comprehensive weekly reports for upper management, highlighting key metrics and any challenges.

- Implement sustainable practices across production, waste, and recycling to minimize environmental impact.

Quality Control

- Oversee all aspects of coffee quality, including roast profiling, cupping, and consistency.

- Conduct regular cuppings to maintain quality and refine roast profiles.

- Track and analyze roasting data to ensure consistency across batches, adjusting profiles as needed.

- Develop and refine quality control systems to uphold our standards.

Budget and Cost Management

- Monitor operational expenses, including labor, supplies, and maintenance.

- Collaborate with finance to manage costs, set budgets, and make adjustments for cost efficiency.

Coffee Supply Chain and Sourcing Management

- Monitor and manage inventory levels for green coffee, packaging materials, and roasting supplies.

- Coordinate with suppliers, track shipments, and resolve any supply chain issues to ensure stock sufficiency.

- Work with our sourcing partners and producers to secure exceptional green coffee.

- Oversee roasting and cupping of all offer, arrival and other sample roasts.

- Collaborate with leadership to build and maintain transparent, ethical, and sustainable supply chain relationships.

Leadership & Team Management

- Oversee a team that includes roasters, packers, and support staff; set weekly schedules and task assignments.

- Train team members in roasting techniques, quality control, safety protocols, and operational procedures.

- Lead, inspire, and support the roastery team to achieve operational and quality goals.

- Foster a positive, collaborative, and growth-oriented team culture.

- Oversee training and development of roastery team members.

Health, Safety, and Compliance

- Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations throughout the roastery.

- Conduct regular safety checks, maintain documentation, and train staff on safety protocols.

- Ensure roasting and packaging equipment is regularly serviced and fully operational.

- Oversee and troubleshoot minor equipment issues, coordinating with technicians for major repairs.

Coffee Information and Customer Support

- Work closely with the sales and marketing teams to provide detailed and accurate coffee information.

- Collaborate with product development on new roast profiles, blends, or seasonal products.

- Act as an ambassador for Five Elephant at events, trade shows, and educational initiatives.

You’re a driven and detail-oriented professional with a passion for coffee and leadership. You thrive on responsibility and enjoy collaborating with a team to achieve shared goals.

Required Skills & Experience

- Proven experience in coffee roasting and production management.

- Strong understanding of green coffee sourcing, supply chain management, quality control, and logistics.

- Excellent leadership and team-building abilities.

- Detail-oriented with a knack for organization and operational efficiency.

- Strong communication skills in English (German is a plus).

- Passion for coffee quality, sustainability, and ethical supply chains.

Bonus Skills

- Experience with advanced roasting technologies and software.

- Prior work experience in a specialty coffee roastery of similar scale.

What We Offer

- A dynamic growth-oriented work environment.

- Opportunities to innovate and shape the future of our coffee program.

- Competitive salary and benefits including the Urban Sports Club membership and a subsidy for the BVG ticket.

How to Apply

If you’re ready to take on this opportunity, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us:

- Your CV

- A cover letter telling us about your experience, passion for coffee, and why you’re a great fit for this role.

Email your application to [email protected] by Dec. 9th, 2024.

At Five Elephant, we’re dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in coffee. We’re looking for someone who shares our passion and is ready to make a lasting impact. If that sounds like you, let’s build something extraordinary together.