Director of Coffee

Purpose

The Director of Coffee leads Coffeebar’s entire coffee ecosystem—from sourcing and roasting to training and innovation. They shape the flavor, story, and spirit of Coffeebar coffee, ensuring quality, consistency, and connection across every café, region, and community.

Vertical Sourcing Philosophy

Coffeebar’s coffee program is built on a Vertical Sourcing philosophy—prioritizing long-term, intentional relationships with producers, importers, and origin partners over transactional buying. Through premium pre-harvest contracts, direct collaboration at origin, and shared investment in quality and sustainability, we work to create resilience across the supply chain while elevating the integrity and story behind every coffee we serve.

Reports To

CEO / Founder & Director of Stores (Training Program)

Direct Reports

Head Roaster, Production, Roastery Café Supervisor, Head Training Manager, Green Buyer (to start), Quality Control Lead, Service Department, Wholesale Manager

Core Responsibilities

1. Vision & Leadership

• Define and champion Coffeebar’s coffee philosophy—rooted in sustainability, vertical sourcing, hospitality, and excellence.
• Lead the evolution of our coffee program, ensuring we remain on the forefront of craft while honoring our Italian-inspired roots.
• Serve as a mentor and coach, building leaders across the roasting, training, and café teams.
• Align sourcing, roasting, and service around one unified vision: Farmer to Guest.

2. Coffee Program Strategy

• Oversee sourcing partnerships, ensuring ethical relationships and consistency in quality and profile.
• Cultivate, maintain, and continue to grow our direct origin relationships (e.g., La Suiza in Guatemala).
• Collaborate with the Head Roaster to develop and maintain roast profiles.
• Guide the development of seasonal blends, single origins, and limited offerings.
• Partner with Marketing to grow subscription revenue.
• Collaborate with designers on new single-origin packaging.
• Drive innovation and new product initiatives.

3. Training & Quality

• Partner with the Head Training Manager to evolve Coffeebar’s internal education program.
• Ensure training translates into consistent quality across all cafés.
• Build feedback loops between cafés, roastery, and leadership.
• Lead calibration, cuppings, and continuing education.

4. Operations & Business Performance

• Lead the roasting and production team.
• Manage financial performance and forecasting.
• Partner with Finance and Operations.
• Ensure safety, quality, and maintenance standards.
• Support internal and wholesale service needs.

5. Brand & Storytelling

• Bring the Coffeebar coffee story to life.
• Represent Coffeebar externally.
• Collaborate with Marketing.
• Champion producers and partners.

Key Qualifications & Skills

• 4–5+ years in specialty coffee with leadership experience.
• Certified Q Grader preferred.
• Expertise in sourcing, roasting, brewing, and water chemistry.
• Advanced cupping and calibration skills.
• Equipment: La Marzocco, Eversys, Modbar, Curtis Brewers, Mahlkönig, Mazzer.
• Systems: Cropster and Roaster Tools.
• Strong leadership, communication, and strategic thinking.

Role Requirements

This is a full-time leadership role based in the Reno/Tahoe region with regular travel to Bay Area cafés and origin trips.