About Ascension Coffee 

At Ascension Coffee, we are passionate about sourcing and roasting the world’s finest coffee with a focus on supporting women farmers. Our cafés deliver an exceptional culinary and hospitality experience, featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients and a welcoming atmosphere.

About the role

Our Barista Trainer is responsible for training and execution of all beverage programs at Ascension. They collaborate with Coffee leadership to develop comprehensive coffee program launches and closely work with the Director of Operations to ensure full implementation of barista programs across all cafés. This role also involves equipment troubleshooting, including espresso profiling, grinder adjustments, and burr changes. The ideal candidate will prioritize quality and demonstrate a collaborative approach. This salaried, exempt position reports to the Director of Operations and collaborates with the Director of Culinary, Marketing Manager, Roastery team, and Café General Managers. It requires a minimum of 45 hours per week, including office work, client meetings, prospecting, sales visits, and in-café events. This is not remote.

What you'll do

• Collaborate with a cross-functional team to develop compelling training content.
• Conduct weekly onsite training sessions with baristas at all locations, identify challenges, and implement improvement strategies in coordination with GMs, with a focus on quality and food safety.
• Perform regular quality checks and provide timely recaps to the GM and Director of Operations.
• Partner with the Sales and Event Manager to deliver introductory coffee and equipment training for Wholesale accounts.
• Assist in seasonal menu development alongside the Beverage Creation Team.
• Monitor equipment health and status across all locations and provide basic technical support.
• Continuously expand knowledge in specialty coffee, tea, and hospitality.
• Inspire passion and interest in our coffee program across all stakeholders.
• Promote passion, engagement, and a positive team culture.
• Receive and apply feedback effectively, demonstrating adaptability.
• Build strong interpersonal connections with team members of all skill levels.
• Communicate clearly and effectively to inspire and align teams.
• Foster an inclusive, high-quality café culture through thoughtful leadership.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of specialty coffee, brewing techniques, and equipment troubleshooting.
• Prior experience in barista training, coffee education, or program development.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Ability to assess and improve coffee quality across multiple locations.
• Experience with espresso machine maintenance and calibration.
• Able to work nights and weekends
• Good organizational skills, problem solving ability, and intuitive resourcefulness
• Strong initiative and self-management skills, willing to take direction
• Ability to stand for extended periods of time, ~8 hours each workday
• Ability to lift 50 lbs. or more and perform repetitive, range-of-motion activities