Roastery Manager APPLY NOW

G’day Mate!

Urban Baristas is a specialty coffee company originating from Australia, known for its commitment to quality coffee and the vibrant Australian brunch culture. With several cafes across London and our roastery in Bethnal Green, we strive to create exceptional coffee experiences for our customers. We believe in fostering a positive work environment and supporting the professional growth of our team members. Join us as we continue to expand and deliver outstanding coffee and service to our valued customers.

Job Summary

At Urban Baristas, coffee quality, consistency, and innovation are at the heart of everything we do. We are looking for an experienced and passionate Roastery Manager to lead our roastery operations, ensuring exceptional coffee quality while managing production, inventory, quality control, and team development. You will work closely with the operations, wholesale, and franchise teams to support business growth while maintaining the highest standards of coffee excellence.

As the coffee quality leader within the business, you will drive continuous improvement across roasting, sourcing, training, and coffee education, helping Urban Baristas deliver a consistent coffee experience across all locations and customers.

Key Responsibilities

Roastery Operations & Production

Manage the day-to-day operations of the roastery, ensuring efficient workflow and production planning.

Roast coffee to specification, maintaining consistency across all blends and single-origin offerings.

Develop and maintain roast profiles to achieve target flavour characteristics and quality standards.

Schedule production to meet wholesale, retail, equity sites, and franchise demand.

Oversee coffee packing, labelling, and order fulfilment processes.

Ensure all production deadlines are met accurately and efficiently.

Maintain a clean, organised, and safe working environment in line with health and safety requirements.

Manage preventative maintenance schedules for roasting and production equipment.

Troubleshoot equipment issues and coordinate servicing and repairs when required.

Quality Control & Coffee Excellence

Lead all quality control processes, including cupping, sample evaluation, and roast analysis.

Monitor coffee consistency across all products and identify opportunities for improvement.

Maintain detailed roasting records and production documentation.

Work closely with suppliers and green coffee importers to evaluate and source high-quality coffee.

Ensure all coffee leaving the roastery meets Urban Baristas quality standards.

Support product development, seasonal offerings, and new coffee launches.

Drive continuous improvement in coffee quality and roasting processes.

Inventory & Supply Chain Management

Manage green coffee inventory and forecast purchasing requirements.

Maintain accurate stock records for green coffee, packaging, and production supplies.

Monitor stock levels and coordinate ordering to ensure uninterrupted production.

Minimise waste and optimise stock rotation practices.

Support budgeting and cost control initiatives within the roastery.

Team Leadership & Training

Lead, coach, and develop the roastery team to achieve operational and quality objectives.

Train team members on roasting, production processes, quality control, and health and safety procedures.

Create and maintain standard operating procedures for all roastery functions.

Foster a positive, collaborative, and performance-driven team culture.

Support the Roastery team and café teams with coffee education and quality initiatives across the business.

Coffee Operations & Business Support

Work closely with franchise, wholesale, and operations teams to ensure coffee quality standards are maintained across all sites.

Act as the primary point of contact for coffee quality-related matters.

Support café visits, coffee tastings, coffee training and industry events when required.

Contribute ideas and recommendations for product innovation and business growth.

Represent Urban Baristas professionally as a coffee expert and brand ambassador.

About You

You are passionate about coffee and have a deep understanding of roasting, quality control, and production management.

You thrive in a fast-paced environment and enjoy balancing technical expertise with operational leadership.

You take pride in consistency, attention to detail, and delivering exceptional coffee experiences.

You are a natural problem solver who can manage competing priorities while maintaining high standards across every aspect of the roastery.

You enjoy developing people, building strong relationships, and creating systems that support efficiency, quality, and growth.

This role requires flexibility, including occasional weekend work to support business needs.

Skills & Qualifications

Previous experience as a Roastery Manager, Head Roaster, or Senior Roasting professional.

Strong understanding of coffee roasting principles, roast profiling, and coffee quality assessment.

Experience managing production schedules and operational workflows.

Knowledge of green coffee sourcing, inventory management, and stock forecasting.

Experience conducting cuppings and quality control procedures.

Strong leadership and team development skills.

Excellent organisational and planning abilities.

Technical knowledge of roasting equipment and production machinery.

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Proficiency with production records, inventory systems, and reporting.

SCA qualifications or equivalent coffee industry certifications desirable.

A proactive, hands-on approach with excellent attention to detail.

What We Offer

Opportunity to lead and shape the coffee quality programme of a growing specialty coffee business.

Professional development opportunities within the coffee industry.

A collaborative and supportive working environment.

Direct impact on coffee quality across all Urban Baristas locations, wholesale partners, and customers.

The opportunity to work with a passionate team committed to coffee excellence.