We are a Calgary-based, owner-operator coffee company with nine cafés in addition to our roasterie and HQ at the Simmons building in Calgary’s historic East Village. We’re relentlessly passionate about coffee and sharing its wonders with our customers in a friendly and approachable way.
We are looking for a special individual to join our management team as Cafe Leader at our Simmons Building cafe. The position is full time, and comes with a competitive professional level salary and benefits package, based on level of experience. A minimum of one year experience in a management role in the coffee or restaurant industry is required. You will work closely with the Director and the Assistant of Cafe Operations, Assistant Cafe Leader, as well as Sebastian and Phil as they assist in your professional and personal development.
You must have full availability and able to work every weekend.
WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS
As a Cafe Leader, you’re not just running a café—you’re building a team, shaping a culture, and creating memorable experiences for every guest who walks through the door.
You’ll lead from the front, balancing people development, operational excellence, and financial performance, all while nurturing a strong sense of hospitality and coffee culture.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Leading People & Culture
2. Driving Business Performance
3. Running Exceptional Operations
If you are interested in this role, please submit a resume and cover letter detailing why you would be great for the role. The letter should include how you meet the prerequisites, what coffee culture means to you and why you are the best candidate for the role.
Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
Kindly note that the work location is flexible. While we are excited to welcome a new Cafe Leader to our Simmons Building team, the Company may offer an alternative role that better matches the candidate’s experience and aligns with our evolving business needs.
PREREQUISITES:
You’ll thrive in this role if you:
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Have a true passion for coffee: you care deeply about quality, sourcing, and craft.
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A positive and hospitality-driven individual who enjoys connecting with guests and creating a welcoming atmosphere.
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Nurture a fun environment - we make coffee and treats!
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Bring at least 1 year of management experience in coffee or restaurants
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Are a strong communicator and coach who enjoys developing people
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Love building positive, high-performing teams
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Are energized by a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment
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Are motivated by business performance and growth
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Are available full-time, including weekends and holidays
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Flexible availability for early mornings and late afternoons, aligned with café hours (7:00 AM–5:30 PM). Late evenings are for events and occasional.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
People
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Communication - weekly written and verbal communications is key as a Leader, with both the cafe team and the upper management;
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Coaching - coach and mentor the Assistant Cafe Leader and, with their help, the team and new hires in order to improve collective and individual performances. Continue training progress and sending requests as part of onboarding and ongoing evaluation;
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Development - regular meetings will be set with individual team members to assess their progress, their goals, challenges, hear their concerns and systematically evaluate and recognize them
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Morale - create, foster and sustain a continually improving work environment by fostering open and transparent communication with the team through multiple initiatives, including evaluations, recognition, recurrent meetings, team building initiatives and others;
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Manage and nurture a talent pipeline - Recognize high performers and create a path towards evolution within the Company to create and foster a rewarding work environment;
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Service - Continuously work with the team to provide exceptional service & live our ethos, as described in the customer service manifesto. Foster coffee culture & long lasting relationships. Build a strong team that prioritizes and cares about patrons. Deals with complaints efficiently.
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Lead by example - exemplify the Company’s Core Values
Financial Management
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Schedules – Use the hours budget to create a schedule. Monitor sales and manage schedules accordingly, while working in collaboration with the Director and Assistant Director of cafe operations.
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Financial accountability – Responsible for the financial performance of the cafe. Review monthly financials with the Director and participate in financial initiatives.
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Carryout waste reduction initiatives - Track and manage waste costs and implement waste reduction initiatives.
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Cash Recon – manage the cash deposits and perform weekly reconciliations. Train effectively employees toward cash management and responsibility.
Operations
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Schedules - create, monitor and manage a schedule for the cafe. Participate to the maintenance of available employees pool.
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Goals - prioritize short and long term goals for the cafe and carry out initiatives to meet those goals
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Quality - work with the team to ensure that individual and systemic training and QC issues are resolved. Ensure the quality leaders are performing their roles at a high level
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New hire evaluation – monitor and evaluate new hire performance
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Launches – ensure new product launches and initiatives are carried out smoothly through team communication and training
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Maintenance – assist the Assistant Cafe Leader to support the maintenance needs
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Processes - ensure the cafe’s documentation suite are efficiently and regularly communicated to the employees and assigned
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Problem solving - deal with real-time issues at the cafe level & emergencies as per the emergency response manual
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Aesthetics - carry out the cafe look and feel standards of the cafe
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Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: We are committed to equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex, age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by Alberta laws or regulations. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. We encourage applicants of all ages.
