ASSISTANT CAFE LEADER

We’re 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 passionate about coffee and creating welcoming, memorable experiences for our customers. We’re a dynamic, growing company, and we’re looking for a special individual to join our management team as Assistant Cafe Leader (our name for Assistant Manager) at the new CrossIron Mills location, opening October 2026.

The position is available as on immediately; is full time, and comes with a competitive professional level salary and benefits package, based on level of experience.

During the training period, and until construction of the café is complete, the selected candidate will be assigned to one of our existing café locations. They will receive hands-on training directly from a Café Leader and Assistant Café Leader, under the supervision of the Director and Manager of Café Operations, as well as the Director of Coffee Culture and Assistant Trainer.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

As an Assistant 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, operational and financial support while overseing Coffee Culture and Quality, all while nurturing a solid sense of hospitality to guests.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Leading People & Culture

2. Driving Coffee Quality

3. Running Exceptional Operations

PRE-REQUISITES:

- Have a true passion for coffee: you care deeply about quality, sourcing, and craft
- A positive and hospitality-driven individual who enjoys connecting with guests and creating a welcoming atmosphere.
- Nurture a fun environment - we make coffee and treats!
- Preferably bring at least 1 year of management experience in coffee or restaurants
- Are a strong communicator and coach who enjoys developing people
- Love building positive, high-performing teams
- Are energized by a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment
- Are motivated by business performance and growth
- Are available full-time, including weekends and holidays
- Flexible availability for mornings and evenings, aligned with café hours (estimated 9:00 AM–10:00 PM).
- Have reliable transportation to or live within a reasonable commuting distance of CrossIron Mills and Rocky View County.

If this sounds like you and you’re excited to apply,



please review the role responsibilities below and 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.

OPERATIONS The ACL is the primary person responsible for the following items:

- Supply Management – ensure stock inventory levels are right and orders are placed at the right times. Track and manage waste costs, implement waste reduction initiatives
- Maintenance – report issues through the tool, escalate to CL when needed, follow up with Technician, fill out monthly maintenance checklist.
- Cleanliness Management - ensure and supervise the cleanliness and sanitation, as well as the organization and tidiness of the cafe, through checklists assignment and completion
- Shift Leadership - assign roles on the floor, manage breaks, rotations.
- Product QC – uphold QC standards on coffee, food and drink. Report quality issues to CL - for training or QC follow up.
- Feedback - provide feedback to the Director of Coffee Culture on QC, provide feedback to the Head Roaster on the coffees.
- Expectation of collaborative and open communication with the Cafe Leader, other coffee and cafe leaders and Training department

COFFEE QUALITY The ACL is the go-to expert on day to day coffee quality. It is their responsibility to ensure the equipment is functioning properly and track maintenance related issues early on. They work closely with both the CL and the training department to ensure the cafe is serving the best quality coffee possible.

- Dial drip weekly and communicate settings
- Taste drip daily
- Dial Tone (if applicable)
- Ensure Tone inventory management and freezing schedules are maintained (if applicable)
- Dial new batches and new coffees (including machine temp changes)
- Reevaluate shot parameters weekly
- Taste and dial espresso daily
- Ensure Espresso dialing sheets are maintained
- Measure and report back weekly (water, coffee TDS, brewing temps, Fetco water volume, espresso machine flow rate) using provided form
- Monthly grinder cleaning




- Coffee date rotation (both retail and cafe use)

ASSIST THE CL The ACL assists the CL daily and assumes full responsibility for the following tasks on days where the CL is not present:

- Schedules – first line of defense for schedule coverage
- Launches – ensure new product launches and initiatives are carried out smoothly, staff are trained and aware
- Aesthetic Standards – carry out the cafe look and feel standards (organization, “outside/inside customer view”, music, apparel)
- Emergency Response – deal with real-time emergencies as per the manual

LEADERSHIP

- Coaching – continually work with the CL and the team to improve individual performance. The ACL is the coach and mentor of the baristas through training, delegation and verbal feedback.
- Onboard – Assist with new hire onboarding and training along with the Cafe Leader.
- Staff morale – foster a growing work environment through positive reinforcement and verbal recognition; participate in nominating deserving staff for recognition; monitor the morale and report and work to the CL about any issue or recognition needed.

KNOWLEDGE

- Expert level knowledge of coffee (our producers, our coffees, tasting notes, coffee terminology, varieties, processing methods, harvest periods, green freezing)
- Will be given extra training at the Director of Coffee Culture’s discretion.

SERVICE

- Deal with in-café customer complaints
- Lead by example – demonstrate exemplary customer service and quality.

___ 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.

Work Remotely: No

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

📌 Assistant Cafe Leader - CrossIron Mills (Calgary)
🏢 Phil u0026 Sebastian Coffee Roasters
📍 Calgary