About Small Batch Roasting Co.

Small Batch exists to cultivate knowledge, craft products and connect community.

We work closely with exceptional coffee producers, select distinctive coffees, and approach roasting and production with care, curiosity and intent. Through our direct-trade sourcing, we buy green coffee directly from the farmers who grow it — full traceability, fair value, and their names on the bag.

The new venue at 132 Little Lonsdale Street is an chance to show people what Small Batch has been doing for years, and coffee sits at the centre of that story. We are now looking for a Head Barista to own it.

This is a senior, hands-on role responsible for coffee quality and coffee service across the venue. You will set the standard behind the bar, train the team, and make sure Small Batch coffee is served with the care and technical ability the product deserves. You will spend significant time on the machine while also taking responsibility for systems, training and consistency.

The venue runs Small Batch coffee — our own green, sourced through Shared Source and roasted by our team in North Melbourne. Reporting to the Venue Manager, you will work closely with our roasting and production teams, who own the sourcing and the roast. You own how that coffee is presented to the customer and how well the team understands what they are serving. The Venue Manager leads the team overall; coffee knowledge and coffee training across that team sit with you.

The Role

You will lead coffee quality and coffee service across the venue, including:

- Setting and maintaining coffee quality standards across the venue

- Leading coffee service during busy periods

- Dialling in and maintaining espresso and filter recipes

- Training and developing baristas, and leading coffee training for the wider venue team

- Ensuring equipment is maintained,



cleaned and used correctly

- Maintaining strong workflow, organisation and cleanliness behind the bar

- Monitoring coffee usage, stock and wastage

- Working closely with the Small Batch roasting and production teams

- Building strong coffee knowledge across the venue team, so anyone on the floor can speak to what we serve

- Helping staff communicate clearly with customers about coffee, sourcing, processing and production without making the experience overly technical

- Supporting new coffee releases, tastings and other customer education

- Working with the Venue Manager to continually improve service and venue operations

This role carries responsibility for the coffee standard across the venue and will require you to remain actively on the machine.

About You

You have significant specialty coffee experience and the technical depth to back it.

You hold a high standard with the level of care and technical ability that the product deserves. You notice drift early and correct it, you train people properly rather than fixing their work behind them, and you can talk to a customer about coffee in a way that makes them more interested, not less.

Experience leading or training other baristas is important. Just as important is genuine curiosity — an interest in extraction, in sourcing, and in continuing to get better at the craft.

You will likely bring:

- Significant specialty coffee experience in a quality-focused venue





- Excellent espresso preparation and milk skills

- Strong technical understanding of extraction and brewing

- Experience training, leading or calibrating other baristas

- High standards and strong attention to detail

- Calm efficiency during high-volume service

- Working knowledge of equipment maintenance, cleaning and basic troubleshooting

- Clear communication and comfort talking to customers about coffee in an approachable way

- An awareness of stock, usage and wastage behind the bar

- A collaborative approach and willingness to contribute beyond the coffee bar

How we work

Small Batch is held in the highest regard — by the industry, by our customers, and by the farmers we work with. This is a chance to own coffee at a venue built to make the craft visible, working with exceptional green coffee and a team that cares as much about the product as you do.

Our values guide the way we make decisions and work together.

Thoughtful — We act with intention, considering the material, the process, the people and the consequence of each decision.

Ownership — We take responsibility for the work, the problem and the outcome, even when the path is unclear.

Driven — We bring persistence, energy and restlessness to the work, continually looking for ways to improve.

Warmth — We bring generosity, respect and humanity to the way we make, serve, lead and connect.

This is an opportunity to play a central role in a small, ambitious business working with some of the best coffees and coffee producers in the world.

To Apply

Send your CV and a short cover note to ••••@pax.melbourne. Tell us who you are, what you've built, and why Small Batch. We're not looking for a cover letter that mirrors this ad back at us — we want to hear your voice.

📌 Head Barista | Small Batch Roasting Co. (Melbourne)
🏢 PAX Hospitality
📍 Melbourne