CURATORS COFFEE CORNER.

part of Curators Coffee Company Australia

Permanent Full-time | 38 hours per week

$70,000 - $75,000 + super, depending on experience

Primarily Monday - Friday daytime, no late nights

Target opening: Early - mid November 2026

The successful candidate will commence ahead of opening for onboarding and training.

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ABOUT US.

Curators Coffee Corner is the first Melbourne venue from Curators Coffee Company Australia, opening in the heart of the CBD.

We're creating a compact, thoughtfully designed, takeaway-focused specialty coffee bar built around the rhythm of the city. Considered and consistent specialty coffee, delivered with the pace and efficiency needed for busy weekday office trade.

Our model is intentionally focused: counter ordering, bar pickup and shared standing room rather than traditional seated dining or table service, with a small daily pastry selection complementing the coffee offering.

We're looking for an experienced Head Barista / Coffee Bar Lead to join us from the beginning and lead the day-to-day coffee operation on site.

THE OPPORTUNITY.

This is a hands-on leadership role rather than a desk-heavy management position.

You’ll take ownership of coffee quality, bar workflow and team execution, while working closely with the owners and our Coffee Director to establish Curators' standards from opening.

You’ll be responsible for

- Dialling in and maintaining espresso quality throughout service

- Leading espresso preparation and overall coffee-bar workflow

- Maintaining recipes, extraction standards and beverage presentation

- Maintaining quality and consistency across espresso, batch/filter, cold brew and manual brewing

- Managing coffee and bean stock requirements

- Mentoring and developing our casual Barista / Café All-Rounders





- Coordinating the team through concentrated service peaks

- Maintaining strong opening, closing, equipment-care and cleanliness standards

- Troubleshooting day-to-day coffee, workflow and minor equipment issues

- Taking day-to-day responsibility for the venue on site when the owners are not present

The owners will continue to support broader administration and back-office operations, allowing you to remain closely connected to the coffee, team and customer experience.

THE COFFEE.

Our bar is built around a La Marzocco Linea PB 3 Group, Ceado Rev Titan WAM and Mahlkönig EK43.

A Curators coffee program is being developed in collaboration with ONA, with roasting, product development, technical and training support forming part of the relationship.

Ahead of opening, you’ll be involved in coffee calibration, workflow setup and team training alongside the owners and Coffee Director.

ABOUT YOU.

You’ll ideally bring

- 3+ years of specialty coffee experience in a quality, fast-paced café or espresso-bar environment

- 2+ years preferred on previous senior barista, head barista, shift-lead or supervisory responsibility

- Strong independent dial-in, extraction and grinder-adjustment skills

- Excellent milk texturing, including alternative milks, at speed

- Confidence across batch/filter coffee, cold brew and manual brewing

- Strong workflow, equipment-care and cleanliness habits





- Experience mentoring other baristas
- The ability to stay calm and organised through busy service periods

- Strong communication, sound judgement and genuine hospitality
- A team-oriented, receptive approach to giving direction and receiving feedback
- A dependable, proactive mindset with a strong sense of ownership and accountability

Some weekend availability would be welcomed as our trading hours evolve, but is not essential at this stage.

Current Australian work rights suitable for ongoing full-time employment are required, along with the ability to reliably work from our Melbourne CBD venue.

DEVELOPMENT AT CURATORS.

We want the role itself to continue developing as your capability and contribution grow — through deeper technical ownership, team development, coffee standards and broader operational responsibility.

As Curators Coffee Company establishes its presence in Australia, broader venue and operations opportunities may also develop over time.

WHAT WE OFFER.

- A genuine founding-team opportunity
- A thoughtfully designed Melbourne CBD workplace

- Primarily Monday–Friday daytime trading with no late nights

- Quality specialty-coffee equipment and product
- A Curators coffee program developed in collaboration with ONA

- Pre-opening onboarding, coffee calibration and team training

- Direct involvement with the owners and Coffee Director
- The opportunity to help shape standards and workflow from opening

- Scope to grow your responsibility and contribution over time

If you’re an experienced specialty barista looking for greater ownership, leadership and the opportunity to establish a new Melbourne coffee operation from the beginning, we’d love to hear from you.

📌 Head Barista / Coffee Bar Lead (Melbourne)
🏢 Curators Coffee Company Australia
📍 Melbourne