Lead Barista & Lead Shift Barista — Specialty Coffee | Stitch Coffee

Are you an experienced specialty coffee professional who loves great coffee, developing people, and leading exceptional service?

Stitch Coffee is looking for Lead Baristas and Lead Shift Baristas to join our teams across QVB, Broadway, Sydney Fish Market and Marrickville. We're looking for people with strong technical coffee skills who can also lead from behind the bar — maintaining quality under pressure, coaching those around them, and creating a warm, generous experience for every guest.

About Stitch Coffee

Stitch Coffee was born from the idea that coffee is like a tapestry — a weaving together of origins, people, flavours and experiences. We source specialty coffee from around the world, build meaningful relationships throughout the supply chain, and continually push ourselves to improve how we roast, brew and serve.

But great coffee is only part of what we care about. At Stitch, hospitality, generosity and quality go hand in hand — we want our baristas to understand coffee deeply while never losing sight of the person standing on the other side of the bar. As Stitch continues to grow, we're looking for experienced coffee professionals who want to grow with us.

Roles Available

Lead Barista (2IC)

A senior barista and emerging leader who supports the Head Barista and management team in maintaining coffee quality, developing junior baristas, and leading service. You should be confident:

- Dialling in and troubleshooting espresso across different roast styles

- Working with light and medium roast specialty coffees

- Maintaining quality and consistency throughout the day

- Coaching and developing junior baristas, with constructive, practical feedback

- Taking ownership of the coffee section during service

- Supporting the Head Barista with training, standards and quality control

- Leading calmly and positively during busy periods

Lead Shift Barista An experienced specialty barista who takes ownership of coffee quality throughout a shift — independently identifying and correcting changes in extraction, grind, recipe, yield, strength, acidity, bitterness, sweetness, body and overall flavour balance. You'll recognise when something isn't tasting right, understand why, and make an informed adjustment.





What You'll Be Doing

- Prepare and serve exceptional coffee with precision and consistency, dialling in espresso and monitoring quality throughout the shift

- Taste coffee regularly and adjust as conditions change, maintaining Stitch's standards during both quiet and high-volume service

- Produce consistently high-quality milk texture and latte art

- Support and coach junior baristas, helping identify training opportunities and build team capability

- Work with different origins, processing methods, roast styles and brewing methods

- Talk confidently with customers about coffee and brewing without making it feel overly technical — help them discover coffees they'll genuinely enjoy, and recommend beans, equipment and other retail products where appropriate

- Keep the coffee section exceptionally clean, organised and professional, with grinders, brewers and equipment correctly maintained and calibrated

- Work closely with our Head Baristas, roasting team and store leadership

- Lead with urgency during busy service without making customers feel rushed, and take ownership when something goes wrong

- Contribute positively to the culture, standards and performance of your store

What We're Looking For

- Minimum 2 years' specialty coffee experience

- Strong espresso dialling and sensory skills, with the ability to diagnose and troubleshoot by taste

- Confidence working across different roast styles and origins, and across espresso, batch brew and other filter brewing methods

- Understanding of extraction, brew ratios and brewing variables; familiarity with TDS and coffee measurement highly regarded

- Excellent milk steaming and latte art skills

- Experience coaching or training other baristas

- Strong communication skills and genuine curiosity about coffee

- Ability to stay calm, organised and positive during high-volume service

- Strong attention to cleanliness, detail and presentation




- A team-first attitude and genuine enjoyment of hospitality and looking after people

Experience with equipment such as La Marzocco KB90, La Marzocco Strada, TONE brewers, Übermilk, Fetco and Wally is an advantage, but full training will be provided.

The Kind of Leader We Value

Being a Lead Barista at Stitch isn't about being the loudest or most technically knowledgeable person behind the bar. We value people who lead by example, stay composed when service gets busy, help rather than blame, and give feedback respectfully. People who share their knowledge generously, notice when a teammate needs support, take responsibility for quality, and stay open to feedback themselves — because they care about both the coffee and the customer receiving it.

We want senior baristas who make the people around them better.

Availability Requirements

Applicants must

- Be available to work weekends and public holidays when rostered

- Be able to start shifts from 6:00am when required

- Have reliable transport and consistently arrive on time for early starts

- Hold valid Australian working rights suitable for the position

Why Join Stitch Coffee?

This is an prospect to do more than simply work behind an espresso machine. At Stitch, you'll work with exceptional specialty coffees from around the world, develop your sensory, brewing and technical skills, and work closely with experienced baristas, roasters and coffee professionals. You'll coach and develop the next generation of Stitch baristas, take genuine ownership of coffee quality, and build your leadership capability within a growing specialty coffee company.

For people who demonstrate strong coffee skills, hospitality, leadership and reliability, there are genuine opportunities to progress into roles such as Head Barista, Assistant Manager, Store Manager, and Training and Coffee Leadership positions. We want people who are interested in becoming better at their craft — and helping Stitch become better along the way.

Interested?

Send your resume to ****@stitch.coffee. Along with your resume, tell us briefly: what do you believe separates a great barista from an exceptional one? We'd love to hear how you think about coffee, hospitality and leadership.

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