Coffee Specialist (Seattle Coffee Gear)

Position Overview

As a Coffee Specialist at Seattle Coffee Gear, you are a customer-facing product expert responsible for delivering exceptional, consultative experiences on the sales floor. You bring Seattle Coffee Gear’s passion for great coffee to life through one-on-one customer interactions and live product demonstrations, helping customers understand brewing methods, espresso fundamentals, and coffee equipment in a practical, approachable way.

In this role, you focus on engaging customers in real time, listening to their needs, demonstrating products, and translating technical features into clear benefits. You play a critical role in driving sales of espresso machines, grinders, coffee makers, and accessories by helping customers understand the why behind great coffee and confidently guiding them toward products that fit their goals, taste preferences, and lifestyle.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Experience & Brand Representation

• Represent Seattle Coffee Gear’s brand and culture by creating memorable, educational experiences that inspire repeat visits and customer loyalty.
• Lead engaging and informative coffee brewing demonstrations that showcase our Seattle Coffee Gear’s expertise and unique competitive edge offerings.
• Educate customers on a variety of brewing techniques, including pour-over, French Press, AeroPress, espresso, cold brew, and coffee art.
• Guide customers in selecting coffee beans based on flavor profiles, roast levels, and origin.
• Maintain a “coffee-ready” environment by ensuring quality and consistency across in-store brewing and demonstrations.

Sales & Business Performance

• Recommend appropriate coffee equipment and maintenance practices based on customer needs.
• Promote and sell coffee products, equipment, and accessories through product demonstrations.
• Assist the store in achieving revenue goals by driving customer engagement and conversion through education.
• Consistently meet or exceed store goals by delivering exceptional customer engagement and sales. Performance is measured by product sales performance through SPH, UPT & guest feedback.

Team Engagement & Store Support

• Partner with store leaders to ensure alignment with store priorities.
• Collaborate on merchandising strategies that highlight key tools and products featured in classes.

Operations & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with food safety standards, local health codes, and sanitation regulations.
• Maintain accurate inventory levels, minimize shrink, and control supply and culinary expenses.
• Ensure store safety and cleanliness, addressing any maintenance needs promptly.
• Adhere to applicable wage and hour laws. Accurately records time worked according to SLT Policy.
• Model and ensure consistent adherence to all Seattle Coffee Gear policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Physical Requirements

• Ability to communicate verbally and work cooperatively with associates and customers.
• Ability to remain standing for up to 4 hours at a time.
• Ability to move about the store directing class participants while selling to customers and retrieving merchandise from stockroom or sales floor.
• The capability to accurately perceive and differentiate variations in intensity or quality of flavors or odors, or to identify specific tastes or scents using the tongue or nose.
• Ability to grab, reach, push, pull, bend, stoop, kneel, and crouch to retrieve and replenish merchandise from stockroom or sales floor.
• Ability to use hands to seize, hold, grasp, turn, or otherwise to grind, tamp, steam, pour, froth, and/or demonstrate other coffee brewing techniques.
• Ability to lift and/or move merchandise weighing up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to ascend/descend ladders to retrieve and/or move merchandise.
• Ability to operate a computer, POS system, keyboards, merchandise scanners and mouse to accomplish work.
• Available to work between 12 and 16 hours per week, with a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays. While this is the minimum availability, scheduled hours may differ based on business needs.
• Regular and predictable attendance.
• Ability to work in a coffee bar area with exposure to hot equipment, steam, varying temperatures, and potential airborne and physical coffee-related allergens.

Qualifications & Experience

• Must be 18 years of age or older at time of employment.
• Passion for coffee and in-depth knowledge of brewing methods, coffee origins and equipment.
• Ability to create engaging, hands-on experiences for customers.
• Strong enthusiasm for coffee and a genuine eagerness to share knowledge with others.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Passion for community engagement and delivering exceptional customer experiences.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and retail management systems preferred.