Head of Tea & Coffee Operations
Location: Anywhere with access to a kettle
Salary: £65,000 – £85,000 per annum + Performance Related Biscuit Bonus Scheme
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced and visionary Head of Tea & Coffee Operations to lead our hot beverage strategy and ensure the highest standards of tea brewing, coffee preparation, and workplace hydration excellence.
This is a critical leadership role responsible for overseeing the end-to-end beverage lifecycle, from tea bag procurement and milk stock forecasting to crisis management during unexpected biscuit shortages.
The successful candidate will champion a culture of caffeinated excellence whilst driving continuous improvement across all tea and coffee-related activities.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and deliver the organisation’s five-year Tea & Coffee Roadmap.
- Establish best practice guidelines for biscuit dunking durations.
- Lead quarterly reviews of beverage satisfaction metrics.
- Drive innovation in specialty tea offerings and seasonal hot drink initiatives.
Operational Excellence
- Ensure all brews meet company standards for strength, colour, and temperature.
- Monitor coffee machine performance and coordinate emergency maintenance.
- Maintain critical stock levels of tea bags, coffee, sugar, sweeteners, and emergency chocolate digestives.
- Oversee daily “First Brew of the Day” operations.
Stakeholder Management
- Act as the senior escalation point for:
- Weak tea complaints.
- Missing teaspoons.
- Empty milk cartons returned to the fridge.
- Colleagues who make a round but somehow forget three people.
Team Leadership
- Manage a team of Beverage Excellence Coordinators.
- Coach and mentor apprentice tea makers.
- Conduct annual Tea Competency Assessments.
- Lead investigations into unauthorised use of premium coffee pods.
Essential Experience
- Minimum 10 years’ experience consuming tea and/or coffee professionally.
- Proven ability to carry multiple mugs simultaneously.
- Strong negotiation skills when debating whether tea or coffee is superior.
- Demonstrable experience locating the office’s last remaining clean teaspoon.
- Ability to remain calm under pressure during Monday morning caffeine surges.
Desirable Experience
- Advanced Biscuit Pairing Certification.
- Previous experience operating industrial-scale kettles.
- Expertise in identifying who finished the milk without replacing it.
- Knowledge of international tea etiquette and coffee trends.
Key Performance Indicators
- Average brew satisfaction score above 95%.
- Less than 2% milk-related incidents per month.
- Spoon recovery rate exceeding 90%.
- Reduction in “Who nicked my mug?” complaints year-on-year.
- Biscuit availability maintained above agreed service levels.
Benefits
- Executive tea tasting allowance.
- Company-funded coffee research visits.
- Premium mug allocation.
- Enhanced biscuit package.
- Annual Barista & Brew Summit attendance.
- Private healthcare (for repetitive kettle lifting injuries).
A Typical Day
08:00 – Strategic review of tea supplies
09:00 – Emergency meeting regarding missing milk
10:30 – Coffee quality assurance testing
12:00 – Working lunch (tea required)
14:00 – Biscuit inventory audit
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