Job Title: Head Barista
Location: London
Salary: £32,000 – £40,000 depending on experience
Job Type: Full-time
Head Barista – Fantail
We’re looking for a Head Barista to help lead coffee across our cafés.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who genuinely cares about coffee, hospitality, and building strong teams. We’re looking for someone confident leading from the front — someone who brings positive energy, high standards, and a real passion for specialty coffee culture.
At Fantail, we care about creating cafés that feel thoughtful, welcoming, and genuinely enjoyable to spend time in. From coffee and food to music, service, and atmosphere, we pay attention to the details and believe great hospitality comes from consistency, warmth, and teams who care about what they do.
You’ll work closely with our leadership team to maintain excellent coffee standards across the business while continuing to evolve the coffee offering through seasonal drinks, brewing techniques, retail coffee, and coffee-led initiatives. We work closely alongside a quality-focused food and pastry programme, with a strong focus on product, presentation, and customer experience.
This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to grow within a developing business, have genuine influence, and help shape the future of the coffee programme as the business continues to evolve.
We’d especially love to hear from people who have spent years in specialty coffee environments, care deeply about the craft of coffee, and enjoy sharing that knowledge with both customers and the wider team.
Responsibilities
- Maintain and elevate coffee quality across all sites
- Lead by example during service and help set the tone for hospitality and standards across the team
- Train, support, and develop barista teams
- Lead operating standards, workflows, and day-to-day organisation
- Support seasonal drinks and retail coffee offerings
- Help introduce new brewing techniques and service styles
- Maintain consistency and calm during busy services
- Identify opportunities to improve workflow and customer experience
- Support recruitment, onboarding, and development of new baristas
- Work closely with leadership on coffee-focused initiatives and standards
What We’re Looking For
- Strong specialty coffee experience within quality-focused café environments
- Experience leading or training teams
- Deep understanding of espresso, extraction, calibration, workflow, and service standards
- Calm, organised, and detail-focused under pressure
- Strong communication and leadership skills
- Genuine passion for coffee, hospitality, and team development
- Someone engaged with the wider specialty coffee scene and interested in evolving coffee culture
Equipment & Environment
- Working with La Marzocco equipment and Mahlkönig grinders
- Fast-paced, quality-focused café environments
- Opportunity to work closely with an evolving coffee offering, seasonal drinks, retail coffee, and quality-focused service standards
- Opportunity to help shape and grow a developing coffee programme
What We Offer
- £32,000 – £40,000 depending on experience
- Staff food and coffee
- Supportive and ambitious team environment
- Real progression opportunities as the business grows
- Opportunity to grow into a wider Head of Coffee role as the business and coffee programme continue to evolve
- Opportunity to make a genuine impact within a growing business
Please include a short note about yourself and why the role interests you when applying.
Pay: £32,000.00-£40,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
