The Role
We’re looking for an experienced roaster to take the lead at Ue Coffee Roasters.
You may already be working as a Head Roaster, or you could be an ambitious Assistant Roaster who feels ready to step up, take more ownership and make the next move in your career.
This is a hands-on role for someone who knows their way around a roastery, cares deeply about quality and wants the opportunity to shape how a roasting operation develops.
You’ll be responsible for the day-to-day roasting and production operation, from green coffee arriving through the doors to finished coffee being packed and ready to leave. You’ll roast, cup, develop profiles, plan production and lead a small team, while working closely with our Head of Coffee and directors.
We’ve been roasting coffee in Oxfordshire since 2009 and have built a strong wholesale and online business. The foundations are already here, but there is plenty of room for the right person to bring fresh ideas, improve how we work and put their own stamp on the roastery.
This isn’t a role where you’ll sit behind a desk and manage from a distance. We want someone who enjoys being involved, getting stuck in and helping the team produce consistently great coffee every day.
What You’ll Be Doing
Roasting and Production
- Take responsibility for the full roasting and production process.
- Roast our core blends, single origins, seasonal coffees and customer-specific products.
- Develop and refine roast profiles alongside the Head of Coffee.
- Plan daily and weekly production around wholesale, online and seasonal demand.
- Cup regularly and make adjustments where needed to keep quality and consistency where they should be.
- Maintain clear roast logs, batch records and traceability.
- Make sure coffee is roasted, packed and ready when our customers need it.
- Look for practical ways to improve quality, efficiency and output.
Leading the Team
- Lead and support our roasting and production team.
- Organise rotas, workloads and daily priorities.
- Train and develop existing and future roasters.
- Set clear standards while creating a positive and enjoyable place to work.
- Deal with day-to-day issues calmly and practically.
- Help build a team that takes real pride in the coffee leaving the roastery.
Equipment and Safety
- Keep on top of roaster servicing, maintenance and repairs.
- Build good relationships with engineers and equipment suppliers.
- Make sure the roastery remains safe, clean and well organised.
- Take ownership of food safety, health and safety, risk assessments and safe working procedures.
- Manage green coffee and packaging stock so production runs smoothly.
- Reduce unnecessary waste and downtime wherever possible.
Helping Us Grow
- Work with the directors and Head of Coffee on future capacity, equipment and production planning.
- Support the development of new coffees and seasonal releases.
- Work with the wholesale team on customer-specific requests.
- Track key figures including output, waste, yield and quality.
- Bring forward ideas that could make the roastery better.
- Represent Ue Coffee Roasters with customers and at industry events when needed.
About You
You’ll already have solid hands-on roasting experience and be confident working at commercial volume.
You may be an experienced Head Roaster looking for a fresh challenge, or an Assistant Roaster who has built strong technical and sensory skills and is ready to take on more responsibility.
Just as importantly, you’ll be someone who takes ownership, enjoys working with people and wants the chance to shape how a roastery develops.
You don’t need to have done everything on this list, but you should be comfortable making decisions, solving problems and being accountable for the quality of the finished coffee.
What We’re Looking For
- Around three years or more of hands-on coffee roasting experience.
- Experience roasting at commercial volume.
- Strong cupping and sensory skills.
- The confidence to evaluate and adjust roast profiles.
- Some experience leading, mentoring or supporting others.
- Good production planning and organisational skills.
- A working knowledge of food safety and health and safety.
- Experience using Cropster or similar roasting software.
- A calm, practical and reliable approach.
- A genuine interest in making great coffee and improving how things are done.
Useful, but Not Essential
- SCA roasting qualifications or similar training.
- Experience using Giesen roasters.
- Experience working with green coffee suppliers.
- New product development experience.
- Experience launching seasonal or limited-edition coffees.
Why Ue Coffee Roasters?
We’re an independent coffee roastery with an established name, loyal customers and a team that genuinely cares about what we do.
We’re now moving into the next stage of the business, and this role will play an important part in that.
For someone who has already built strong roasting experience and is ready for more responsibility, this is a chance to take ownership of a roastery, help develop a team and have a real say in where we go next.
We’re not looking for someone to simply keep things ticking over.
We’re looking for someone who wants to make their mark.
Pay: £38,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
