Head Barista

FOUNDING HEAD BARISTA - CHEPA

Mexican Lonchería & Specialty Coffee Bar | High Street, Northcote

Part-Time, Guaranteed Min. 30 Hours/Week | Anchored Fri-Sun From $27.97/hr (Award Level 3) + Weekend Penalties, Seven Seeds on La Marzocco · Mahlkönig E65S GbW · PuqPress

Chepa is opening in October on High Street, Northcote - a tight, obsessively-executed Mexican lonchería paired with genuinely serious specialty coffee. We're running Seven Seeds on a La Marzocco Linea Classic, dialled in on a Mahlkönig E65S GbW grind-by-weight grinder with a PuqPress - the kind of setup most Melbourne cafés don't invest in from day one. Alongside that, a full Mexican drinks program: atole, aguas frescas, and eventually mezcal and margaritas as we grow into evening trade.

We're looking for the barista who becomes our anchor behind the machine - the person our casual team is built around, working directly with me to shape both the coffee and the drinks program from scratch.

The Opportunity

• Founding Head Barista. You're the anchor - we'll bring in casual staff to cover the shifts around you, but the standard on that machine is yours to set.
• Real creative input. Beyond espresso, you'll help develop Chepa's Mexican specialty drinks program and educate Northcote on what it is - genuine creative ownership, not just execution.
• Direct line to the owner. You report to me. Your read on the coffee and the floor shapes how Chepa runs.
• Guaranteed hours, honestly structured. Part-time, guaranteed minimum 30 hours a week - always Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus additional weekday shifts to round out your week.

What You'll Own

• Coffee craft. Seven Seeds beans, La Marzocco Linea Classic, Mahlkönig E65S GbW grind-by-weight, PuqPress - dialled in and held to a genuine specialty standard, every cup.
• Mexican drinks program. Atole, aguas frescas, and the specialty coffee drinks that put a Mexican spin on the format - your job is to help set the standard and keep the consistency.
• Educating the neighbourhood. You're the one explaining what these drinks are to a Northcote crowd that's never tried them - equal parts barista and storyteller.

What We're Looking For

• Comfortable and confident across the full range of espresso-based drinks - not just competent, genuinely good.
• Specialty coffee experience. Trade-relevant qualification or strong hands-on experience at a specialty standard.
• A creative streak. Real interest in developing a drinks menu, not just pulling shots to spec.
• Warm, natural hospitality instinct - you set the tone at the counter.
• Genuine interest in Mexican food, drinks and culture

Pay, Transparently

Base Pay

• Restaurant Industry Award Level 3 - $27.97/hr
• Part-time, guaranteed minimum 30 hours per week
• Weekend penalties: $34.96 Sat · $41.96 Sun
• 12% super + 4 weeks annual leave (pro-rata)

To Apply

Send your CV and a short note on your coffee background - and if you've already got drink ideas, tell me about them - to jobs@chepa.com.au or apply directly via this portal.

¡En español si es más fácil!