Kitchen Lead (Empower Coffee Roasters)

Kitchen Lead – Empower Coffee Roasters

Location: Mesa, Arizona
Employment Type: Full-Time (Hourly, Non-Exempt)
Schedule: 40 hours/week | 5 days/week | Weekends required
Shift: 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM (30-minute lunch break)

At Empower Coffee Roasters, we believe that great coffee deserves fresh, thoughtfully crafted food. We're building a food program focused on sandwiches, toasts, salads, and grab-and-go items — all prepared daily with care. Our kitchen is small but mighty, designed for efficiency, creativity, and quality.

We’re looking for a Kitchen Lead to bring our food vision to life! This is a hands-on, independent role where you’ll develop the menu, manage prep and production, and oversee food operations for our main café as well as prep select items for our sister locations. You’ll work independently most days, with basic prep support from cross-trained baristas on your scheduled days off.

If you’re a self-starter who loves building systems, creating recipes, and taking pride in your work from prep to plate, this could be a perfect fit.

• Develop and maintain an approachable, high-quality café menu (sandwiches, toasts, salads, and grab-and-go items)
• Create detailed prep lists and task lists for yourself and cross-trained staff
• Prepare, package, and manage delivery of food items to sister café locations
• Source ingredients, manage inventory, and receive deliveries
• Maintain recipe consistency, portion control, and food quality
• Manage kitchen food costs and pricing with owner input
• Operate and maintain kitchen equipment, including a TurboChef oven
• Follow all food safety, sanitation, and cleanliness protocols
• Take ownership of kitchen operations with minimal day-to-day supervision

• Prior professional kitchen experience required (minimum 2 years)
• Experience in menu and recipe development preferred
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively
• Self-motivated, proactive, and dependable
• Comfortable prepping, packaging, and delivering food to nearby café locations
• Knowledge of food safety practices and kitchen equipment operation

• Hourly Pay: $20–$24/hour, depending on experience
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Sick Leave
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Employer Match
• Dental Benefits
• Employee Discounts on Food and Coffee
• Supportive, community-focused work environment

• This is a non-tipped, hourly (non-exempt) position.
• Weekend availability is required.
• Delivery to sister locations will be local (within Mesa/Tempe area).