Jamaica
Job Description Position Summary Pearl & Leaf is seeking a strong working Lead Barista who genuinely lives for drink making, tasting, testing, and iteration, has excellent taste, and can help build and refine the Pearl & Leaf beverage menu while remaining fully hands-on in daily service. This is not an overbuilt beverage-director role. The right person should enjoy making drinks themselves, turning ideas into testable concepts, improving recipes repeatedly, training teammates, and keeping quality consistent shift after shift. What This Role Owns • Work regular barista shifts and personally prepare drinks during normal service., • Take beverage ideas from leadership and turn them into practical, testable drink concepts., • Create, test, and iterate milk teas, fruit teas, matcha beverages, coffee drinks, seasonal drinks, and specialty beverages., • Evaluate flavor, sweetness, acidity, texture, aroma, temperature, dilution, and presentation, and clearly explain why a drink works or does not work., • Standardize successful recipes so they can be reproduced consistently by other employees., • Train baristas on recipes, technique, workflow, presentation, sanitation, and service standards., • Monitor drink consistency during service and coach the team when quality drifts., • Help develop prep methods, batch recipes, station setup, labeling, and beverage production procedures., • Work with the Store Manager on ingredient needs, shortages, quality issues, and operational requirements., • Participate in tastings, seasonal menu development, launch preparation, and product feedback sessions., • Interact naturally with customers and gather useful feedback on new and existing drinks., • Participate in beverage-focused social media, product launches, demonstrations, and marketing content when requested. Hard Skills and Technical Requirements • Minimum 3 years of professional barista, specialty beverage, cafe, bubble tea, tea, or comparable beverage experience., • Strong hands-on beverage preparation skills and demonstrated knowledge of recipe balance and consistency., • Experience with at least several of the following: espresso, coffee, tea, milk tea, fruit tea, matcha, syrups, toppings, cold beverages, shaken drinks, or blended beverages., • Ability to convert a concept into a repeatable recipe with specific ingredients, quantities, steps, yield, and presentation standards., • Ability to taste analytically and explain adjustments clearly., • Understanding of beverage station setup, sanitation, food handling, storage, labeling, and freshness standards., • Ability to train others and maintain recipe consistency across different employees and shifts., • Comfort working quickly and accurately during high-volume service., • Comfort using Toast POS and basic operational checklists. Soft Skills We Value • Deep passion for beverages. The ideal candidate genuinely lives for drink making, tasting, testing, and iteration., • Strong creative taste without losing sight of consistency or operational practicality., • Experimentation mindset and willingness to test, receive feedback, and improve repeatedly., • Clear communication and ability to explain flavor decisions simply., • Coachability and willingness to collaborate with leadership rather than treating menu development as a solo function., • Patience when training others., • Attention to detail., • Reliability and ownership., • Warm, guest-friendly personality., • Organization and cleanliness., • Bias toward making, testing, and improving rather than over-planning. Brand and Marketing Expectations • Comfortable appearing and speaking on camera for appropriate Pearl & Leaf and DM Plaza content., • Able to explain drinks, ingredients, flavor choices, and preparation in a natural and engaging way., • Comfortable participating in drink launches, tastings, demonstrations, behind-the-scenes content, and other marketing activities. Application Requirements • Answer: Tell us about a beverage you developed or significantly improved. What did you change and why?, • Share photos, menus, recipes, or a portfolio of drinks you personally created, if available., • Be prepared to explain your exact contribution to any drink, menu, or concept included in your application materials. Preferred Qualifications • Experience developing original beverage recipes or seasonal specials., • Experience with milk tea, fruit tea, matcha, specialty coffee, or Asian beverage concepts., • Experience training junior baristas., • Restaurant or cafe opening experience., • Portfolio, photos, recipes, menus, or examples of drinks personally created., • Ability to speak Bengali is a plus but is not required. What Success Looks Like • Pearl & Leaf has a beverage menu that is distinctive, balanced, repeatable, and operationally practical., • Winning drink concepts are documented well enough that another trained employee can reproduce them consistently., • Baristas understand both how to make the drinks and what quality should taste and look like., • New ideas move quickly from concept to test to refinement to launch., • The Lead Barista remains a strong hands-on operator during regular service, not only a menu-development resource. Application Question Tell us about a beverage you personally developed or significantly improved. What was the original concept or problem, what changes did you make, why did you make those changes, and what was the final result? If available, please include photos, menus, recipes, or a beverage portfolio showing drinks you personally created or materially developed. For any examples submitted, briefly explain your specific contribution. Why Join Pearl & Leaf This is an opportunity for a beverage professional to help shape Pearl & Leaf from the beginning, not simply step into an already established menu and routine. The role offers: • Meaningful product ownership. The Lead Barista will have a direct role in developing, testing, refining, and standardizing Pearl & Leaf beverages., • A hands-on creative role. This position is designed for someone who enjoys actually making drinks, tasting, experimenting, and improving recipes rather than managing from a distance., • Influence over the opening beverage program. The Lead Barista will help establish drink standards, prep systems, training practices, and operating procedures as Pearl & Leaf develops., • Room to experiment and improve. Strong ideas can move from concept to testing, refinement, and launch rather than getting stuck in lengthy approval processes., • Autonomy with accountability. DM Plaza aims to give strong performers room to work without unnecessary micromanagement while maintaining clear expectations for quality, execution, and results., • Performance-driven growth. Strong performance and measurable contribution can create opportunities for increased responsibility and compensation over time., • Access to modern tools and systems. The role will work with operational technology, including Toast POS, and will be part of a broader effort to build efficient, modern workflows., • Training and leadership opportunity. The Lead Barista will help develop other baristas and shape the quality culture of the beverage team., • Visible creative work. The role includes participation in tastings, launches, beverage demonstrations, social content, and customer-facing product moments., • A role within a growing hospitality concept. Pearl & Leaf is part of the broader DM Plaza project, giving the Lead Barista exposure to restaurant, event, retail, and community initiatives beyond a typical standalone cafe role.