Manager of Education & Training

Manager of Education & Training

Birch Coffee | Full-Time | New York, NY

About Birch Coffee

Birch Coffee is a specialty coffee company rooted in New York City and built on a simple belief: it’s people first, and coffee a close second. While we’re certainly known for the quality of our coffee, we believe that the culture of our company and the kindness of our teams are what help us stand out from the crowd. Our five core values, Excellence, Service, Connection, Ownership, and Enthusiasm, aren’t just words on a wall, they’re the standard we hold ourselves to every day, and the foundation everything is built on.

The Role

This is an opportunity to build and shape the education structure at Birch Coffee, which will impact how Birch Team members grow and develop into our future leaders. The Manager of Education & Training will own the full learning experience at Birch. This role is responsible for building scalable training systems that directly improve retention, performance, and strengthen our internal talent pipeline across all locations. From a new hire’s very first day to the moment they step into a leadership role, this person will shape how our people grow, develop a culture of continuous learning, and directly contribute to the strength and longevity of our teams.

This is a builder’s role with a strong foundation already in place. You’ll inherit well-developed training programs and be expected to run them with excellence, while also evolving them over time and developing new modules as Birch adds roles and expands. This role will partner closely with Operations to ensure the successful adoption of training programs. You won’t be starting from scratch, but you will leave your mark.

What You’ll Do:

Onboarding & New Hire Training

• Lead and facilitate our three-day onboarding program (Days 1, 2, and 3) for all new Birch team members.
• Continuously refine the onboarding experience based on feedback, retention data, and evolving company needs.
• Ensure every new hire leaves orientation feeling confident and clear on what it means to work at Birch
• Improve New Hire to Barista to Shift Lead promotion time by 20%-50%.

Shift Lead Development

• Deliver a structured 4–6 hour group training program for baristas moving into Shift Lead roles, held at our HQ
• Facilitate sessions that bridge coffee craft with the leadership and operational skills Shift Leads need to succeed
• Iterate on the curriculum over time based on real-world feedback and evolving business needs

Coffee Shop Lead Training

• Lead onboarding and ongoing development programming for newly hired and recently promoted Coffee Shop Leads
• Increase internal promotion rate
• Improve CSL retention within 6 months
• Support their transition into store management with programming that covers operations, team leadership, and Birch culture
• Serve as a consistent resource and thought partner as they grow into their roles

Curriculum & Program Development

• Partner with ownership to design and deliver leadership training and programming across the organization
• Add new modules and update existing materials as Birch grows, new roles are created, or business needs shift
• Build assessment and feedback loops that connect learning outcomes to real business results
• Oversee Train the Trainer system across all programs, ensuring every training curriculum has a corresponding Train the Trainer document built from Template.
• Review and approve any new curriculum introduced at Birch before launch.
• This role is both an architect and hands-on operator, responsible for designing systems and ensuring their execution.

Coffee Education Program

• Oversee company wide cupping program, including format, frequency, and staff communication
• Ensure coffee programming is aligned with the broader coffee program vision with COO and CEO.
• Stay current on industry best practices and bring relevant knowledge back to the team through the Coffee Educator.

Team Leadership

• Directly oversee our Espresso Trainer and Coffee Educator, supporting their development and ensuring alignment between front-line training and the broader education vision
• Foster a culture of learning and growth across all levels of the organization while coordinating with other departments including Ops, HR, and Production.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, you’ll be measured by outcomes that matter: higher retention rates, stronger store performance, and a growing ratio of internal promotions to external hires. We believe the best companies grow their own leaders — and this role is the engine that makes that possible. Within your first 90 days, we are expecting you to:

• Assess current programs and identify gaps
• Audit company-wide for training effectiveness
• Create and implement a 6-month plan tied to business outcomes

What We’re Looking ForRequired

• 5+ years of experience in training, education, or learning & development — experience in specialty coffee preferred, but background in hospitality required.
• Proven ability to design and deliver engaging adult learning programs, both one-on-one and in group settings.
• Strong facilitation skills. You can command a room, read an audience, and adjust on the fly.
• Experience managing or mentoring others.
• A genuine passion for developing people and building culture.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to give clear direction across all levels of the organization.
• Meticulous approach to documentation, follow-up, and data-driven decision making.
• Experience building scalable training programs, not simply experience implementing them.
• Alignment with Birch’s values: Excellence, Service, Connection, Ownership, and Enthusiasm.

Preferred

• Hands-on background in specialty coffee.
• Experience working in a multi-unit or growing brand environment.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $$85K-$100K/year
• Full-time, salary/exempt position
• 401K Match
• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Commuter Benefit Program
• 2 weeks Vacation, increase based on tenure
• Monthly Metrocard

Pay: $85,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• How many years of hospitality or FOH experience do you have?
• How would you rate your Coffee Skills? (Choose level 1, 2, or 3 and explain)

1. BEGINNER: at home brewing/interest
2. INTERMEDIATE: worked in food or retail setting serving coffee beverages
3. EXPERT: at least 1yr working in specialty or craft coffee, confident with manual espresso machines, advanced dialing in and texturing skills

• Do you have experience in dialing in specialty coffee?
• Can you pour any specialty coffee designs? (Please specify which you are most comfortable with if any)

Experience:

• training: 5 years (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Long Island City, NY 11101 (Required)

Work Location: In person