About Saddle
Founded in Dubai in 2017, Saddle is a specialty coffee and lifestyle café with 25+ locations across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Europe — including London, Cannes, and Saint-Tropez. Saddle brings a distinct blend of Emirati hospitality and precision coffee culture to every market it enters. Our Miami Beach location marks the brand's first footprint in the United States.
We are not a chain. We are a café where coffee is taken seriously — from origin to extraction to the experience in the cup.
The Role
The Head of Coffee is the senior operator on the floor. This role combines full technical ownership of the coffee program with direct responsibility for daily café operations. You are the person the team looks to when the Store Manager is not present — and the person Saddle's Dubai coffee team looks to for quality accountability at the U.S. level.
This is not a barista role with added responsibility. It is a leadership position that requires both deep coffee expertise and the operational discipline to run a high-volume, premium café environment day in and day out.
What You'll Own
Coffee Program
- Full bar calibration and daily quality control — grind settings, extraction parameters, dial-in protocols
- Adherence to Saddle's proprietary recipes across espresso, filter, and signature drinks
- Hands-on training and coaching of all barista-level staff on technique, workflow, and palate development
- Conducting daily tasting sessions and ongoing sensory evaluations with the team
- Receiving and evaluating coffee deliveries; rotating and storing beans per protocol
- Direct liaison with Saddle's Dubai roastery and global coffee team on recipe standards and product updates
- Contributing to the adaptation of Saddle's GCC coffee program for the U.S. market
Daily Operations
- Opening and closing the café according to Saddle's operational standards
- Leading the floor during service — staffing the bar, managing workflow, and maintaining pace and quality simultaneously
- Supervising and directing the team in the Store Manager's absence
- Monitoring and reporting daily operational performance — speed of service, waste, staffing gaps
- Ensuring compliance with food safety, health department standards, and café cleanliness protocols
- Coordinating with the Store Manager on scheduling, inventory, and vendor deliveries
- Escalating operational issues and contributing to continuous improvement
What We're Looking For
- Minimum 4 years in a specialty coffee environment, with at least 2 in a senior bar or training role
- Deep knowledge of espresso extraction: dose, yield, time, pressure, and temperature variables
- Proficiency in manual brew methods (V60, Chemex, AeroPress, or equivalent)
- Strong understanding of coffee origin, processing methods (washed, natural, honey), and their impact on flavor
- Ability to identify roast defects and extraction faults through taste
- Latte art proficiency to a competitive or near-competitive standard
- Experience with commercial espresso equipment (La Marzocco, Synesso, Slayer, or similar)
- Proven ability to lead a team during service — not just perform
- Comfortable owning the floor and making operational calls independently
- Calm, precise, and disciplined under pressure
- SCA certification preferred but not required if experience demonstrates equivalent depth
Dubai Onboarding — Your First Two Weeks
Before the Miami opening, the Head of Coffee will travel to Dubai for a two-week immersion at Saddle's home operation.
You will work alongside Saddle's roastery team and senior baristas to master the brand's proprietary recipes, calibration standards, and service rituals from the source. You will also observe and participate in daily operations across multiple Saddle locations — understanding how the brand runs at scale before bringing that standard to Miami.
Travel, accommodation, and meals covered by the brand .
Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Experience:
- Coffee: 4 years (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
