About this job:

Build’s Assistant Manager (AGM) will be a core member of a small, highly collaborative team. Working closely with the shop’s chef, coffee lead, and owners, you will have a strong hand in shaping Build’s growth this summer and beyond. With strong support from ownership and the existing team, the AGM will take lead on making sure our room always feels like its best self. 

The AGM is responsible for welcoming and taking good care of a diverse customer base, maintaining Build’s physical space, and fostering a healthy, generative back of house dynamic. This role spans administrative (inventory, ordering, scheduling) work and lots of on the ground shop flow; you should expect to be in the thick of rushes and shop care, from register and bar work to in-the-moment troubleshooting.

About Build:

Build Coffee is a café and bookstore that straddles the Hyde Park and Woodlawn neighborhoods of Chicago. Our building, Experimental Station, is full of neighboring tenants doing work we believe in, from a weekly independent farmers market to multiple civic journalism projects.We seek to be a haven, hotbed, and hub for a diverse group of activists, journalists, students, and neighbors of all ages. We take COVID safety seriously, and currently offer indoor and outdoor seating, with masks required for ordering and entry. We care deeply about our room, our coffee, and our food and strive to take good care of people on both sides of the counter.

The AGM will:

• Support a tight (5-6 person) team with empathy and respect:
• Onboard and train new hires
• Mediate any in the moment conflicts; communicate recurring concerns to ownership
• In conjunction with ownership, maintain open and responsive lines of communication via quarterly all-staffs and brief/casual weekly 1:1s to check in on friction points, new ideas, and areas where folks would like more training or responsibility
• Maintain inventory, monitor waste, place orders, and manage intake from vendors
• Build weekly schedule, balancing the team’s shifting needs/availability  and coordinate emergency covers
• Manage customer/shop relations with grace, empathy, and an eye to equity
• Maintain physical shop as a warm, clean, welcoming space
• Work with the coffee lead to maintain great drink quality and efficiency
• Take lead on one of the following growth projects, based on areas of interest:
• High volume coffee and drink catering for the surrounding neighborhood
• Event coordination (private rentals, performances, workshops)
• Curation of the existing revolving gift shop, including art and goods from local vendors
  
  

Hours and benefits:

• 40 daytime hrs/week: Saturdays required, Sundays off, additional day off flexible.
• Compensation: $23-$24/hr; 5 days flexible PTO; most federal holidays off; PTO Christmas through New Years; and $100/month in healthcare subsidy

 

You’re a great fit if:

• You have at least 2 years of hospitality/retail experience, and at least 1 year of management experience (coffee preferred)
• You’re comfortable with long hours on your feet
• You genuinely love engaging coworkers and customers, and are comfortable supporting your team’s strengths, conflict resolution, and growth 
• You’re extremely reliable and communicative
• You’re organized both physically and administratively and have an eye for how to make a space or workflow more efficient

 

To apply:

Email [email protected] by Monday, June 5th with your resume and a note about why this role feels like a fit!