Full-Time Barista and Retail Operations Associate

Love great coffee, cool merchandise, and making someone’s day a little better? Join the Museum of Life and Science as a Full-Time Retail Operations Associate and Barista, where you’ll create welcoming experiences for guests while keeping our coffee bar and Museum stores running smoothly. Bring your customer service superpowers, barista skills, and eye for detail to one of the Triangle’s favorite destinations.

Job Title: Full-Time Retail Operations Associate and Barista

Job Classification: Regular, FT

Department: Retail 

Reports to: Retail Operations Assistant Manager

Position Objective: Support the Museum’s mission by providing excellent customer service and creating a welcoming, engaging retail and coffee bar experience for Museum guests. This position supports the day-to-day operation of the Museum stores and coffee bar while maintaining high standards for service, cleanliness, merchandising, food safety, inventory, and cash handling.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• A demonstrated passion for customer service
• Superior drink building skills
• A demonstrated ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks efficiently and in an organized fashion 
• Ability to monitor, organize, and rotate coffee bar inventory
• Basic proficiency with computer and point-of-sale systems
• Ability to accurately handle cash, charge, check, and gift card transactions
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision and collaboratively as part of a team
• Ability to stand for up to 9 hours
• Ability to withstand prolonged periods of repetitive motions with hands/wrists
• Ability to maneuver around coffee bar, sales floor, and stock rooms including repetitive bending, prolonged standing, twisting, and climbing
• Ability to lift 40 pounds
• Set schedule with weekend and occasional evening work

Desired:

• Coffee bar/retail experience
• 1+ year of barista experience
• Servsafe certification
• Conversant in Spanish
• Familiarity with CounterPoint or similar point-of-sale system

Responsibilities:

• Provide friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable service to Museum guests in the coffee bar and Museum stores
• Prepare and serve coffee, specialty beverages, and other menu items according to established recipes, quality standards, and food-safety practices
• Accurately process cash, credit card, check, and gift card transactions
• Open and close the coffee bar and Museum stores in accordance with departmental procedures and standards
• Maintain clean, organized, well-stocked, and guest-ready coffee bar and retail spaces throughout each shift
• Organize, stock, and rotate coffee bar inventory to maintain product availability and quality
• Maintain visual merchandising standards with strong attention to detail
• Follow Museum, departmental, and applicable health and food-safety policies and procedures
• Identify and communicate operational successes, opportunities, and concerns to Retail Operations leadership
• Prioritize and manage multiple responsibilities based on guest needs and daily operational demands
• Work independently with limited supervision while contributing to a collaborative and supportive team environment
• Always demonstrate adherence to Museum safety procedures
• Engage with Museum guests in a positive and helpful way to support an enjoyable and safe experience
• Demonstrate and advance the Museum’s Strategic Plan through interactions with staff, volunteers, and guests
• Perform additional duties as assigned

Staff Oversight: None