How could you make a difference?

Where do we start? Starbucks partners know that we make a difference in so many ways.   

If you were a part of the Starbucks family this year, here’s a snapshot of some of the things you could have been involved in:

• You could have joined around 1,000 other partners on Day 2 of our Leadership Conference who got involved in local community based activities across London including the Tower Hamlets Open Space project, the Hackney Parks project, the Lee Valley Park Bio-Diversity Project and the Thames 21 River and Waterways Project.

• You could be helping us celebrate our 10 year relationship with Fairtrade, especially because it has recently resulted in our delicious Espresso Roast being 100% Fairtrade certified.

• You could understand more about our commitment to do things that are good to each other and the planet. We call this Starbucks Shared Planet.

• You might be working alongside a young person on a Prince's Trust work experience placement. Or, you could be volunteering your time with the Prince’s Trust in a wide variety of other ways.

• You could be sharing your love of reading with school children through our long standing relationship with the National Literacy Trust.

• You could be representing your fellow partners on our Partner Blend team. Our Partner Blend reps meet with senior managers at least 4 times each year, which means Starbucks hears what really matters to the partners who serve our customers each day. Valued and Involved. That’s what Partner Blend means. 

• You could travel through the coffee growing world using your own coffee passport – an amazing little book that grows our knowledge of all the coffee we sell in store, and gives us the space to write our own thoughts about our whole bean coffee each time we taste it.  Today, I’m going to Kenya – tomorrow it may be Guatemala!

• Imagine a seasonal Gingerbread latte with an extra shot. Or a double tall, skimmed vanilla cappuccino. Hot, sweet and creamy.  With a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Now imagine it for free. Sounds good? Every shift you work you are entitled to free partner beverages and a substantial discount on our fantastic range of food. Off shift you could get 30% off what you buy in store, anytime. 

• You would also take home a free bag of coffee every week to share with friends and family every week (or to keep for yourself!). And there’s a lot more on offer as well including a range of bonus plans across different levels within the retail management team. But we’re not quite satisfied yet. Our dedicated Reward team is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to reward our partners’ hard work. 

Legendary service

We want you to more than enjoy your experience at Starbucks – we want you to keep coming back because the service you receive is second to none. So whether it’s your drink being prepared the minute your barista sees you walk through the door, or your barista asking you how your holiday was (they noticed you were away), or it’s clean tables, the chance to sample some of our fantastic food, and a pastry case that always has what you want – these are all the things that make up what we consider to be legendary service. 

Black aprons

Next time you visit your local Starbucks, you may see a partner wearing a black apron – or you may not. The only time you’ll see a partner wearing a black apron is when the store’s Coffee Master is working their shift. Our Coffee Master programme is second to none – it starts with every partner developing their knowledge through our one of a kind “coffee passports”, through to those partners with a particular passion for coffee taking that passion to store level, district, regional and then Company-wide competition. Each year one of our partners becomes the UK & Ireland Coffee Ambassador and they spend a year out of their store sharing their exceptional coffee knowledge with the rest of our partners. Our Support Centre (what we call our Head Office) is no different. All support partners are coffee masters too. 

Here’s more information about the Starbucks career path – find out what each of our in store roles is responsible for.

Baristas are the face of Starbucks.  They create an uplifting experience for our customers and make perfect drinks… one drink, one customer at a time. 

Shift Supervisors are expert baristas who help to direct work during shifts and create great experiences for our customers. 

Assistant Store Managers work alongside baristas and shift supervisors, helping to coach and develop them. They also develop their own management skills while helping store managers run great stores.   

Store Managers manage their store’s operations and are responsible for both the customer experience and for the store’s financial results. They develop, coach, and train in-store partners as they work side-by-side, and they’re responsible for the quality of customer service and beverages in their stores. 

District Managers help Store Managers learn to solve problems and drive business results. They’re accountable for having all stores in their districts meet every standard of quality. And they build local strategies to manage their district’s performance by knowing their local markets, their communities and their customers.   

Regional Directors lead a broad portfolio of stores. They coach and develop District Managers, set direction, drive financial and sales goals, and hold their region’s partners accountant to our standards. 

Our Support Centre houses the partners that focus on providing the tools, resources and innovations our stores need to be successful.  Click here to find out what opportunities we have in our Chiswick Park offices.