General Manager

Help Build the Future of Coffee

Coffee is at a crossroads.

Climate pressure, declining farm viability, commodity dependence, and stale retail experiences are forcing the industry into a new era. Most companies are still optimizing the old system.

We are building something entirely different.

Excelsa Coffee Inc. exists to introduce the world to Excelsa coffee — one of the rarest and most resilient coffee species on earth. We are building a vertically integrated coffee company spanning farm relationships, supply chain, roasting, direct-to-consumer, retail, cafe experiences, and cultural brand building.

This is not a traditional coffee company.

This is category creation.

We are looking for a highly capable, deeply committed General Manager / Operations Director to become the operational backbone of Excelsa Coffee Inc. — helping turn a fast-moving founder-led company into a scalable, world-class organization.

This role is for someone who is:

• Coffee obsessed
• Excelsa obsessed
• Mission-driven
• Highly organized
• Calm under pressure
• Excited by ambiguity and building
• Willing to work long hours to create something meaningful

This is not a “clock in / clock out” corporate role.

This is for someone who wants to create their own lane, help build an iconic company from the ground floor, and grow alongside the business over the next decade.

The work will be hard.

The standards will be high.

But the upside — professionally, financially, creatively, and personally — is enormous for the right person.

The Role

“The operational backbone of Excelsa Coffee Inc. — keeps the machine running while the founder focuses on category creation, partnerships, wholesale growth, and distribution expansion.”

You will oversee day-to-day operational execution across our cafe, HQ, warehouse coordination, systems, staffing, logistics, and internal processes.

You will help build the operational foundation for a company designed to scale nationally.

This role is fully onsite to help build culture, momentum, accountability, and communication across the organization.

Location: Ocean Beach, San Diego

Type: Full-Time · In-Person

Core Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operations across cafe, HQ, and warehouse coordination
• Manage staffing schedules and operational coverage
• Implement and maintain SOPs and operational systems
• Coordinate communication between departments
• Ensure accountability across operational tasks
• Support onboarding and training for new hires
• Coordinate vendors, supplies, logistics, and recurring operational tasks
• Help implement AI workflows and operational tools
• Improve efficiency across retail, fulfillment, and internal operations
• Work directly with leadership on growth initiatives and execution
• Help maintain culture, standards, and operational excellence across the company
  

What We’re Looking ForMust-Haves

• Extremely organized and proactive
• Excellent communicator
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability
• Comfortable managing multiple moving parts simultaneously
• Calm under pressure
• Systems-oriented thinker
• High work ethic and willingness to go above and beyond
• Passion for coffee, hospitality, retail, and startup culture
• Belief in the Excelsa mission and long-term vision
• Excited to help build something from the ground floor
  

Bonus Experience

• Coffee industry experience
• Retail or cafe operations
• Startup operations
• CPG or food & beverage experience
• Warehouse or logistics coordination
• Team leadership and hiring
• AI tools, automation, or systems implementation
  

Who This Role Is For

This role is for someone who:

• Wants responsibility early
• Wants proximity to leadership and decision-making
• Wants to help build a nationally recognized brand
• Wants to create systems and infrastructure from scratch
• Wants to grow into senior operational leadership
• Believes work can be meaningful and mission-driven
• Wants to build something larger than themselves
  

Growth Path

01 — Director of Operations

02 — Chief Operating Officer

03 — Multi-location operational leadership

As Excelsa Coffee grows, this role is designed to grow with it.

Culture

We care deeply about:

• Hospitality
• Craft
• Speed
• Excellence
• Systems
• Creativity
• Curiosity
• Accountability
• Long-term thinking

We are building a company that blends:

• Specialty coffee
• Brand
• Culture
• Technology
• Supply chain innovation
• Retail experiences
• Global agriculture

We want people who are energized by building, learning, adapting, and pushing through difficult challenges together.

To Apply

Send:

• Resume
• Short note about why Excelsa Coffee and this role resonate with you
• Any relevant operational, hospitality, retail, startup, or systems-building experience
• We are looking for people who want to help build the next great coffee company.