Junior Roastery Technician

Junior Roastery Technician

We’re looking for a Junior Roastery Technician to join the Dark Horse Coffee team at our roastery in Paraparaumu. This is a hands-on entry-level role for someone who is passionate about coffee, keen to learn, and enjoys being part of a busy production environment. You’ll support our roastery across a range of day-to-day tasks including roasting support, packaging, cleaning, dispatch and general production, with opportunities to develop your coffee knowledge and roasting skills along the way. No previous roasting experience is required — we’re looking for someone reliable, practical and eager to learn.

What’s the opportunity?

You’ll work alongside our Head Roaster and production team to help keep the roastery running smoothly and ensure we produce consistently great coffee.

You’ll spend time supporting the roasting process, packing coffee, cleaning and maintaining the roastery, and helping out wherever needed across production.

Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Support the daily roasting schedule and assist with roasting processes.
• Participate in cupping sessions and sensory evaluations as your coffee knowledge develops.
• Assist with packaging and preparing coffee for wholesale and online orders.
• Support stock management, green coffee tracking and traceability processes.
• Complete cleaning and general housekeeping throughout the roastery.
• Assist with cold brew and other production tasks as required.
• Follow established processes, SOPs and food safety requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on quality, efficiency and sustainability.

What skills and experience do I need?

This is a junior role, so previous roasting experience isn't required. We're more interested in finding someone with the right attitude, work ethic and willingness to learn.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• A genuine interest in coffee and a desire to learn more about roasting and coffee production.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to follow processes consistently.
• Good organisational and time management skills.
• A reliable and positive approach to work.
• The ability to work independently while being a positive contributor to a small team.
• A strong commitment to workplace safety, cleanliness and food safety standards.
• The ability to work comfortably in a hands-on, physical production environment.

Experience with barista skills, brewing, cupping, hospitality, food production or food safety systems would be advantageous.

Location & Hours

This role is based at our Dark Horse Coffee roastery in Paraparaumu and is approximately 20 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Our usual roastery hours are 7:00am–3:00pm, with some flexibility required.

Physical Requirements

This is a hands-on production role and will involve physical work throughout the day. You’ll need to be comfortable lifting and moving loads of up to 70kg with appropriate equipment or assistance, completing repetitive tasks and standing for extended periods.

As our roastery is a working industrial environment, temperatures can vary throughout the year depending on the weather and conditions within the building, so you’ll need to be comfortable working in both warmer and cooler conditions.

Why join Dark Horse Coffee?

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing New Zealand coffee company and make your mark within our roastery team.

You’ll benefit from:

• Hands-on development alongside experienced coffee professionals.
• Opportunities to grow your skills across roasting, sensory, quality and production.
• A supportive team environment where quality, learning and improvement are encouraged.
• Staff coffee discounts and plenty of opportunities to enjoy great coffee.

If you’re passionate about coffee, love learning and want to be part of a team producing bucking delicious coffee every day, we’d love to hear from you.

Please submit your CV and a cover letter telling us about your coffee journey and why you’d like to join the Dark Horse stable.