About this role
Key Responsibilities
1. Training Strategy & Leadership
- Lead and execute the overall Learning & Development strategy across all abcoffee outlets pan India.
- Establish standardised training frameworks, learning calendars and development programmes aligned with business and operational requirements.
- Identify organisational training needs and skill gaps across regions and develop targeted interventions.
- Drive consistency in service quality, product knowledge and operational excellence across all outlets.
- Partner with Operations, HR and departmental leadership to align training initiatives with business objectives.
2. Barista Onboarding & Operational Training
- Lead structured induction and onboarding programmes for all newly hired baristas.
- Design and implement comprehensive On-the-Job Training (OJT) plans for existing and newly launched outlets.
- Ensure new employees are equipped with the required coffee knowledge, product understanding, machine handling and customer service skills.
- Monitor training effectiveness and individual learning progress across locations.
- Conduct regular outlet visits and hands-on training interventions to assess operational competency.
3. Training Content & SOP Development
- Create, design and continuously update training modules, presentations, workbooks and learning materials from scratch.
- Develop and implement standardised SOPs, training manuals and operational assessment frameworks.
- Establish structured learning modules covering coffee fundamentals, brewing techniques, equipment handling, service standards and outlet operations.
- Simplify complex concepts into engaging and easy-to-understand learning formats.
- Collaborate with department heads to obtain approvals and incorporate feedback into training content.
4. Assessments & Competency Management
- Design and implement structured assessments to evaluate baristas' theoretical knowledge and practical competencies.
- Establish assessment benchmarks, ensuring a minimum passing score of 80%.
- Track individual performance through assessments, practical evaluations and feedback mechanisms.
- Identify skill gaps and implement corrective training programmes.
- Maintain comprehensive training records and competency matrices across all regions.
5. Grooming & Learning Initiatives
- Lead and standardise grooming and behavioural training programmes across all outlets.
- Plan, organise and execute regular Sunday learning and development sessions across regions.
- Introduce engaging learning initiatives, practical demonstrations and interactive training activities.
- Ensure consistent adherence to brand presentation, hygiene and customer service standards.
6. Talent Development & IDP Management
- Develop and implement structured Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for baristas.
- Identify high-potential employees and create career development pathways.
- Track employee performance, skill progression and readiness for higher responsibilities.
- Build a structured internal promotion pipeline through competency-based evaluations.
- Work closely with Operations and HR to enable internal career progression and improve employee retention.
7. Training MIS & Stakeholder Management
- Establish and maintain comprehensive training MIS, attendance records, assessment reports and IDP trackers.
- Monitor training coverage, effectiveness, participation and regional performance.
- Prepare periodic training dashboards and share progress reports with senior management.
- Collect feedback from Area Managers, Regional Managers and department heads to continuously improve training effectiveness.
- Drive accountability for training completion and implementation across all regions.
Key Result Areas (KRAs)
- Establishment and successful execution of a standardised Pan-India training framework.
- Completion of induction and onboarding programmes within defined timelines.
- Timely development and implementation of SOPs, OJT plans and training modules.
- Improvement in barista competency, operational knowledge and service standards.
- Consistent execution of grooming and Sunday learning initiatives across regions.
- Accurate maintenance of training MIS, IDPs and assessment documentation.
- Development of a sustainable internal promotion pipeline through structured learning initiatives.
- Improved employee performance, engagement and retention through effective L&D interventions.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
A. Personal Impact
- Induction Completion Rate: Ensure 100% of new hires complete induction within their first three working days.
- Assessment Success Score: Ensure at least 85% of trained baristas score 80% or above in post-training assessments.
- OJT Implementation: Ensure 100% rollout of structured OJT plans for all newly launched outlets.
- Training Effectiveness: Demonstrate measurable improvement in employee competency through pre- and post-training assessments.
B. Organisational Wins
- Training Module Completion: Ensure all SOPs, IDPs and training decks are developed or updated at least five days before scheduled sessions.
- Promotion Pipeline Enablement: Identify and enable a minimum of two baristas per month for potential promotion through IDP tracking.
- Sunday Learning Engagement: Achieve at least 90% average participation in Sunday training sessions across regions.
- Pan-India Training Coverage: Ensure training coverage across 100% of newly launched outlets within the first 15 days of opening.
C. Team Excellence
- Training Feedback Score: Maintain over 90% positive feedback from baristas and Area Managers.
- Training Documentation Accuracy: Maintain an error rate of less than 2% in training records and IDP documentation.
- Regional Training Compliance: Ensure consistent implementation of training standards and SOPs across all operational regions.
- Stakeholder Satisfaction: Maintain effective coordination and positive feedback from Operations and departmental leadership.
Skills & Competencies
- Strong leadership, communication and presentation skills.
- Excellent training facilitation and instructional design capabilities.
- Ability to develop training strategies and execute them at scale.
- Strong understanding of frontline employee training and capability development.
- Ability to simplify complex concepts and engage diverse employee populations.
- Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional coordination skills.
- Excellent analytical, organisational and documentation skills.
- Proficiency in MS Excel, Word and Canva.
- Willingness to travel extensively across India.
## Educational Qualifications & Experience
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Education, Hospitality, Training & Development or a related field.
- Prior experience in Learning & Development, Training or Operations Training within the QSR, retail, hospitality or café industry.
- Experience in independently leading training initiatives across multiple locations or regions.
- Proven experience in developing training frameworks, SOPs, assessment models, OJT programmes and IDPs.
- Certification in Training & Facilitation, Learning & Development or Instructional Design will be an added advantage.
- Experience managing multilingual and diverse frontline employee populations.
Tools & Software
- MS Excel
- MS Word
- Canva
- PowerPoint / Presentation Tools