Search conducted by Placemaking 4G at p4g.ca on behalf of Just Us!

Statement Of Intention

Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-Op is committed to building a workplace grounded in justice, dignity, and shared ownership. As a worker-owned co-operative, we believe work is not just about productivity, but about shared responsibility, meaningful participation, and creating the conditions that allow people to thrive.

We recognize that hiring processes and workplaces are shaped by systems that have not served everyone equally. We are actively working to challenge those systems by building practices that are transparent, accountable, and rooted in care, with attention to who has historically been excluded and how we create space for diverse lived experiences, skills, and pathways.

We strongly encourage applications from people who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, racialized persons, women, newcomers to Canada, and people with disabilities. If you do not meet every listed requirement but feel aligned with the values and responsibilities of this role, we still want to hear from you.

Accessibility matters to us. Accommodations are available throughout the application and interview process, and you are welcome to let us know what supports would help you participate fully.

To support a hiring process that reflects these commitments, Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-Op has partnered with Placemaking 4G (P4G). Together, we are working to ensure this search is conducted with clarity, fairness, and respect for people’s time, experiences, and humanity.

About Just Us!

In 1993, while visiting his sister in Ethiopia, Jeff Moore learned to roast coffee on a stovetop and witnessed its cultural significance to Ethiopians. He discovered how exceptionally well-appreciated fresh-roasted coffee could be. A seed was planted, and he returned to Canada focused on one life-changing question : How could he start a coffee business that would do justice to the coffee, the farmers, and the planet? The answers weren’t simple, but the vision was clear.

By 1995, Jeff and his wife, Deb, risked it all, putting their home on the line to purchase their first $70,000 shipment of fair trade organic coffee from the Union de la Selva coffee co-op in Chiapas, Mexico. Together with three partners, they launched Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-operative in their home in New Minas, Nova Scotia.

Building direct relationships with coffee co-ops has been essential from the beginning. One of our earliest and longest partnerships is with Comité Campesino del Altiplano (CCDA), a cooperative of Guatemalan farmers rebuilding their lives after years of civil war.

“For 30 years now, these deep relationships have defined who we are.”

Environmental Sustainability

Sustainability has been at the core of Just Us! since the beginning. By supporting regenerative organic agriculture and paying fair prices for ingredients , we share responsibility with small-scale farmers in the Global South, enabling them to care for their families, nurture their communities, and steward the lands that sustain them.

For over a decade, we’ve offset our electricity usage through Bullfrog Power, ensuring every kilowatt we use is replenished with renewable energy in Atlantic Canada’s power grid. As Canada’s first Fair Trade Organic coffee roaster , we continue to lead with justice, integrity, and solidarity—ensuring our work benefits both people and the planet.

Coffee the Co-op Way

Since 1995, Just Us! has proudly operated as a 100% Canadian worker-owned co-op , inspired by the producer co-ops we partner with around the world. Our democratic model means that everyone who works with us—from baristas to administrators—can become a member-owner, shaping our decisions and ensuring we remain committed to the community, the land, and our purposeful work. Together, we’ve built a platform for positive change—one that advances social and environmental justice, generates income for our workers, and stays true to our cooperative roots.

“At Just Us!, we believe equity and recognition must be backed by action. That’s why our highest-paid employee earns no more than three times our lowest-paid employee— and every team member has the opportunity for employee ownership. ”

This Moment, This Position

As Production Manager , you’ll have the opportunity to learn and help improve every step of production from coffee roasting to order fulfillment and shipping. The ideal candidate will oversee all aspects of coffee production and order fulfillment for a medium-sized organic, fair-trade coffee roasting co-operative while ensuring efficient operations, adherence to quality and sustainability standards, and alignment with company goals.

This position will also enable:

• Building smart systems
• Improving processes
• Leading a skilled team that genuinely cares about quality and impact.

The Production Manager will work hands-on in a democratic, values-driven workplace where sustainability, collaboration, and craft matter and where your expertise, judgment, and ideas aren’t just welcomed, they’re essential!

How Would You Contribute

Production and Operations

• Develop and manage daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules and work orders to meet demand and maintain quality standards
• Supervise roasting, packaging, and shipping operations to ensure efficiency and compliance with HACCP, organic and fair trade certifications
• Monitor and maintain roasting profiles and quality control protocols
• Oversee equipment use, maintenance, and coordinate repairs to minimize downtime
• Ensure compliance with HACCP, food safety, and health and safety regulations
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe production environment

Management and Team Leadership

• Active member of the management team
• Collaborate with the Director of Coffee and Core Products on green coffee, chocolate, tea, and sugar inventory management and quality evaluations
• Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) for production efficiency and quality
• Lead hiring, training, and worker relations processes of production and roastery teams
• Approve timecards and manage scheduling for production teams
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, servant leadership, and continuous improvement

Planning and Financial Oversight

• Manage production budgets and assist with annual planning for capital requirements
• Manage and plan manufacturing resources and inventory needs
• Negotiate supplier contracts for packaging materials, third-party logistics, and transportation needs

Customer Excellence

• Investigate and resolve quality issues and customer complaints related to production

What Would Help You Succeed

• Excellent communication, verbal and written
• Strong organizational and servant leadership skills
• Minimum 5 years of production/manufacturing management experience
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills
• Lean manufacturing experience
• Prior experience with production equipment and mechanical troubleshooting
• Proficiency in computer applications (MS Word, MS Teams)
• Basic to intermediate Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software skills
• Knowledge of HACCP and food safety standards
• Mechanical aptitude for equipment operation and troubleshooting
• WHMIS Certificate
• Transportation to work
• Steel-toed safety shoes

Desirable Hiring Criteria (The assets):

• Lean manufacturing green belt
• Experience in food and beverage manufacturing
• Intermediate to advanced ERP software skills
• 10 years of production management experience
• Passion for coffee

Working Conditions

• Standing for extended periods
• Exposure to heat, noise, and dust
• Ability to work early mornings and flexible hours as needed

The Package

Location: Production facility 11865 Highway 1, Hortonville, Nova Scotia

Salary: $65,000 - $75,000

Benefits:

-Health and Dental – 75% employer-paid health & dental (100% for member-owners, excluding LTD). -Employee Ownership – Become a co-op member after one year; we cover 20% of the cost of your required share purchase. -Profit Sharing – Members share in the company's success. -Retirement Support – Group RRSP with 2% employer matching. -Parental Leave Top-Up – 90% of salary or $275/week (whichever is lower).

What To Expect

Hiring processes often reflect systems that don’t work for everyone. At Placemaking 4G, we believe recruitment should be relational and affirming. We’re working with the organization to ensure candidates are respected, informed, and supported throughout.

• We closely review all applications and read each cover letter (we promise).
• If you are selected as a top candidate, expect an invitation to chat with a Lead Placemaker from P4G. This is someone who treats the recruitment process non-traditionally. We want to get to know what inspires you.
• Selected candidates will proceed to a virtual interview with the Lead P4G Placemaker and 2-3 organizational representatives.
• Finalists may participate in a second-round interview or skills activity (virtual or in-person).
• P4G will check employment references and assist in presenting an offer to the successful candidate.

Application Details

Ready to take the next step? Click "Apply" to be redirected to our website, where you’ll find the opportunity brief and application link.

Applications will be accepted until noon AST on March 16, 2026.

Please include a cover letter that speaks to your experience and offers a glimpse of your personality.

Don’t be generic. Be yourself.