Starbucks to Add Coffeehouse Coaches at Every U.S. Store by 2026

Starbucks concluded a pilot of assistant store manager roles and will scale the position nationwide under the new title coffeehouse coach, the company announced. The move will put at least one coach in every U.S. location by the end of 2026 and aims to add dedicated, people-focused leadership at the store level.

Starbucks defined the coffeehouse coach as a leader focused on supporting partners across dayparts, helping with hiring, onboarding and training, covering shifts and providing on-the-floor coaching. The job is being positioned less as traditional store management and more as a mentorship and operational support role intended to keep stores staffed and partners engaged.

The expansion is part of Starbucks’ broader Back to Starbucks program, which targets store-level staffing, operations and partner career pathways. The company said the new role grew out of a pilot of assistant store managers that tested whether adding a dedicated leader would improve training and everyday operations. The decision to scale follows that pilot phase and a companywide rollout timeline through 2026.

For partners, the change has several practical implications. Stores will see an expansion of full-time leadership headcount, which could reduce reliance on ad hoc shift coverage and lighten the load on store managers during peak hours. The stated emphasis on hiring, onboarding and on-the-floor coaching is intended to improve training quality and retention and to create a clearer internal promotion pipeline for partners seeking leadership positions.

Operationally, adding a coach to every store could shift how shifts are scheduled and how responsibilities are divided among managers, shift supervisors and baristas. Stores may use the coach to cover daypart gaps, mentor new hires and focus on customer experience while senior managers concentrate on store performance and metrics. For partners eyeing advancement, the coffeehouse coach role offers a defined leadership track that sits between shift-level roles and store management.

The rollout will be watched closely by unionized and nonunionized partners alike as it changes staffing patterns and career options at the store level. For workers, the most immediate outcomes to monitor are how many roles are created at each location, how hiring and promotion criteria are set, and whether the coach model measurably improves retention and training outcomes.

As Starbucks implements the plan through 2026, partners and managers should expect a gradual reshaping of store teams and responsibilities, with more on-the-floor leadership intended to make shifts run smoother and careers at the company more navigable.