BAR MANAGER JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS HOTEL
We’re looking for a bar manager who is physically in the mix—someone who leads from behind the bar, shoulder-to-shoulder with the team, setting the pace, the standard, and the vibe through action before anything else.
This role isn’t for someone who prefers to sit back and strategize from afar. We need a bar manager who thrives in the heat of service, who loves the rush, and who understands that the heart of a great program begins with being boots-on-the-ground, building trust, and shaping a culture by example.
Your leadership will help shape a program that reflects our ethos—welcoming, inclusive, and deeply rooted in place—but your first mission is to show up as a working leader, mentoring in real time and elevating service through your presence.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Lead From Behind the Bar
· Be the most active bartender on the team—driving standards through energy, speed, care, and consistency. Demonstrate what great service looks like every shift while coaching and uplifting those around you.
Build, Train, and Mentor a Strong Team
· Recruit, train, and develop bartenders who can deliver exceptional hospitality while feeling supported and inspired by your leadership.
Execute Day-to-Day Operations
· From floor management to guest experience, from ordering to inventory audits, ensure the bar runs smoothly and profitably each day.
· Execute day-to-day bar operations, including floor management, guest experience, ordering, inventory audits, and labor-efficient staff scheduling to ensure smooth and profitable service.
· Support operations across the property, including occasions when multiple bar outlets operate simultaneously, ensuring consistency, readiness, and high-quality execution.
· Lead or assist in the build-out, setup, and curation of bar spaces—both main and satellite—to support events, pop-ups, and other specialty service needs.
Develop and Maintain the Beverage Program
· Prioritize fundamentals first. Before introducing new ideas or expanding offerings, focus on establishing strong systems, consistent service standards, and thorough training so the bar team operates confidently and efficiently.
· Strengthen and evolve existing programs over time. We already have cocktail and NA programs in place. Once the foundation is solid and the team is aligned, gradually develop and elevate the beverage program to reflect the We Are Human Kind aesthetic—experimental, rooted in place, and deeply hospitable.
· Grow an impressive NA program. Continue to build out a thoughtful zero-proof offering, incorporating fresh-pressed juices, house-made components, and well-crafted alcohol-free cocktails that carry the same level of intention as the full bar menu.
· Create curated packages for private cabanas and pools. Design unique beverage experiences for guests enjoying our hot spring cabanas and poolside spaces, ensuring offerings are both functional and memorable.
· Develop beverage programming for events. Build tailored menus for concerts, Chef’s Table tastings, weddings, private events, and other special occasions throughout the property.
· Bring a wide-ranging and informed spirits perspective to the bar, with particular value placed on deep knowledge of agave-based spirits—such as sotol, bacanora, mezcal, and other regional expressions. A broad curiosity for both classic and emerging spirit categories is essential. Additionally, hands-on experience in wine service is strongly preferred, with the ability to translate that knowledge into training and curriculum development for bar and front-of-house teams.
WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Someone who:
• Thrives in fast, dynamic environments.
• Naturally assumes responsibility and sets the tone for hospitality.
• Leads through presence—not just planning—fueling the vibe of the bar from open to close.
• Balances high personal standards with compassion, mentorship, and clear communication.
• Understands costing, ordering, budgeting, and the systems needed to keep a bar profitable.
• Loves food, beverage, music, people, and creating memorable experiences.
• Wants a meaningful place to bring their talent to life.
This is a role for a high performer with stamina, grit, and passion.
QUALIFICATIONS
• 3+ years bartending experience behind a full bar
• 1–2 years bar management
• Experience opening a bar is a plus
• Strong knowledge of spirits, cocktails, wine, beer, and N/A options
• Experience with Toast Web and POS system is a plus, and base experience of inventory and auditing
• Commitment to developing a high-quality NA program with fresh juices and scratch-made components
• Ability to work varied shifts including weekends & holidays
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and stay active on your feet for long periods
• Strong interpersonal and guest-service skills
• Knowledge of health & safety regulations
• Commitment to hospitality, consistency, and teamwork
• Experience with Toast POS
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
• $70,000–$80,000 per year
• Cal Savers
• Health Insurance
• PTO
• Staff Living Options
• Employee Discounts
We Are Human Kind is an equal opportunity employer. At We Are Human Kind, we are committed to treating all Applicants and Associates fairly based on their abilities, achievements, and experience without regard to race, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by law.
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ADDITIONAL
We are hospitality driven, we welcome all demographics and strive for every guest to feel warmly welcomed and appreciated.
Our bar’s atmosphere straddles everything from a punk dive to a desert island resort.
Our outdoor Ritual Pool Bar is lively with guests in vacation mode who are looking for friendly and fast service.
We love our locals, we have live music, DJs and host several special events.
What Makes Us Special – Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel
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WE ARE HUMAN KIND
Intentional Hospitality
This is not a regular job, and we are not a regular company.
We Are Human Kind is our name.
We are a new hospitality group, forming around the restoration and rejuvenation of a small, magical, high desert community nestled in the bouldery mountains of San Diego’s Sonoran Desert along Old Highway 80. Live music, art, hospitality, and community are our heartbeat.
We are dreamers and we are doers.
We are looking for others who feel the same calling for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build something meaningful, something real, and something that reverberates through the generations.
OUR CULTURE
Our culture encourages the strange and unusual.
We see beauty in imperfection.
We like dust, we like patina, we like age and we like rust.
Our culture is high fidelity – we celebrate humanity in all of its forms – all of the highs and lows of our natural human rhythms, backgrounds, experiences, and times together.
We accept that life is ups, downs, easy days and hard days – and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
We are not easily offended and we laugh a lot.
We put everything we have into everything we do.
We do not go halfway.
As the owners and designers, there is no detail we do not care about.
We care about the way our spaces make others feel and the way our food and our drinks convey our intentions.
We are relentless, we are problem solvers, the show must go on.
We approach all aspects of this endeavor from a place of aspiration.
We focus on the human experience and our goal is to overwhelm our fellow humans with spaces and experiences that feel effortless and natural.
VALUES
Impressively independent and reliable
Excitement about what you do
Passion for the smallest details
Grace and compassion for others
Upholding honesty over comfort
Resilient
Conscientious
Self-aware
ABOUT US
We Are Human Kind is a hospitality group rooted in intentionality, community, art, music, and the beauty of imperfection. We value independence, resilience, excitement, and passion for the smallest details. We laugh a lot. We don’t go halfway. We care deeply about how our spaces—our food, our drinks, and our people—make others feel.
ABOUT JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS HOTEL
A newly renovated, one-of-a-kind desert hideaway with hot spring pools, live music, eclectic design, and a bar that balances dive-bar charm with desert magic.