Master Brewer

Brew Recruit is looking for a Master Brewer for our client in Upstate, NY. Our client is an awesome brewery, that has a great reputation and that is growing rapidly and gaining name recognition across the country. They currently making about over 35,000 barrels of beer a year and are looking to expand their lines of business into contract brewing and introduce new product lines over the next 12 months. As such, they need a proven leader for their Master Brewer. They want someone who can take them to the next level, who has a strong background in operations/ streamlining processes and someone who will take initiative and drive new opportunity. This is a leadership role and will report directly to the executive team and they are willing to take risks to produce award-winning beers, to not only distribute locally, but nationally. In this role, you will be tasked with managing a team of 5 , creating recipes, developing company policies and promoting safe brewing, processing, packaging and warehouse practices. You will also help develop staff, partner with the CFO to maintain fiscal discipline, contribute to our clients continued growth and expansion initiatives. If you are looking for a company that is fast paced, growing and looking to take their product to the next level, this role is for you.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all brewery operations: brewery, cellar, packaging and quality control
• Oversee recipe creations and modifications
• Can combine the science of brewing with the artistry of craft beer to create great beers and tweak current recipes
• Ability to institute world class brewing processes to ensure brew-house efficiency, quality and consistency
• Establish KPI’s around processes & setting production goals
• Handle new product development, provision of timelines, optimization of production protocols and refinement of processes
• Design reporting, tracking, bench-marking and production schedules
• Handle performance trends analyses
• Oversee production staffing, performance management, safety, hygiene and quality of the brewery operation
• Promote a safe working environment for employees by maintaining the facility
• Enforce adherence to safe work practices
• Expand the company’s quality program and practices with regards to beer production
• Ensure production goals are met while working closely with the leadership team
• Collaborate on all production activities and create schedules to meet sales forecasts and demands
• Monitor and continuously improve brewing operations with regards to safety, quality, efficiency, cost optimization and profitability
• Develop and implement long & short-term planning goals and corrective action plans
• Translate the overall business strategy into operational goals and objectives for the brewery
• Deploy staff to standardize procedures and protocols and ensure they are being met
• Oversee the operation and improvement of systems that produce the company’s products
• Assess equipment purchases and major expenditures to maximize benefit
• Work with accounting to review appropriate financial statements, sales and activity reports and other performance data to measure productivity and goal achievement
• Identify and rectify areas for cost reduction and program improvement
• Be a champion for the company in the brewing community
• Provide confidential analyses via spreadsheet when assigned
• Participate in designing competitive bids related to ongoing contracts with key brewing inputs

Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive brewery experience and minimum of 5 years in a supervisory role at a brewery
• 3 years of experience with spirits, distilling, ciders and/or seltzers
• Degree from an accredited brewing institution
• BA / BS in Chemistry &/or Biology, Business, Management, Operations Research, Engineering or Food Science is preferred
• Proven knowledge of the craft beer and brewing industry
• Successful track record of designing award winning IPAs and other craft brews
• Have a mix of mid size ( 25K> barrels) and small craft breweries (<10K barrels)
• Experience purchasing raw ingredients and evaluating the quality of those ingredients, working with suppliers
• Exceptional analytical, decision making and problem-solving skills
• Must be quality focused and detail oriented
• Excellent leadership skills with the proven ability to lead and motivate a team and maintain a positive workplace culture
• Extensive knowledge of industry compliance standards: including but not limited to OSHA and safety standards, government regulatory programs, like HACCP, GMP, and production management systems
• Thick skinned, direct, respectful, adaptable and innovative
• Ideally an award winning brewer
• Start-up experience a plus
• Experience with identifying cost cutting and time savings/creating efficiencies