Brewery Operations Manager

Position Summary:  The Brewery Operations Manager (BOM) is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of all operations of the brewery, including but not limited to production, fermentation, cellaring, packaging, supply chain purchasing & inventorying, finished goods inventories, brewery maintenance & capital improvements, and people management. The position requires significant experience and training in many facets of personnel supervision and professional brewery, cellar & packaging operations. In this job, you will be responsible for supervising, leading, mentoring, and coaching the brewery team members in interpersonal and technical growth, as well as guiding and optimizing the operational performance of DESTIHL Brewery.

Job Tasks, Responsibilities & Duties

• General Operational Duties
  • Prioritize, schedule, organize, manage, and assist in the execution of daily activities of the brewery and brew crew to meet daily, monthly, and annual goals in terms of overall quality assurance & control and quantity of beer production.
  • Train, schedule, assign, supervise, manage, and lead production staff in the safe, accurate, and efficient execution of tasks, SOPs, and policies to ensure consistency, integrity, and quality in all of our products.
  • Assign, oversee, and evaluate the work of all subordinates. Recommend promotion, raises, transfer, or termination of employees based on performance evaluation or reporting to the Brewery Administrator in the ordinary course of business.
  • Identify problems throughout the brewery and take steps to address them.
  • Ensure complete and accurate documentation of all processes throughout the brewery as required by law and/or internal policies.
  • Work with the Brewery Administrator, Brewmaster/Production Manager, Corporate Team, and other managers in identifying existing or potential issues, opportunities, efficiencies, improvements, equipment additions, upgrades or changes, brewery team organization & staffing, cost-saving measures & revenue-generating ideas or other changes which may be needed or beneficial to the company’s operating systems, policies and procedures or overall performance, and then manage the implementation of such operational changes accordingly
  • Supervise & ensure the clean, safe, and sanitary condition of all brewery equipment and facilities to maintain a safe workplace, consistent beer quality, and an attractive, clean, and tour-ready condition of the entire brewery at all times.
  • Help supervise and ensure recipe replication, quality & consistency, and assist the Brewmaster/Production Manager with recipe input, issues, and QC matters.
  • Provide support and leadership in partnership with Quality Assurance staff concerning QA/QC initiatives or issues.
  • Display a practical understanding and execution of finished product distribution, orders, and product rotation/handling/storage.

• Logistical Operational Duties
  • In general, forecast, plan, and manage what, when & how to receive inbound products or to ship outbound equipment and then manage the best, fastest, and most efficient & economical way to inventory and transport those goods.
  • Coordinate, monitor, streamline, and manage supply and distribution chain operations and oversee warehousing operations.
  • Ensure final sales orders meet their planned delivery date
  • Coordinate with the Brewmaster/Production Manager to determine respective responsibilities and needs for purchase orders; arrange delivery & stocking of packaging, raw materials & supplies to ensure we meet sales & production goals.
  • Manage & train warehouse employees with proper procedures set forth herein.
  • Coordinate with sales, packaging, and production managers on daily operations and monitor, manage, and coordinate package plans to fulfill sales orders.
  • Monitor, document, manage, and prepare inventories of all products and materials for the end of the month and/or end of the period and update/maintain in Ekos.
  • Receive materials by inspecting and checking all products accurately and posting all purchase orders and inventory receipts in Ekos.
  • Ensure the heavy machinery operation follows safety guidelines and ensure subordinates are trained and following the same.

Additional General Required Skills & Abilities

• Customer Service: Serve as a role model and set the standard for all employees to maintain high-quality & consistent service. 
• Communication: Must show a commitment to details, both verbally and non-verbally; encourage professional, courteous, respectful, cooperative and consistent levels of communication with the brewery and restaurant staff and management; read and understand instructions, SOP’s, policies, company memorandums and handbooks; and communicate with little or no additional direction; ability to work and communicate well with all staff and with an even temperament, even when under stress.
• Interpersonal Relationships: Must respect and adapt to different personalities of customers, distributors, retailers, vendors, freight companies, lenders, investors, sales staff, production staff and other coworkers with a positive, cooperative attitude and without losing focus, and must possess the highest professional ethics and avoid extreme familiarity, patronage or conflicts with others.
• Leadership and Management: Must be a true and effective leader and a self-starter; understand and actively practice motivational leadership techniques and use these skills in developing and training staff and in wisely placing and recommending qualified individuals into key positions.
• Delegation: Effectively delegate appropriate tasks and manage subordinate staff workloads while maintaining oversight and control of the same.
• Time Devotion, Efficiency, Management & Flexibility: Must be a self-starter and willing to work long, irregular hours as needed, usually 50-55 hours/week; have good time management & organizational skills, detail oriented and be effective in multitasking; and must be able to effectively prioritize work, increase efficiency and minimize or eliminate mistakes or oversights.
• Training and Development: Provide ample instruction, training, testing, and development of staff members pursuant to and consistent with DESTIHL’s methods and policies and coach employees accordingly.  
• Problem-Solving, Quality Control, and Priority Assessment: Evaluate current practices, policies, and processes; immediately recognize and report to key management and subordinates as appropriate any potential problems and areas of conflict or potential improvement; and suggest ways to improve current business methods quality of products and services provided to customers.
• Conflict management: Must anticipate and recognize problems when they arise and resolve them appropriately by using good judgment, tact and initiative according to company policies and procedures.  Major problems must be reported to upper management, as applicable.
• Information Gathering: Must identify and utilize internal and external sources to satisfy, maintain, exceed and improve the company’s objectives.
• Sales & Logistics Techniques and Influence: Must understand products and services, freight and other logistics, supply chain details and issues, and understand company, customer and distributor needs clearly.  Must also possess substantial experience and remain current in effective logistics, purchasing, inventory, sales and distribution methods. 
• Physical Activities: Must frequently perform difficult physical activities in a variety of harsh environmental conditions that require moderate to maximum strength and endurance including sitting, kneeling, crawling, climbing, working in tight or confined spaces, heavy lifting of 161 lb. kegs, 55 lb. bags of grain, etc., balancing, walking and safe handling of hazardous materials.
• Analytical Skills: Must use logic and reason to identify problems, solutions and alternatives for a successful outcome, including cost/benefit analysis; service and product quality; and conflict resolution.
• Technical Skills: Must have significant brewery, cellar & packaging experience, passion and knowledge of beer styles, brewing fundamentals and processes; Must be mechanically inclined; Computer skills (Excel and Word) required; Completion of a formally recognized Brewing Program strongly preferred; Degree in associated field preferred; Knowledge, experience or training with beer recipe formulation and brewery management software preferred; Practical knowledge of SOP development and maintenance, safe operating practices and industry accepted quality standards; Forklift experience required.  Must have experience and knowledge of budget analysis methods, general accounting skills and the ability to work in all areas of logistics, sales, purchasing, production and management.
• Flexibility: Must be willing and able to travel and be flexible with hours, work overtime or long hours when needed, work regularly at peak times and assist the workload of others.