Head Brewer

Our client, one of the UK’s leading independent craft breweries, is looking to recruit a Head Brewer to provide technical, creative and people leadership across brewing, fermentation, yeast management, processing, scheduling and continuous improvement. This senior role is accountable for beer quality, safe and efficient production, team capability, technical standards and operational performance.

Key Responsibilities will include:

Brewing Operations, Production Leadership & Technical Governance:
• Lead and be accountable for all day-to-day brewing operations, including brewhouse, fermentation, yeast management, processing and brewery scheduling.
Department Leadership, People Management & Capability Development:
• Lead, coach, mentor and performance-manage the Brewing Team, including Brewing Team Leaders, Shift Brewers and Brewing Operators, creating a capable, accountable and high-performing department.
Process Improvement & Brewery Performance:
• Lead continuous improvement across brewing operations, using data, process observation and team insight to improve quality, yield, efficiency, safety and cost control.
Quality, Compliance & Health & Safety:
• Champion Health & Safety, food safety, hygiene and quality standards across Brewing, ensuring the department operates with a strong compliance and risk-management mindset.
Beer Styles, Recipe & New Product Development:
• Act as the brewery’s creative and technical authority on beer styles, shaping core, seasonal and limited-release beers that are bold, original and distinct.
Stock Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Own raw material stock planning and control for brewing, ensuring availability, cost awareness, accurate usage and effective supplier communication for malt, hops, yeast and consumables.

Key skills and experience:

• Diploma in Brewing or equivalent advanced brewing qualification; applicants with substantial equivalent technical experience will also be considered.
• Substantial commercial brewing experience, including time in a senior, lead or shift brewer role with responsibility for a production shift, a process area or other brewers.
• Advanced skills in recipe development and New Product Development, with a track record of designing beers that have reached commercial production.
• Advanced technical knowledge of brewhouse operations, fermentation performance, yeast management, cellar operations, process control and beer quality troubleshooting.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing others, for example supervising a shift, training new starters or leading a small team of brewers, and the motivation to grow into full line management.
• Strong understanding of quality, food safety, HACCP, traceability, hygiene and regulatory requirements within a brewery or food manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of continuous improvement principles, root-cause analysis and corrective action processes.

Applications from candidates already eligible to work in the UK only please.

For more information, please contact Julie Carling at Carling Recruitment
julie.carling@carlingrecruitment.com
Tel +44 (0)1483893100.