Miski Brewing Company Corp. – Barrie, Ontario
Position: Full-Time, Permanent
Schedule: Approximately 40 hours per week
Reports To: Ownership / Directors
Compensation: Competitive, commensurate with qualifications and experience, to be discussed during the interview process.
About Miski Brewing
Miski Brewing Company is a dedicated gluten-free craft brewery specializing in premium, innovative beers made with carefully sourced alternative grains. We are committed to exceptional product quality, food safety, consistency, and continuous improvement.
We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Brewing Quality & Product Development Lead to help strengthen our quality systems, develop innovative products, improve production processes, and support our growing brewery operations.
Position Overview
This is a senior technical and operational position combining brewery quality assurance, product development, process improvement, and hands-on production support.
The successful candidate will work closely with ownership, the Head Brewer, and production personnel to maintain high quality standards, develop new products, troubleshoot technical challenges, and improve efficiency.
When assigned by ownership, the position will also provide temporary coordination of daily brewery operations, including during periods when the Head Brewer is unavailable.
Key Responsibilities
Quality Assurance & Food Safety
- Develop, implement, and maintain quality-control procedures for raw materials, brewing, fermentation, packaging, and finished products.
- Establish testing protocols, sampling procedures, quality specifications, and accurate production records.
- Investigate quality deviations, customer complaints, and production inconsistencies, implementing corrective and preventive actions.
- Maintain compliance with GMP, sanitation, traceability, food safety, certification, labelling, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Coordinate laboratory testing, sensory evaluation, and quality verification.
Product Development & Innovation
- Lead the development and improvement of new beer and beverage formulations, ingredients, and brewing processes.
- Plan and execute pilot trials, recipe optimization, scale-up, and commercial production validation.
- Document recipes, technical specifications, process parameters, trial results, and quality requirements.
- Evaluate alternative grains, ingredients, equipment, and brewing technologies to improve innovation, consistency, and shelf life.
- Support the successful commercialization of new products.
Brewery Operations & Production
- Support and coordinate brewing, fermentation, cellaring, filtration, carbonation, packaging, and finished-product release.
- Provide hands-on technical troubleshooting, including yeast management, transfers, CIP, sanitation, and equipment operation.
- Work with the Head Brewer and production team to optimize production scheduling, workflow, labour utilization, and equipment performance.
- Coordinate daily production activities when designated by ownership.
- Participate directly in brewery operations when required.
Safety, Equipment & Continuous Improvement
- Promote a strong workplace safety culture and compliance with applicable health and safety requirements.
- Support equipment troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, installations, and commissioning.
- Develop and improve standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality records, and production documentation.
- Identify opportunities to improve product quality, yields, production efficiency, cost control, and operational reliability.
- Apply root-cause analysis and continuous-improvement practices, including Lean/5S principles.
Team Leadership & Coordination
- Provide technical guidance, training, coaching, and support to brewing, cellar, and packaging personnel.
- Promote teamwork, accountability, and consistent operating procedures.
- Coordinate production priorities and communicate operational concerns to ownership when assigned.
- Support inventory planning and production readiness to minimize shortages and downtime.
Qualifications & Experience
Required
- Minimum 5+ years of progressively responsible, hands-on commercial brewery experience.
- Strong technical knowledge of brewing, fermentation, yeast management, cellar operations, filtration, carbonation, packaging, sanitation, and CIP.
- Formal brewing education or recognized industry training.
- Demonstrated experience in brewery quality assurance, process control, food safety, and troubleshooting.
- Experience developing, improving, or scaling beer or beverage products for commercial production.
- Ability to coordinate brewery operations, solve technical challenges, and provide leadership to production teams.
- Strong understanding of brewery equipment, preventive maintenance, production systems, and operational efficiency.
- Excellent organizational, communication, documentation, and analytical skills.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a growing brewery environment.
- Valid Smart Serve certification.
Preferred
- Advanced brewing education or training.
- Experience with HACCP-based programs, GMP, quality certifications, and regulatory compliance.
- Experience with alternative grains, gluten-free brewing, product innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Familiarity with ERP systems, production tracking, Lean/5S, and root-cause analysis.
Working Conditions
This is primarily a hands-on, production-floor position involving brewery equipment, wet environments, temperature changes, noise, chemicals, and pressurized systems.
Candidates must be able to stand for extended periods, safely lift up to approximately 25 kg (55 lb), follow safety procedures, and work flexible hours when production or operational needs require.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive compensation based on qualifications and experience.
- Group benefits after the applicable eligibility period.
- Two weeks of paid vacation annually, increasing to three weeks after two years of continuous employment, subject to applicable employment standards.
- Five paid personal days annually, in accordance with company policy.
- Employee discounts on Miski Brewing products.
- Opportunity to work remotely up to one day per week for suitable duties, subject to operational requirements.
- Eligibility for performance-based incentives related to approved product development and commercialization.
- Opportunity to play a meaningful role in the growth and innovation of a specialized Canadian craft brewery.
Applicable overtime will be handled in accordance with Ontario employment standards.
Equal Opportunity & Employment Eligibility
Miski Brewing Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and welcomes applications from qualified individuals who are legally authorized to work in Canada.
