Quality Manager - Beer & Beverage
Since 2011, Market Garden Brewery has brought bold, award-winning beers to the beautiful Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Our Brewpub & Restaurant features a creative, chef-driven food menu that changes with the seasonality of organic and local ingredients. In 2016, we expanded into a 35,000 square-foot production brewery which houses our 35-barrel brewhouse. The facility is equipped with 2,200 barrels of fermentation capacity, analytical, microbiological, and sensory laboratories, a temperature-controlled barrel aging cellar, and state-of-the-art canning and kegging lines. Located behind the West Side Market, under the giant BEER! sign, here we brew our beer & cider, and offer fun beer-fueled Brewery Tours.
Summary: Market Garden Brewery is seeking a Talented & Qualified individual who is passionate about the beverage industry to lead our Quality Management Program. This position will be “hands on” in all areas of brewing, cellaring, packaging, and the overall operations of the brewery. This individual will also be a part of the “executive team” helping to make weekly decisions on innovation, process, and overall direction of the company. This role increasingly extends beyond beer and cider into our growing lineup of food and beverage products — cocktail mixers and other food-adjacent offerings — bringing a food-science lens to formulation, quality, and shelf-stability work across the campus.
Reports To: Andy Tveekrem – Owner Operator & Brewmaster
Duties & Responsibilities Include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
The Quality Manager is responsible for defining, organizing, and refining the following:
1. Microbiological, Analytical, and Sensory evaluation of all beverages.
2. Shelf-life studies.
3. Beer library management.
4. Sensory panel programs.
5. Consumer QA inquiries.
6. Additional executive team responsibilities include regular operations and leadership meetings (including periodic brew/cellar “tile” check-ins, if reinstated), continuous improvement initiatives and ideas, utility and wastewater monitoring, and collaboration with all innovation and R&D initiatives.
7. Food science and formulation support for our growing lineup of cocktail mixers and other food-adjacent offerings — including recipe stability, shelf-life, and quality testing — plus product testing on request across departments, not limited to the brewery.
8. SOP creation, implementation, and follow-through across quality, cellar, and packaging processes.
9. Requesting and documenting Certificates of Analysis (COAs) for raw materials as part of our Food Safety plan.
- This position works at the guidance and under the direction of Ownership and Brewmaster.
- The QA Manager works closely with the Operations Manager, brewers, cellarmen, and the packaging team to collaborate and create close working relations with all team members involved in the making and selling of many different beers, ciders, and beverages within the Market Garden Brewery portfolio.
- This individual will also collaborate across our hospitality campus — including Bright Side, Bird of Paradise, Nano Brew, Clandestina, Smoke & Mirrors, and our Production Brewery & Taproom — from time-to-time through education and quality-related initiatives.
Requirements
1. BS in Microbiology (preferred), or related scientific field of study.
2. 3 years laboratory experience in brewing or closely related industry.
3. Knowledge of and deep interest in beer/beverages and their essential biology and chemistry.
4. Hands-on proficiency in biological plating and PCR analysis — this is baseline, everyday work in this seat.
5. Food science, food chemistry, or related background a plus, particularly for formulation and quality work on cocktail mixers and other food-adjacent items.
6. Food Safety certification (e.g., PCQI, HACCP) a plus, given this role's growing Certificate-of-Analysis and Food Safety plan documentation responsibilities.
Additional Qualifications:
- Passion to learn, mentor, teach, and succeed with desire for growth.
- Must have a strong attention to detail and be highly organized to succeed in a fast-paced environment that demands quick problem-solving skills.
- Must be able to work independently with the ability to follow up on tasks without prompting.
- Work efficiently under pressure and maintain a positive attitude.
- Capable of multi-tasking, prioritizing, and managing time and fellow team members.
- Need to exercise good judgment, while developing and leading staff.
- Strong analytical mindset that extends beyond microbiology/QC into raw-material evaluation and cost-reduction analysis — but expeditious as well as methodical: thorough and data-driven without getting stuck in extended analysis when a timely call is needed.
- Strong interpersonal fit with production and floor teams, and good judgment about discretion — findings and corrective actions are communicated through the proper channel (Brewmaster/Ops leadership), not broadcast informally across the team.
- Proficient with computers, math, problem solving skills, software systems, Microsoft and Excel.
- Additional: The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, or crawl.
Maintain personal appearance, as brewery is highly visible to public and daily tours.
Maintain a positive attitude and sense of humor!
Please send a cover letter along with a resume via email to [email protected] for immediate consideration.
* All resumes will be strictly confidentially reviewed *
* Please email resume in PDF format directly *
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $50,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Experience:
- QA/QC: 1 year (Required)
- Microbiology: 1 year (Preferred)
- Brewery & Food Science: 1 year (Preferred)
- Quality management: 3 years (Preferred)
Ability to Relocate:
- Cleveland, OH 44113: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
