Director of Brewing Operations

About Fifty West Brewing Co.

Fifty West Brewing Co. is an award-winning craft brewery based in Cincinnati with distribution across Ohio. We operate three taprooms in the state where hospitality, food, and beer come together in environments intentionally built to bring people together. While the broader beer market continues to face headwinds, our taprooms remain strong and healthy by focusing on experience, accessibility, and community engagement.

Each location is designed to be family-friendly and features expansive beer gardens with sand volleyball courts, pickleball, and outdoor gathering areas that create energy well beyond the bar.

In addition to our GABF and World Beer Cup award-winning beers, we currently produce the top-selling THC beverage in the state, demonstrating our ability to innovate and lead as consumer preferences evolve. Named one of the 50 fastest-growing breweries in the country in 2018 and recognized by Brewbound as a Rising Star in 2019, our growth has been driven by disciplined operations, quality execution, and forward-thinking brand development.

At our core, our mission is simple:
Bring Joy to the Communities We Serve. That standard guides how we brew, how we lead, and how we continue to scale.

The Director of Brewing Operations serves as the senior production leader overseeing all brewing, packaging, and quality functions across the organization. This individual is accountable for team leadership, safety compliance, process integrity, quality execution, and production efficiency at distribution scale.

This is an active, on-the-floor leadership role requiring practical experience managing production teams, enforcing standards, and operating within a disciplined manufacturing environment.

Reports To:

Vice President of Strategy & Operations / Ownership

• Direct all brewery production activities including brewing, cellaring, packaging, and laboratory quality control.
• Develop, implement, and maintain robust QC/QA programs appropriate for regional distribution.
• Oversee brewery safety initiatives and ensure full compliance with OSHA, TTB, FDA, and state/local regulations.
• Drive a culture of safe operations through training, documentation, and consistent accountability.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage brewing and production personnel.
• Establish and maintain clear SOPs and operational workflows.
• Ensure production plans align with sales forecasts, budgets, and inventory requirements.
• Monitor yields, loss points, labor efficiency, and cost controls.
• Help to oversee raw material procurement, inventory accuracy, and vendor management.
• Utilize Ekos (ERP system) for planning, costing, and reporting.
• Track operational KPIs and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead long-term capacity planning and infrastructure development.

• 10+ years experience in a production-scale brewery environment (brewing, cellar, packaging).
• Experience in breweries producing 10,000+ barrels annually preferred.
• Minimum 5 years leading production teams in a management capacity.
• Demonstrated experience managing quality systems and manufacturing safety programs.
• Hands-on knowledge of canning and kegging operations.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to hold teams accountable while developing talent.
• Experience in inventory management, forecasting, and cost containment.
• Proficiency with Ekos or similar brewery ERP software.
• Working knowledge of federal and state brewery compliance requirements.
• Bachelor’s degree in Brewing Science, Food Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field preferred (equivalent experience considered).

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• PTO and flexible paid holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Employee meals and product discounts
• Leadership position with meaningful operational influence

Every beer is a journey. Join us for the Ride.

Pay: $65,000.00 – $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person