Cellar Operator - 1st Shift

Founders Brewing Co.; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 21,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance benefits

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Volunteer time off

Floating holidays

Competitive wages

Job summary

Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, MI is seeking a hands-on brewery production assistant to support beer making, sanitation, and daily fermentation processes. You will help maintain equipment, monitor temperatures, and follow SOPs to ensure quality beer across shifts.

The role requires physical endurance, the ability to lift up to 100 pounds, and flexibility to work days, nights, and weekends in a fast-paced environment. Competitive hourly wages and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• HS Diploma or equivalency required.
• Ability to lift up to 100 pounds and stand for long periods.
• Experience in sanitary food or beverage processing.
• Must be able to work days, nights, and weekends.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a safe, clean fermentation cellar.
• Follow SOPs from wort receipt to finished beer.
• Clean and maintain all brewing equipment.
• Support sanitation and safety across the brewery.
• Monitor fermentation temperatures and glycol systems.
• Assist in inventory and production planning using systems.

Skills

Communication

Mechanical aptitude

Safety awareness

Physical stamina

Sanitation experience

Shift flexibility

Education

HS Diploma or equivalency

Job description

At Founders Brewing Co., we continually challenge ourselves into places that most won’t go. We strive to be unique, to break barriers and challenge what is commonly accepted as the “norm.” It’s this mindset that has created our culture here at Founders and led us all to a lifestyle of no regrets. Why can’t we become who we choose to become?

Our collective goal is to be one of the most highly recognized and successful breweries in the United States.

An important part of reaching this goal is by recruiting, hiring and retaining unique individuals from a variety of backgrounds possessing broad and diverse skill sets. Quite simply, we believe that these people make the world a better place – and Founders a better company.

Our work community is made up of dedicated employees that bring their best to work every day to make the most delicious beer on the planet. To continually strive for greatness, it is essential for us to have a team that reflects the diverse communities we love, serve and to whom we raise our glasses.

We believe in fostering an atmosphere of empowerment and where every Founders team member can belong…bringing their full, authentic selves to work each and every day. It’s the Founders way. Sound interesting? If so, take the next step in becoming a member of the Founders team by checking out our open positions below.

Employee Benefits

Physical / Mental Wellness

• Health insurance benefits are offered to all employees including a no cost plan. Our cafeteria style benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, short/long term disability, identify theft protection, critical illness/accident/hospital and pet insurance.
• Employer Health Savings account contributions for eligible employees
• We are partnered with an Employee Assistance Program and offer up to 7 free counseling sessions per issue per year for all employees and anyone living in the same household
• Discounts on gyms and opportunities for monthly reimbursement

Paid Time Away

• Taking time away from work is important and sometimes necessary to support personal well-being and lite responsibilities:
  • Personal
  • Observed Holidays
  • Floating Holidays
  • Volunteer Time Off
  • Paternity Leave
• For significant work anniversary milestones, we offer sabbaticals – paid time away from your job

Beer, Food and Fun

• We employe happy hours throughout the year
• Internal Recognition including Employee of the Month & Employee of the Year rewards
• Giveaways throughout the year
• We offer a 401k plan with a Company Match
• Competitive wages
• Shift premiums for off-shift hours

Beer and Apparel Discounts

• Enjoy a discount to use in our Taprooms, and our Company Store
  • 50% off draft & packaged beer
  • 33% off everything else (food, apparel, etc.)
  • Free keg for your wedding or renewing vows
• $75/annually safety work boot reimbursement for Production & Retail employees
• $100/biennial for RX safety work glasses reimbursement for Production employees
• Production & Retail employee receive 5 work shirts annually

Give Back

• We provide paid time away from work to volunteer in the community (Volunteer PTO)
• We match employee donations through our Bigger Pitcher Giving Committee
• On-site blood drives

Founders Brewing co. values

Our values reflect the ethos and culture of Founders Brewing Co. They are guidelines for decision-making, problem solving and other actions. We are all ambassadors of our company — and we know that a value-based organization can stand the test of time. Every single employee is responsible for making sure these values are part of our character.

Inclusion

Come as you are. Diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives inspire us. Each person’s values, interests and palate are all part of who they are. We respect individuality. Founders Brewing Co. is strengthened when we attract, develop and retain a group of people that reflects the diversity of our communities and our customers.

Be honest and genuine. We don’t hide things in our products, and we don’t hide who we are or what we do. We want transparency and open communication. We look each other in the eye and tell each other the truth. Our collaboration and shared commitment with each other make us stronger and allows us to win together.

Committed to Quality

Quality stands as the cornerstone of the beverages we craft — a testament to our dedication to excellence. Quality is a guiding principle that shapes everything we do — ensuring that every product, service, or interaction reflects the highest standards. We want everyone at Founders Brewing Co. to have pride that they have a hand in creating the best possible beverage for our consumers.

Community-Oriented

We’re thankful for the environmental and social communities that allow us to make and serve great products. We respect and are cognizant of the impact of our work in our hometowns, and across the country. It’s all of our jobs to promote a responsible brewery culture. We’re committed to sustainable practices for future generations. And we’ll do everything we can to give back and support the communities where we live and work.

Brave & Inventive

While we stay true to our roots, we’re dedicated to evolving, improving, and building upon our craft — every day. We never stop working to better ourselves. Innovation propels us forward, driving us to explore new frontiers and challenge the status quo. It’s not just about embracing change, but positively and actively shaping it. By fostering a culture of innovation, we empower ourselves to adapt to evolving landscapes, anticipate needs and pioneer groundbreaking beverages our consumers love.

Open Positions

Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Job Id:1164

# of Openings:1

SUMMARY

Assists in beer making process by performing the following duties.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Includes the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Perform duties necessary to maintain a safe, clean and sanitary fermentation cellar.
• Follow established SOP’s towards accomplishing all needs associated in processing from receipt of wort from brewhouse through fermentation process to finished and ready to package beer.
• Clean and maintain all cold side brewing equipment through packaging tank.
• Maintain and improve overall sanitation and safety levels of brewery.
• Monitor fermentation profiles, progress, and temperatures of vessels and glycol system.
• Contribute to brewing process as directed in adding of various ingredients to beer.
• Participate in all factors of wooden barrel brewing procedures.
• Assist other departments when time allows.
• Assist in managing inventory and process scheduling through use of Orchestrated Beer and Warehouse Management Systems on a daily basis.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Good candidates must fit in with our enthusiastic and hardworking team environment.
• Must be a great communicator.
• Possess a mechanical aptitude.
• Candidates should be serious about safety, quality and cleanliness.
• Candidates need to be able to lift up to 100 pounds, be able to twist and turn, be able to reach over your shoulders, and work in standing/walking/ crouching position at a steady pace and love to clean.
• Experience in sanitary food or beverage processing.
• Constant cleaning and frequent maintenance is required.
• Availability to work days, nights, and weekends is necessary.
• HS Diploma or equivalency required.
• Competitive Hourly Range
• Health, dental, vision, and other coverage for all employees starts date of hire.
• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off, volunteer time, and floating holidays

Founders Brewing Co. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship status, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, training, termination, promotions, or any other condition of employment or career development.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, please reach out to [e-mail]