Quality Manager

Wisconsin Brewing Company Quality Manager

Position Overview

Wisconsin Brewing Company is seeking an experienced, hands-on Quality Manager to lead our Quality program and ensure that every product manufactured in our facility meets our standards, customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and food safety expectations.

This is a highly visible, on-site leadership position in a fast-paced beverage manufacturing environment. The Quality Manager is responsible for the overall effectiveness of WBC's Quality Management System, including GMP compliance, food safety, product quality, laboratory practices, documentation, customer requirements, and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical knowledge with practical manufacturing judgment. We are looking for someone who is comfortable working across the production floor, laboratory, customer communications, documentation, and cross-functional problem-solving, with a proactive and solutions-focused approach to quality.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Leadership & Accountability

• Own and continuously improve WBC's Quality Management System and quality standards.
• Establish clear quality expectations and ensure consistent execution across brewing, blending, packaging, warehouse, and related operations.
• Lead, coach, and develop Quality team members, including the Quality Lead and Quality Technicians.
• Build a culture in which quality is owned throughout the organization—not solely by the Quality department.
• Serve as the primary internal resource and leader for product quality and food safety matters.

GMP & Food Safety

• Lead WBC's GMP program and ensure ongoing compliance with certification and customer requirements.
• Maintain audit readiness and lead preparation for customer, regulatory, GMP, and third-party audits.
• Ensure appropriate sanitation, hygiene, allergen, traceability, and food safety programs are established, documented, and followed.
• Lead corrective and preventive actions in response to audits, observations, deviations, or customer concerns.

Product & Process Quality

• Establish and maintain specifications, testing requirements, sampling plans, and quality standards for raw materials, work-in-process, and finished products.
• Ensure appropriate analytical and microbiological testing is completed accurately and on schedule.
• Monitor quality trends to proactively identify emerging risks and opportunities for improvement.
• Partner closely with Brewing/Blending, Packaging, Maintenance, Procurement, Warehouse, and Scheduling to resolve quality and process issues.
• Maintain appropriate product hold, release, and disposition processes.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action for quality deviations and recurring concerns.

Customer & Co-Manufacturing Quality

• Serve as the primary Quality contact for WBC's co-manufacturing customers.
• Understand and translate customer specifications and quality requirements into clear, effective plant processes.
• Support new-product commercialization, ensuring quality requirements are defined before production begins.
• Manage customer complaints and quality investigations in a timely and accurate manner, with professional communication throughout the process.
• Ensure Master Manufacturing Records, specifications, COAs, and other required customer documentation are accurate and maintained.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain effective document control for SOPs, specifications, quality records, training records, and related documentation.
• Ensure records are complete, accurate, traceable, and audit-ready.
• Maintain appropriate quality KPIs and routinely communicate performance, risks, and corrective actions to leadership.
• Support compliance with applicable FDA, TTB, state, and other regulatory requirements, as well as customer requirements.

Continuous Improvement

• Use quality data to identify trends, recurring defects, process variation, and improvement opportunities.
• Lead structured root-cause analysis using tools such as 5 Why, fishbone analysis, CAPA, and related problem-solving methodologies.
• Work cross-functionally to improve quality performance and reduce defects, rework, holds, customer complaints, and quality-related production downtime.
• Lead corrective actions through completion and verify that solutions are effective and sustainable.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, Brewing Science, or a related technical discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of progressive Quality experience in beverage, food, brewing, pharmaceutical, or other regulated manufacturing.
• Previous experience leading employees or a Quality function.
• Strong working knowledge of GMPs, food safety, sanitation, documentation, CAPA, and root-cause analysis.
• Experience supporting internal, customer, regulatory, or third-party audits.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across departments and influence others without relying solely on authority.
• Strong bias toward action, accountability, and problem solving.
• 3+ years of hands-on ERP experience (SAP preferred).

Preferred

• Beverage, brewing, ready-to-drink, or co-manufacturing experience.
• Experience with multiple beverage categories and production processes.
• HACCP, PCQI, SQF, BRCGS, or similar food safety training/certification.
• Experience with microbiological and analytical laboratory programs.
• Experience with customer specifications, COAs, product releases, and quality investigations.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Quality Manager will:

• Maintain a culture of continuous audit readiness and strong day-to-day quality practices.
• Build strong Quality systems that are understood and consistently followed across Operations.
• Identify and resolve quality risks before they reach customers.
• Promote clear ownership and follow-through for deviations and corrective actions.
• Provide customers with confidence in WBC's Quality systems and manufacturing capabilities.
• Develop and empower a strong, capable Quality team with the knowledge and confidence to operate effectively and independently.
• Use data and disciplined problem solving to reduce recurring quality issues, waste, and production disruption.
• Be a visible and respected presence on the production floor.

Leadership Expectations

At Wisconsin Brewing Company, managers are expected to lead with accountability, collaboration, and a focus on results.

The Quality Manager will be empowered to raise concerns, make informed decisions when product quality or food safety is at risk, and work collaboratively with Operations to develop effective solutions. The ideal candidate will be technically credible, responsive, practical, and committed to building strong quality systems and a culture of continuous improvement.

This is an on-site role based in Verona, Wisconsin, with regular engagement across the manufacturing operation.

Compensation & Benefits

·       Compensation: Commensurate with experience and accomplishments. We are open to considering compensation based on the experience, capabilities, and value the successful candidate brings to the role.

·       Benefits: The company offers a premium benefits package, including fully paid employee premiums for health, dental, and vision insurance.