THOUGHT PIECE the carling team
Types Of Jobs In The Brewing Industry
The global brewing industry is a multi million-dollar market. Although a relatively mature market, there are always opportunities for ambitious employees in this sector. With products ranging from light, premium and super premium beers to ice beers and non-alcoholic beers there are new concepts appearing on the market all the time. A highly competitive market, if you’re looking for a position in the brewing industry, the key is being in the right place at the right time as well as standing out from the crowd either through outstanding qualifications or top-notch experience.
The full list of possible jobs in the brewing industry is a mile long, so in this article we’ve decided to look at five main areas:
- Brewer
- Engineer
- Microbiologist/chemist
- Manager
- Sales and Marketing
Brewer
The significant growth in micro breweries in particular has opened up a whole host of opportunities for brewers at all levels from operator (non-qualified), to technical brewer, to 2nd brewer and finally to head brewer. Brewing qualifications are typically sought for positions any more senior than operator and shift work is part of the ‘rite of passage’ in many instances to becoming a fully competent brewer. Typical characteristics that make for a good brewer are tenacity, not being fearful of hard work, precision and passion for the product!
Engineer
Engineering roles in the brewing industry range from maintenance through to systems and building projects. The range of engineering possibilities in the brewing industry is immense. No matter whether your interest is in mechanics, processes, systems or construction, there is likely to be an opportunity for you in the beer industry if you have a good engineering qualification and a passion for brewing. Like most other jobs in this industry however, to even get your foot on the first rung of the ladder, you’re looking at a relevant qualification, ideally obtained at a high level, the right personal characteristics and if possible some related experience.
Microbiologist/Chemist
In the brewing industry, a microbiologist or chemist qualification or training will open up the opportunity of lab work, including Quality Assurance and analysis. Improving and enhancing the technical make up of the end product is high on the agenda of beer manufacturers today and to this end there is a call for microbiologists and chemists in this sector. If you have a relevant science qualification and preferably some experience, the sector can hold some interesting and challenging opportunities to develop up the career ladder.
Manager
The brewing industry has a whole range of management opportunities from Brewery Managers, Operations Managers and Production Managers through to Logistics Managers. Management skills (being a good people person) are always in demand across the board, but particularly so in the beer industry where conditions can be tough and teams need to be encouraged to have vision, to remain motivated and to stay focused on achieving objectives.
Sales and Marketing
Like all sectors, the brewing industry relies on sales and marketing professionals to get their products to market. Top quality sales and marketing professionals can make a significant contribution to end results. A market sector that’s in its mature phase, seeking new and innovative ways to gain traction calls for skill and innovative, out of the box thinking. If you’ve got a marketing qualification or you’re a top performing sales professional, the brewing industry can be an interesting and challenging place to develop.
In summary, the brewing industry has a whole host of job opportunities at all sorts of levels, both skilled and unskilled. However, securing yourself a top position in your desired area requires qualifications, experience and commitment. In the larger brewing companies, the trend right now is that they are heavily focused on sustainability. In order to achieve this they are gearing themselves up with employees who have science qualifications, knowledge of ingredients, or systems creativity, to help create innovative and sustainable solutions for the longer term.