Distillery Manager – Jersey

£40,000–£48,000 depending on experience | Tuesday–Saturday | Full-time

A hands-on role with real responsibility

We are looking for a hard-working, self-motivated and practical person to take responsibility for the day-to-day operation of our Jersey distillery.

Established in Jersey in 2019, we have grown to become the largest spirits producer in the Channel Islands. We are an established and growing independent drinks business, and this is an opportunity to play an important role in our continued development.

The majority of your time will be spent hands-on in production, including distilling, blending, bottling, stock management and maintaining our production standards. You will also oversee our retail shop, tastings, visitors and a small team.

We are particularly looking for someone who is comfortable working independently. You will have considerable responsibility for organising your own workload and running the day-to-day operation when senior management is not on site. We need someone who sees what needs doing and gets on with it.

The role

Production

Production is at the heart of the job.

You will:

• Take day-to-day responsibility for production at the Jersey distillery.
• Plan and organise production to ensure products are made when required.
• Carry out distillation, blending, bottling and other production activities.
• Prepare botanicals and ingredients and operate distillery equipment.
• Maintain consistent product quality and high standards throughout production.
• Manage production materials, botanicals, bottles, packaging and finished stock.
• Keep the distillery clean, organised and operating safely.
• Maintain accurate production and stock records.
• Identify and resolve day-to-day production issues.
• Liaise with suppliers and arrange deliveries where required.
• Ensure production areas, equipment and processes are maintained to a high standard.

Running the Jersey operation

You will take responsibility for the smooth day-to-day running of the Jersey site, including:

• Organising your own workload and prioritising what needs to be done.
• Managing and supporting the small team, currently including a part-time member of staff.
• Allocating work and ensuring agreed standards and deadlines are met.
• Managing stock levels and carrying out regular stocktakes.
• Ensuring the distillery and retail areas are clean, organised and professionally presented.
• Keeping management informed of important issues, production requirements and opportunities.
• Taking responsibility for the distillery when senior management is not on site.
• Identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, quality and the customer experience.

Retail, customers and tastings

Alongside production, you will be an important part of the customer-facing side of the business.

You will:

• Run the distillery retail shop.
• Welcome customers and provide knowledgeable and friendly service.
• Organise and deliver tastings and distillery experiences.
• Host corporate groups, private groups and individual visitors.
• Manage bookings through Eventbrite.
• Carry out regular stocktakes and keep POS stock information up to date.
• Keep the shop and visitor areas clean, well stocked and professionally presented.
• Support occasional events, promotions and other customer activities.

Your experience

Distilling experience is desirable, but not essential

We are much more interested in the right person than simply finding someone who already has the job title "Distillery Manager".

You could be an experienced distiller, brewer or drinks producer. Equally, you might come from hospitality, restaurant management, hotel management, food production or another practical environment where you have demonstrated that you can take responsibility and work independently.

Hospitality experience could be particularly valuable. You will already understand the importance of standards, cleanliness, organisation, customer service and getting things done when things are busy.

Most importantly, you will be:

• Hard-working and reliable.
• Highly self-motivated and comfortable working independently.
• Practical and happy working hands-on.
• Organised and able to manage your own time effectively.
• Comfortable taking responsibility and making decisions.
• Good at solving problems rather than waiting for someone else to do so.
• Confident managing a small team.
• Comfortable dealing with customers and the public.
• Interested in spirits, drinks and production.
• Willing to learn and develop new skills.

Previous distilling experience would be an advantage, but is not essential. Training will be provided to the right candidate.

A different opportunity for someone from hospitality

If you're currently working in hospitality and looking for a change, this could be an opportunity to use the skills you've developed while enjoying a more predictable working week.

The role is Tuesday to Saturday, with regular daytime working hours and no late-night restaurant or bar shifts.

You'll still have plenty of customer interaction through our shop, tastings and visitor experiences, but the majority of your time will be spent in the distillery, working hands-on in production and managing the operation.

If you enjoy being busy, taking responsibility and seeing the results of your work, this could be an excellent opportunity to transfer your existing skills into a new environment.