Lead Cellar Operator

Position Summary

The Lead Cellar Operator is responsible for the hands-on production of high-quality hard cider from pressing raw juice through fermentation, cellar operations, blending, and packaging. This role primarily oversees day-to-day cider production while maintaining high standards for quality, consistency, cleanliness, food safety, and efficiency. This person will also oversee the production of various products that are produced in this facility under a co-packing contract.

The ideal candidate has 3–5 years of beverage production experience, strong attention to detail, a passion for making excellent products and the ability to work well on a team. The Lead Cellar Operator will work directly in the cellar and on the production floor while providing direction and support to the production team.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who enjoys being hands-on in the cider-making process and takes pride in producing a consistent, high-quality product. The Lead Cellar Operator should be organized, dependable, detail-oriented, and comfortable balancing production demands with quality and safety.

This is a working production leadership position. The successful candidate will spend significant time actively making cider, working in the cellar, operating equipment, and fostering a cohesive cellar team.

Who We Are

Citizen Cider is a hard cider producer located in Burlington, Vermont. It has been in business 15 years and maintains 5 core year round ciders along with seasonal specialty offerings that are distributed regional throughout New England. We recently moved our production facility and have been streamlining our production process in our new space. We have a small team of dedicated employees that produce quality cider with quality ingredients. We also offer co-packing services to other Vermont companies. This position will get the opportunity to work with all of those producers as well.

Key Responsibilities

Cider Production & Fermentation

·      Oversee and perform day-to-day cider production activities.

·      Manage apple receiving and pressing

·      Oversee juice transfers, fermentation, nutrient additions, and fermentation monitoring.

·      Monitor fermentation progress and make adjustments as needed to achieve desired cider characteristics.

·      Maintain daily accurate production records, batch information, and cellar logs.

·      Ensure production schedules are met while maintaining product quality.

Blending & Packaging

·      Manage cellar operations including transfers, filtration, carbonation, stabilization, and blending.

·      Assist with recipe execution and maintain consistency across batches.

·      Maintain clean, organized, and efficient cellar and production areas.

Quality Control & Food Safety

·      Conduct routine quality checks throughout the production process.

·      Monitor cider for flavor, aroma, appearance, carbonation, and other quality characteristics.

·      Follow established sanitation, cleaning, and food-safety procedures.

·      Ensure equipment and production areas are properly cleaned and maintained.

·      Identify and address quality or production issues promptly.

·      Maintain compliance with applicable food-safety and production requirements.

Team Leadership

·      Provide hands-on leadership and direction to production staff.

·      Train employees on production procedures, equipment operation, sanitation, and safety.

·      Assist with production scheduling and staffing needs.

·      Assign daily tasks and ensure production priorities are clearly communicated.

·      Lead by example and maintain a positive, professional, and safety-focused work environment.

Equipment & Facility

·      Operate and oversee the proper use of tanks, pumps, hoses, filtration equipment, packaging equipment, and other cider-making equipment.

·      Perform routine equipment checks and communicate maintenance needs.

·      Help troubleshoot production and equipment issues.

Maintain an organized, clean, and safe production facility

Qualifications

·      3–5 years of experience in beverage production, cider making, brewing, winemaking, or a closely related field.

·      Hands-on experience with fermentation and cellar operations.

·      Strong understanding of sanitation and food-safety practices.

·      Experience with blending and packaging preferred.

·      Ability to operate and troubleshoot production equipment.

·      Strong attention to detail and commitment to product quality.

·      Ability to work independently and make sound production decisions.

·      Strong communication and leadership skills.

·      Ability to work in a physically demanding production environment, including standing for extended periods and lifting, moving, and handling production materials.

Benefits

We offer full time employees 2 weeks PTO in the first year - increases annually, employer sponsored health insurance, pre-tax 401K contributions and employer paid Short Term Disability.