Distillery Supervisor

Sazerac Company•Frankfort, KY

6d•$81,500 - $123,300•Onsite

About The Position

This isn't a desk job. As Distillery Supervisor, you'll be the operational heartbeat of our distillery, dryhouse, and powerhouse — running a $25M departmental budget, leading up to 60 skilled union employees, and making sure every drop that leaves our facility meets the Buffalo Trace standard. You'll be part engineer, part coach, part problem-solver, and 100% accountable. You'll spend 80–90% of your time on the floor — where the real work happens.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, or related technical field
Strong analytical, technical, and interpersonal skills
A genuine commitment to safety, quality, and getting better every day
Proficiency in MS Office; comfortable with PC, LAN, and WAN environments
Proven team-building skills and a results-driven mindset
Sharp planning and organizational instincts

Nice To Haves

3+ years of supervisory/technical experience in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement experience
Managing in a union environment
Regulatory compliance know-how (OSHA, FDA, TTB)
A track record of developing people and building teams that stick around
Experience with preventative maintenance routines

Responsibilities

Lead & develop up to 60+ union employees across the distillery, dryhouse, and powerhouse — setting the standard for performance, safety, and pride in craft
Own the operational schedule — monitor production, solve problems on the fly, and make sure every shift runs like a well-aged barrel program
Champion a safety-first culture by running safety meetings, enforcing PPE standards, and making sure everyone goes home the way they came in
Drive continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, or your own bag of tricks — identify inefficiencies, build the plan, execute with engineering
Guard the quality — make real-time decisions to protect consistency and meet every quality control parameter without compromise
Manage a $25M budget with discipline — tracking efficiencies, reducing waste, and improving yields without cutting corners on quality
Keep us compliant — manage environmental and regulatory data systems, stay ahead of changing regulations, and keep our Environmental Management System current
Responsible for the operation – running and not running – to meet production goals
Contribute to 2–5 year capital investment planning — your operational insight shapes our future
Responsible for raw material inventory checks
Responsible for KPIs/automating KPIs wherever possible and working with the team on the floor to ensure data is accurate.