Operator-2nd Shift

Briess Industries•Manitowoc, WI

10h•$26 - $27

About The Position

The Malt House Operator oversees the malting process—including steeping, germination, and kilning of grains, typically barley—to produce malt that meets quality and production specifications. The role supports safe and efficient operations while following food safety, quality, and regulatory standards. The operator runs and monitors malting equipment, controls process conditions, handles grain and malt through each production stage, and tracks materials and batches. The role includes collecting and evaluating samples, responding to quality deviations, performing routine inspections and cleaning, documenting production and quality information, and reporting safety, process, or quality concerns. This is a second-shift position, traditionally scheduled from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., with a rotational second-shift schedule that includes some weekends. Weekends are paid at 1.5 pay. The operator also follows government and company safety, sanitation, GMP, food safety, quality, and SQF requirements, and performs other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements

Basic mechanical aptitude and understanding of processing equipment.
Ability to read and follow technical instructions, standard operating procedures, and safety guidelines.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of food safety systems such as GMP and HACCP.
Familiarity with automated or PLC-controlled systems.

Responsibilities

Operate and monitor equipment used in steeping, germination, and kilning.
Control process parameters such as temperature, moisture, airflow, and germination time; make adjustments to achieve target malt characteristics.
Start up, shut down, and clean malting systems according to standard operating procedures.
Coordinate movement of raw grain into steep tanks and transfer malt through germination and kilning.
Handle, store, and rotate raw materials and finished malt using FIFO/FEFO practices; maintain lot tracking and traceability.
Collect and evaluate samples and monitor moisture, germination rate, modification levels, color, and other product quality attributes.
Identify and troubleshoot quality deviations, take corrective actions, and collaborate with quality and laboratory teams to meet specifications.
Perform routine equipment inspections and preventative maintenance; clean and sanitize steep tanks, germination vessels, kilns, and associated equipment.
Identify equipment issues and work with maintenance teams to resolve them.
Follow lockout/tagout procedures when servicing equipment.
Follow safety guidelines, including confined-space entry and combustible-dust controls; maintain housekeeping to reduce dust, mold, and contamination risks; use required PPE.
Record batch information, process conditions, production output, quality checks, equipment inspections, and maintenance activities.
Promptly report safety incidents, process issues, and quality concerns.
Follow government and company safety, sanitation, GMP, food safety, quality, and SQF policies and regulations.
Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Benefits

Health insurance, including a PPO plan and prescription drug coverage; eligibility begins the first of the month after 60 days of employment.
Dental insurance; eligibility begins the first of the month after 60 days of employment.
Vision insurance.
Flexible spending account for medical and dependent care expenses; eligibility begins the first of the month after 60 days of employment. Up to $680 may be rolled over, and the company contributes $450 after one year.
Short-term disability coverage; eligibility begins the first of the month after 60 days of employment.
$25,000 term life insurance and a $25,000 accidental death and dismemberment benefit; eligibility begins the first of the month after 60 days of employment.
Paid vacation, increasing with length of service, from one week in the first year to five weeks after 18 years of service.
Eight full paid holidays and two paid half-day holidays, including one personal paid holiday.
401(k) plan with a 100% match of the first 3% and a 50% match of the next 2%; pre-tax or Roth contributions; eligibility begins at the start of the quarter after two months of employment.
5% profit-sharing contribution to the 401(k) plan.
Weekend work is paid at 1.5 pay.