Product & Quality Manager

About WEEKEND

Hello, 👋 Victor here, co-founder and Head of Production at WEEKEND.

WEEKEND has one goal in mind: making cocktails more accessible and sustainable behind the bar – whether in a commercial bar or at your private party. We achieve this by creating award-winning cocktails that can be served ready-to-drink, with or without alcohol, straight from the bottle or on tap.

Today, we supply more than 1,000 hospitality venues and stores in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the Baltic states, and 5 cocktails are served every minute. We are now preparing to further expand our international ambitions and continue working on our vision to become Europe’s leading cocktail brand.

Who are we looking for? 🔎

The Product & Quality Manager (Food Technologist) is the technical link between our mixologist, production, and management. Your mission: ensure that every WEEKEND cocktail is safe, consistent, and bar-quality — while helping us bring new, innovative (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) products to market faster and smarter.

You’ll build and maintain our quality systems (HACCP, traceability, allergen management), run batch and stability checks, and translate creative recipes into scalable, stable, cost-efficient formulas.

What does this role entail? 🎁

As a Product & Quality Manager you will:

Set up & maintain quality systems: HACCP, traceability, allergen management, hygiene and cleaning plans, (mock) recalls and periodic traceability tests.
Safeguard batch quality: per batch, carry out sensory checks (taste, aroma, colour), pH/°Brix/ABV measurements, and coordinate external microbiological analyses; release batches and report results.
Manage shelf-life & stability: design test plans, monitor taste & microbiology, analyse data, and substantiate shelf-life claims.
Ensure regulatory compliance & labelling: manage ingredient lists, allergens, nutritionals, and claims; maintain technical product files and specifications.
Oversee raw material quality: manage supplier specs/COAs, test high-risk ingredients, or audit suppliers.
Drive R&D / Product Development: translate creative recipes into industrially scalable formulations, guide scale-up and trial batches.
Optimize products: improve taste consistency, reduce costs, simplify processes, and support zero-waste initiatives.
Prepare certifications: roadmap toward ISO/FSSC/IFS/BRC depending on growth stages; manage audit-ready documentation.
Train & build culture: educate operators and partners in quality awareness and “first-time-right” practices.
Report & improve KPIs: deviations, complaints ratio, OOS results; lead CAPA actions and improvement projects with production & supply chain.

What do we expect from you? 👋

Master’s/Bachelor’s in Food Technology, Bio-engineering, Chemistry or equivalent experience
3–7 years experience in food/beverages (preferably drinks, brewery, juices, or spirits/RTD)
Solid knowledge of HACCP and familiar with standards like ISO 22000 / FSSC / IFS / BRC
Hands-on with lab & QC tools (pH, °Brix/refractometer, alcohol measurement, sensory panels); able to coordinate external microbiological analyses
Strong knowledge of EU labelling & nutritional legislation (allergens, claims)
Experience with scaling up recipes to industrial processes; problem solver in an operational environment
Data-driven, well-organised documentation management; ERP/traceability experience is a plus
Strong communicator, able to switch between shop floor and management; fluent in English & Dutch (French is a plus)
Startup mindset: ownership, prioritisation, fast learning and improvement

What do we have to offer? 🤝

A competitive salary package with extra-legal benefits such as health insurance, meal vouchers, and eco vouchers.
30 vacation days per year – we love working hard, but we value relaxation just as much.
On-site role in our production facility, with the possibility of 1 day per week remote work for documentation & analysis
13th month and double holiday pay.
Stock options for all employees – making everyone a shareholder of WEEKEND.
A high level of responsibility on the job and direct impact on the growth of an ambitious scale-up.
Work in a fast-growing, high-energy company with international ambitions.
Fun team buildings and plenty of cocktails, of course. 🍸