In Jewish life the role carries ritual responsibility as well as technical skill.
A mohel performs brit milah
Chabad defines a mohel as the trained Jewish ritual specialist who performs brit milah, the covenantal circumcision ceremony.
That is the central function of the role.
The job is religious as well as procedural
Chabad emphasizes that the mohel must know Jewish law and ritual tradition as well as the practical medical and hygienic requirements of the procedure. My Jewish Learning similarly notes that a mohel is trained in the Jewish laws concerning circumcision and often in modern clinical practice as well.
This combination matters. A mohel is not only a technician. The person is carrying a covenantal rite.
The role exists because the rite is more than surgery
Brit milah is not treated as a purely medical event with symbolic language layered on top. The ceremony, timing, blessings, and legal meaning are part of the act itself. That is why the mohel remains a distinct figure.
Why it still matters
The mohel still matters because Jewish ritual often requires embodied expertise. A covenantal act is entrusted to someone formed by both law and practice.
The shortest accurate answer
A mohel is the trained Jewish ritual specialist who performs brit milah, combining religious knowledge with procedural expertise.