Job Description:
A small, established winery is seeking a General Manager level candidate to increase sales and continue the planned growth of the brand in an area currently experiencing an exciting renaissance in winemaking. We see a great opportunity for the right candidate to grow along with our business. This is a hands-on position involving existing vineyards and a dedicated part-time team of wine educators. The candidate must be agreeable to work a Thursday – Monday schedule most of the time. The candidate will make and implement tough decisions, to keep costs down and to focus on building a growing, lasting and sustainable business, work with the owner on budgeting and financial projections, field daily calls and act as “The Face” of the winery to the outside world. Some legal and professional aspects will be dealt with as well; wineries, tasting rooms and vineyards have a host of governmental reporting responsibilities that must be coordinated, calendared and followed-up on regularly. The position and responsibilities will grow with the company's success.
Requirements:
- Tasting room experience
- Hospitality management and training experience
- Appreciation for fine wines
- Proven, successful Sales experience comparable to selling wine
Responsibilities & Duties:
- Manages and performs the daily needs of the tasting room, sales, and general operation for Winery. The General Manager is the primary contact for Wine Club members, tasting room employees and courier vendors. The General Manager can impact the financial condition of the organization through ability to control costs and increase sales.
- Decision-making: Often you will make judgment calls and decisions independently. Frequently, will partner with the Proprietor on employment matters.
- Problem-solving: A small amount of time will be spent collaborating with the owner and employees to solve work-related problems. Often discusses and resolves problems with the Proprietor that affect the entire organization.
- Working relationships and contacts: Provides sales, financial and marketing data, reports, trends, resources and counsel to the Proprietor. Provides counsel and information to all employees regarding their employment policies and benefits, rights and responsibilities.
- Tasting room management: Maintains a classy, welcoming environment where customers can learn about the wine, taste and compare wines and purchase wines. Conducts ongoing wine and merchandise training and trains all tasting room staff on sales system and sales techniques in order to increase tasting room and retail store sales. Maintains staffing levels and sets and communicates the work schedule. Assigns daily operational and merchandising tasks to staff. Manages customer flow so all customers feel welcome and receive excellent service. Oversees daily opening and closing register procedures and provides bookkeeper with documentation, receipts and cash. Monitors and tracks wine inventory. Ensures merchandise is priced properly and is visually appealing. Collects and submits inventory, sales and tax data to the bookkeeper. Orders and maintains all tasting room and office supplies. Responsible to inform owner about the tasting room facility’s day-to-day needs such as: kitchen, bathrooms, office, patio areas, recycling, changing light bulbs, heat problems, water problems, general repairs in the tasting room, etc.
- Wine sales: Manage the wine club by project and monitor sales, manage and increase membership, ensure delivery, communicate with members to receive feedback, create specials and programs to increase sales. Delegate lower level tasks to staff and ensure quality performance. Manage the various sales channels to ensure a balanced sales growth that is manageable and anticipated.
- Marketing: Creates, coordinates and executes events to increase sales. This includes wine parties, special member events and tastings, off site events, and facility rentals. Creates and maintains quality relationships with customers that include private individuals, corporate event coordinators, destination management companies, winery vendors, colleagues and management. Provides outreach to maintain or create new relationships including daily calls, weekly local visits, and monthly sales blitz to Event Planners, local hotels/B&Bs, and Corporate clients. Maintains Special Events Client Database. Participates in Networking Events, Association, Concierge, and Networking Meetings to promote referral business. Works with Proprietor to create and implement marketing plan and strategies, ensuring that the website and all collateral support the winery's image. Executes marketing outreach to Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties and acts as liaison for all marketing collateral.
- Business Management: Works with the owner to develop budgets, forecasting, and a tracking system that is simple yet provides the details needed to quickly respond and course correct when needed. Monitors and controls expenses. Implements business processes and forms to support effective financial management. Performs office duties, including telephone and mail communications. Takes minutes of and participates in staff meetings. Looks for ways to continually improve the efficiency of procedures and services performed. Interacts with Bookkeeper on issues regarding employee pay, vendor billing and wine sales documentation.
- Staff Management: Responsible for duties associated with staffing; assists with recruitment efforts, receives and reviews employment applications, verifies I-9 documentation, conducts new employee orientation. Ensures proper staffing at all times by utilizing temporary agencies, keeping a pool of temporary employees. Assists in maintenance and implementation of Employee Handbook and Operations Manual. Proactively intervenes and resolves actual or potential employee relations/morale problems, coordinating with the Proprietor. Participates and consults with Proprietor regarding corrective disciplinary matters to ensure acceptable levels of performance and conduct. Coordinates employee problem solving and disciplinary procedures in compliance with company policies and procedures. Maintains compliance with federal and state regulations concerning employment. Prepares government reports related to EEO compliance, posts required information. Represents the company for any unemployment claims.
Education:
- Bachelors degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or related field, or equivalent in experience and education.
Skills:
- Must be proficient in Word, Excel, Internet Use and email use.
- Working knowledge of and appreciation for fine wine.
- Knowledge of sales training tools and techniques conducive to wine sales.
- Working knowledge of QuickBooks.
- Knowledge of how to balance a cash drawer.
- Knowledge of basic principles and practices of personnel administration, FLSA, and other employment laws and regulations.
- Interpersonal Skills: maintains confidentiality, remains open to others’ ideas and exhibits willingness to try new things.
- Quality control: the individual demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness and monitors own work to ensure quality.
- Adaptability: the individual adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands and is able to deal with frequent change, delays or unexpected events.
- Dependability: the individual is consistently at work and on time, follows instructions, responds to management direction and solicits feedback to improve performance.
- Must have the ability to make recommendations to effectively resolve problems or issues, by using judgment that is in alignment with standards, practices, policies, procedures, regulation or government law.
- Commitment to task: able to start and persist with specific courses of action while exhibiting high motivation and a sense of urgency, and willing to commit to long hours of work and make personal sacrifice in order to reach goals.
- Organizing and planning: able to organize or schedule people or tasks; develop realistic action plans while being sensitive to time constraints and resource availability. Uses written plans to guide activities; skilled with a time management system; structures action plans; makes long and short-range plans.
- Team building: able to work with people in such a manner as to build high morale and group commitments to goals and objectives. Skilled in participative management. Confronts negative attitudes. Builds overlap of personal and team goals. Never allows abuse of team member. Can balance the need to complete tasks while maintaining good relationships.
- Decision-making and problem-solving: able to take action in solving problems while exhibiting judgments and a realistic understanding of issues; able to use reason, even when dealing with emotional topics. Regularly exhibits objective attitude; Isolates problem.
Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate will have experience in planning and organizing hospitality events, developing a marketing plan and performing marketing outreach duties, controlling costs and managing budgets, and setting and reaching sales goals. The candidate should be intellectual and creative, with good verbal and written communication. You must be able to quickly assess customer needs and respond appropriately, and have the ability to train others in soft skills, such as selling and relationship building. You should be able to discreetly handle customers who become difficult. We are looking for someone who is ENERGIZING -- able to create positive energy (motivation) in both individuals and groups, and speaks with enthusiasm. You should consistently set positive examples, possess good coaching and counseling skills, and regularly use goals to motivate. You will be able to define realistic, specific goals and objectives and prioritize those objectives with specific goals with target dates.
Qualifications:
We seek candidates whose background and abilities match or can translate well with the following categories:
- Experienced Tasting Room Manager with proven ability to obtain higher sales rates and wine club signups while providing “white glove” or “concierge level” customer service and maintaining a comfortable, friendly and hospitable atmosphere in our Tasting Room.
- Experienced Marketing and Event Coordinator, who can craft professional flyers for use in the Tasting Room and at off-site events, write blogs to our growing Wine Club, maintain a strong social media presence and conduct a wide variety of small on-site and off-site events that project a classy image and attract high-value clients.
- College degree, business management and hospitality experience and experience in winery tasting room sales and management are expected.
- At least Three (3) years of Hospitality Management experience, preferably in a winery tasting room environment.
- At least 3 years Supervising employees.
Relocation:
Open to Discuss
