Estate Manager

About Seghesio 

Since planting our first vines in 1895, the Seghesio family name has become synonymous with the highest quality Zinfandel and Italian varietal wines from Sonoma County. For the team at Seghesio Family Vineyards, every harvest is the realization of the American dream of an Italian immigrant who came to this country at the turn of the 20th century to build a family and a future, five generations and 125 vintages later, are still growing strong. Today, Seghesio Family Vineyards encompasses over 300 acres in preeminent Sonoma growing regions including the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys.  The historic winery and tasting room are located in Healdsburg, Ca. For more information regarding Seghesio Family Vineyards, please visit www.seghesio.com.

Position Summary

The Estate Manager is responsible for day-to-day front-of-house operations, with primary responsibility for the tasting room and special events departments of our Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) business which includes fiscal budgets and department profitability. This role is responsible for the onsite image/impressions of the winery, interacting with customers and external stakeholders, and providing strong leadership, delegation and decision making while building a successful team that can work together to create memorable experiences for our guests.   

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

The following reflects management’s definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned.  Management may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodations or other reasons.

Leadership

• Under the general guidance of the Sr. Director, Estates and Hospitality and in partnership with other Crimson Wine Group (CWG) channel managers, develop and execute dynamic programming that maximizes integration between DTC departments, and delivers holistic DTC and company goals.  
• Develop and maintain a strategic plan for positioning and operating visitor programs that are consistent with the brand and company mission, and that communicate the exemplary quality of our wines. 
• Develop, maintain, and work within the brand’s annual budget and meet or exceed all Tasting Room and Special Events fiscal and non-fiscal goals and forecast future needs.
• Manage capex projects to ensure timely completion while reducing disruption to the guest experience.
• Monitor progress and analyze performance against goals.  Look for opportunities to improve overall performance of service levels, sales, and programming.
• Conduct managerial administrative duties including annual performance reviews and month-end reporting of financials, sales incentives, and inventory.
• Coordinate with Winemaker/Production on all hospitality staff education including wine style, quality, and new releases to ensure excellent product knowledge.
• Ensure public safety through responsible alcohol service and compliance with health/safety regulations. 

Team Management

• Serve the team as an inspiring leader to build momentum and consensus.
• Ensure that the hospitality team is performing at the highest standards of quality and presentation to continually enhance the image of our wines, estate, and brand.
• Motivate and direct employees in a team-oriented style that places the highest priority on guest service and sales that is consistent, knowledgeable, efficient, and professional. 
• Instill a can-do attitude within an atmosphere of open, straightforward, and thorough individual/team communication.
• Provide effective feedback and coaching to achieve employee development in a healthy and stable culture, and elicit feedback to create an open, cooperative environment which fosters positive energy, creativity, and strategic thinking.

Tasting Room

• Oversee all visual aspects of public and customer-facing areas. Present an environment that is safe, clean, and efficient for visitors and employees.
• Create Tasting Room sales and marketing plan, including budget development and sales forecasting assumptions. Generate and execute ideas to build tasting room traffic, and track and measure success of programs and campaigns.
• Manage the Tasting Room P&L and control business activities to ensure that sales and expenses meet budgetary goals. Track revenue and spending to meet or exceed EBITDA targets.
• Manage Tasting Room floor operations which include, but are not limited to maintaining housekeeping standards, conducting opening, and closing procedures including cash handling, and overseeing tasting menu and programs.
• Host tours, tastings, and other guest experiences for VIPs including internal stakeholders and external brand supporters. 
• Establish strong relationships with local wineries, hotels, and industry organizations that will support our business with qualified guest referrals.
• Manage inventory with an efficient and accurate approach, seeking out and recommending opportunities for process improvement.

Special Events

• Create Special Events sales and marketing plan, including budget development and sales forecasting assumptions. Generate and execute ideas to drive attendance, and track and measure success of programs and offerings.
• Manage the Special Events P&L and control business activities to ensure that sales and expenses meet budgetary goals. Track revenue and spending to meet or exceed EBITDA targets.
• Develop new business for the winery by networking and reaching out to potential clients and key accounts. Establish and maintain strong working relationship with Destination Management Companies (DMC) organizations, winery associations and other businesses involved with event promotion.  
• Envision, plan, and execute all winery events ensuring exemplary level of customer service. Demonstrate dynamic ability to change plans according to conditions and work through problems quickly and discreetly. 
• Participate in key trade and consumer events to ensure that guests are warmly received and that they experience a gracious, informative, and memorable visit the estate.
• Establish strong relationships with corporate clients, private event planners, caterers, and other local vendors.
• Maintain pre-event communication and information with all associated departments and affected areas of winery and conduct post-event analysis and debriefing to identify future areas of improvement. 

Wine Club & Guest Services

• Collaborate with Wine Club Manager on programming and the membership experience to maximize club growth including both conversion and retention.  
• Plan and execute wine club events and virtual experiences to drive engagement and retention. 
• Collaborate and communicate with Guest Service Team and Wine Club Team on estate offerings, promotions, and reservations to ensure a holistic service approach.

 Ecommerce & Marketing 

• Collaborate with Ecommerce Manager and Digital Marketing Manager on promotional traffic-driving initiatives, website updates, and product offerings and promotions.
• Coordinate with the CWG Marketing department to ensure that all programming and promotional efforts are consistent with brand standards, and to ensure timely design and delivery of printed materials for guest service.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field, or 4-6 years equivalent retail/hospitality and P&L management experience is required.
• Proven leadership, management and general business skills including financial acumen.
• Ability to think strategically and implement transformative initiatives.
• Ability to effectively present ideas and gain support. Lead by influence over authority.
• Extensive knowledge of luxury products, wine, wine production and the wine industry. 
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills demonstrated by the ability to make timely and sound decisions.
• A charismatic and engaging leader as well as a creative, flexible, and innovative team player. 
• Passion, enthusiasm, focus, creativity, and a positive outlook.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to effectively communicate with people at all levels and from various backgrounds.
• Ability to ‘think outside the box’ and challenge status quo with a focus on constant improvement.    
• Versatility, flexibility, and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities with enthusiasm.
• Proven ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines with attention to detail.
• Professional appearance and demeanor.
• Functional understanding of CRM and POS systems, and proficiency in Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.  
• Must be willing and able to, from time-to-time, travel on behalf of the company.
• Able to lift and carry for short periods 40 lbs.

About Crimson Wine Group
Crimson Wine Group (OTCQB: CWGL) represents a collection of luxury wine brands from seven estate-based, boutique wineries located in the finest winegrowing regions of California, Oregon and Washington. Established in 1991, Napa Valley-based Crimson Wine Group has assembled a portfolio of highly acclaimed producers, including Pine Ridge Vineyards (Napa, CA), Seghesio Family Vineyards (Healdsburg, CA), Chamisal Vineyards & Malene Winery (San Luis Obispo, CA), Archery Summit (Willamette Valley, OR), Seven Hills Winery (Walla Walla, WA), and Double Canyon (Horse Heaven Hills, WA). All wines are sold Direct to Consumer and Wholesale distribution in the United States along with 30 export countries. Crimson Wine Group is a member of the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) initiative, along with 25 other global wineries, committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To learn more, please visit www.crimsonwinegroup.com.

All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to all federally and state protected classes.  If you require assistance to participate in the application process, please contact us at HR@Crimsonwinegroup.com.  The projected base pay for this position is $85,000 per year in addition to annual bonus potential. This is the projected compensation for the position however the actual compensation offered may vary based on job-related factors such as (but not limited to) candidate qualifications, related experience and education, candidate work location and market data.  Crimson Wine Group reserves the right to modify the pay range/rate at any time in the future.