Tasting Room Lead Associate (Wine Jobs: Wine Retail & Sommelier)

  Sanford Winery

  Lompoc, California

Sanford Winery, located in the Sta. Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County, is seeking an exceptional candidate for the role of Tasting Room Lead Associate. Acting as one of our key brand ambassadors for the winery, we seek a candidate who is able to convey the importance and uniqueness of our winery to create advocates and build relationships. Our ideal candidate is well spoken, polished, hard-working, a team player and is passionate about wine and providing an exceptional customer experience for each visitor to the winery.

The Lead Associate works closely with both the Sr. Retail & Hospitality Manager and the Tasting Room Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Sanford Winery Tasting Room, while modeling superior customer service and business standards. 

Performance Measures:

•  Achievement of retail goals, including sales, wine club sign-ups and data collection.
•  Deliver beyond expectation customer service while achieving sales goals.
•  Accuracy of inventory management and other operational duties.
•  Conversion of guests to wine club members.

Position Responsibilities:

•  Provide excellent hospitality to each and every guest 
•  Undertake various hospitality duties such as VIP hosting, assisting with club and private events, and conducting private tasting programs.
•  Assist Managers with tasting room floor operations which include but are not limited to maintaining housekeeping standards, conducting daily opening and closing procedures including cash handling, maintaining accurate pricing in POS and keep up the structure and pricing of tasting menu.
•  Assist with month end inventory processing and reporting.
•  In conjunction with the Managers, develop compelling visitor programs and events.
•  Generate and execute ideas to build tasting room traffic. Track and measure success of programs and campaigns and track guest referrals
•  Manage wine inventory– including transferring, shipping and moving wine from and/or between locations
•  Occasionally represent the brand in the market for wine festivals, off-site tastings or winemaker dinners.
•  Carry out all responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies as well as applicable laws.

Personal Skills and Competencies

•  Excellent customer service and sales skills.
•  Goal oriented.
•  Strong verbal and written communication skills.
•  Positive, can-do attitude.
•  Ability to work and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, while maintaining a high level of detail.
•  Strong relationship-building competency.
•  Strong work ethic with the ability to work independently and take initiative.
•  Willingness to embrace and manage change.
•  Wine-knowledgeable.

Requirements
•  Must be 21 years of age or older
•  Ability to lift up to 50 lbs
•  Ability to stand for 6-7 hours a day
•  Must be available to work Saturdays and Sundays, including holidays
•  Retail and hospitality or customer service experience preferred. Winery tasting room or wine retail experience a plus.

EEO/AAP

Salary Information: hourly + commission program, comprehensive benefits package