Director of Hospitality at Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

SUMMARY

The Director of Hospitality is responsible for the innovative, safe, and profitable operation of the Visitor Center, which includes distinctive food and wine experiences, retail operations, and events. This role requires strategic leadership in enhancing sales and achieving operational targets by effectively managing and motivating the hospitality team. The Director monitors cash flow, inventory, expenditures, and revenues through effective budget preparation and operational oversight. Additionally, the Director is responsible for managing hospitality inventory and non-wine items.

To implement the strategic vision, the Director will champion educational initiatives that enhance the guest experiences, foster a positive team culture, and drive the sale of products and services. The Director of Hospitality must be an exemplary people manager who motivates their team toward excellence, with commitment to safety, sustainability, and quality in all aspects of hospitality.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

People Management

• Provides leadership and direction to the hospitality team and offers support in managing the special events team to achieve key business priorities, including consumer acquisition, club memberships, profit generation, and brand promotion.
• Oversees all aspects of staff management, including recruitment, onboarding, training, development, supervision, and performance evaluations.
• Establishes an environment of innovation and collaboration, emphasizing continuous education and positive employee relations to build a customer service-oriented team. Actively promotes and recognizes high performance.
• Creates monthly team schedules that comply with wage and hour laws and align with budgetary constraints.
• Organizes regular team meetings to communicate company news, review sales and service goals, conduct safety training, and encourage team feedback.
• Provides day-to-day guidance to ensure the team operates according to approachable luxury standards for elevated customer service, ensuring that all team members understand and adhere to company policies and procedures.
• Proactively addresses and resolves behavioral or performance issues with effective corrective measures.
• Manages the implementation of daily, weekly, and monthly incentives to motivate and reward the team.

Operations

• Manages Profit & Loss (P&L) responsibilities, actively engaging in setting and achieving sales and income targets. Implements and monitors the visitor center’s sales performance, tracks and analyzes variances, and projects future forecasts to align with strategic goals.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to generate creative ideas for boosting sales, increasing membership enrollments, and enhancing brand loyalty.
• Manages hospitality inventory, including wine club pickups, ensuring accurate monthly inventory reconciliations of physical stock and conducting daily audits of retail items (food, wine, and gift merchandise). Maintains optimal stock levels through regular inventory assessments and timely reordering.
• Partners with the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) team to develop and implement special events and promotions. Monitors and communicates the calendar of company events and special meetings.
• Stays informed about all vintage releases and communicates necessary updates to the hospitality team, ensuring that offerings are current and accurately represented. Develops and distributes training and educational materials about new releases to enhance team knowledge and performance.
• Ensures the hospitality facility is well-maintained and pristine, including the visitor center, retail area, entrance, front walkway, terrace, tour route, and all other areas associated with the hospitality center. Contracts and monitors janitorial, building maintenance, and groundskeeping services, as well as the upkeep of fresh plants and flowers.
• Partners with HR to manage the safety protocols for hospitality operations, ensuring compliance and the wellbeing of both team members and visitors.
• Maintains security measures for the winery’s property, products, and facilities in collaboration with HR and the facilities team, establishing security programs and procedures.
• Approaches all operations with a focus on sustainability, considering social, environmental, and economic impacts to promote long term operational success and ethical responsibility.

Hospitality

• Develops and implements industry leading practices to enhance guest experiences, improve visitor center operations, and boost employee performance, consistently striving to elevate Gloria Ferrer’s standards of exceptional service.
• Engages in frontline hospitality roles as necessary, including welcoming guests, leading tours, providing expert wine education, and handling transactions at the register. Offers table service to enhance guest engagement, when necessary.
• Manages tasks related to the opening and closing of hospitality transactions, including accounting for daily sales and preparing bank deposits.
• Conducts regular and thorough inspections of the visitor center, terrace, and tour routes to ensure they are maintained in pristine condition and meet safety standards. Performs spot checks and promptly addresses any issues.
• Ensures that all documentation for donations and sample pickups is properly signed and delivered to the distribution department.

Other Responsibilities

• Regularly meets with the General Manager to review business progress and refine strategies, ensuring alignment with overall organizational goals.
• Acts as a representative of the winery within the local community and in public relations efforts. Coordinates activities with the Visitor’s Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and other winery associations to enhance brand visibility and community engagement.
• Dedicates efforts to the continuous development of the hospitality team, nurturing a culture of innovation, accountability, and exceptional customer service. Focuses on professional growth, preparing team members for potential advancement within the organization or transition to other roles.
• Ensure that the Gloria Ferrer Culture is consistently supported in all business and employee interactions, including ethical and legal aspects, and that compliance with state and federal law and policies and procedures is maintained.
• Continuously creating new ways to improve job performance across the team.
• Other duties as assigned, adapting to evolving business needs.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Must be a team player and able to prioritize safety, sustainability, and quality.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or Hospitality, or 5 to 7 years of related experience and/or training; or a combination of education and experience that equips for the role.
• Demonstrated success as a consumer-centric strategist who has exceeded revenue targets, controlled expenditures, budget adherence, and adeptly handled business analytics.
• Luxury retail or hospitality and loyalty marketing experience a must. A strong passion for wine is a plus.
• Experienced in kitchen management with understanding of food safety protocols is a plus.
• Hands-on leader skilled in motivating teams to achieve excellence at all levels (individual, team and organizational).
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, skilled at engaging and inspiring teams through effective presentations.
• Flexible scheduling availability, including weekends, to meet business staffing requirements.
• High-level of attention to detail with the ability to anticipate customer needs and respond appropriately.
• Strong proactive communication skills, fostering an open and motivational team environment.
• Proficient in operating electronic devices and software applications including MS Office Suite, Outlook, Commerce7, CRM systems.
• Must have Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) and Food Handlers certification (or complete within compliance timelines).
• Must have a valid driver’s license or be able to travel in a timely manner.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, and listen. The employee frequently uses hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls, and reach with hands and arms.

• Must be able to work outdoors in extremes conditions, including heat, humidity, cold, and other inclement weather.
• Must be capable of walking on uneven terrain.
• Must be able to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 lbs. (case of wine)
• Must possess visual acuity sufficient to drive safely, recognize employees, and work on computers for extended periods.
• Must be able to work extended hours as needed.
• Must be able to endure repeated use of hands and sustain long periods of standing, sitting, walking and bending.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer