Hospitality Director

Ponzi Vineyards has recently been acquired by legendary French family wine group Bollinger (Champagne Bollinger, Champagne Ayala, Burgundy wine Chanson, Loire Valley wine Langlois Chateau, and Cognac Delamain), with the ambition to make it the top-of-mind brand for Oregon fine wine.

We are a premium Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer located just 22 miles from downtown Portland in the Chehalem Mountains/Laurelwood District AVAs. We are seeking an experienced, dynamic, driven professional to join our team as Hospitality Director.

As the Hospitality Director, you will play a crucial role in driving Ponzi Vineyards’ direct sales program, while creating memorable experiences for our guests. You will bring your expertise in sales, hospitality, and event management to lead the Tasting Room and Events teams to deliver unparalleled service.
This critical leadership role reports directly to the Chief Brand Officer. The ideal candidate has a proven track record with 3+ years of hospitality and sales management experience.

•  Essential Job Functions:

Drive Sales, Increase Retention & Cultivate New Customers

•  Manage the daily activities of the Tasting Room & Events departments to achieve revenue goals.
•  Create and manage financial budgets for Tasting Room & Events departments.
•  Ensure club member growth through Tasting Room & Events channels.
•  Oversee client interactions, sales, and contracts for vibrant private events program.
•  Manage monthly sales initiatives, implementation and reporting on client outreach programs.
•  Ensure Tasting Room and Events teams are meeting mailing and text list sign up goals.
•  Meet regularly with leadership to discuss progress and strategies of hospitality experiences, events, sales, and club goals.
•  Network and partner with key industry members, including routine outreach to other wineries, lodging, private drivers/tour operators, country clubs and social clubs.
•  Perform ongoing business and competitive analyses of consumer behavior and trends for Tasting Room & Events departments.
•  Hire, develop and mentor the hospitality team to achieve individual and group sales goals.

Hospitality & Experiences

•  Ensure the highest level of service and experience for guests, aligning with Ponzi Vineyards brand tenets.
•  Coordinate and manage internal administrative and customer facing events.
•  Implementing, providing feedback for, and approving monthly and yearly team commissions.
•  Management of chosen sponsorships and events.
•  Collaborate with DTC Team to develop luxury wine experiences and enhance guest hospitality.
•  Collaborate with design team to maintain and update all collateral related to the tasting room and events.
•  Ensure all hospitality policies and procedures are being followed and the team maintains a clean, focused,
and orderly hospitality environment.

Team Leadership & Development

•  Foster a sales-driven team culture to exceed annual revenue targets.
•  Create and manage monthly staff schedule for all hospitality teams.
•  Schedule and facilitate staff meetings to communicate company news, sales, club, and service goals.
•  Oversee team to perform monthly and daily inventory reconciliation of wine, food, and merchandise.

Key Competencies:

•  Creative thinker with the ability to develop relationships that enhance our brand, promote brand loyalty, and provide an engaging consumer experience.
•  Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills.
•  Strong analytical and critical thinking skills for effective decision-making & problem solving.
•  Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines to effectively manage projects through to completion.
•  Ability to develop an effective business plan in partnership with the Chief Brand Officer.
•  Strong logistical planning and attention to detail.
•  Understands and values external and internal customers.
•  Maintains an optimistic approach with a can-do, results oriented mindset.
•  Ability to work with and manage team dynamics in a fast-paced environment while maintaining a high level of detail and customer service.
•  Ability to create team accountability while maintaining high morale and team engagement.
•  Demonstrates integrity, is forthright, accepts responsibility, is personally accountable, straightforward, truthful, and of good character.?

Key Performance Indicators:

•  Delivering Contribution Margins as per the plan.
•  Building and overseeing Events & Tasting Room budgets and Long-Term Plan.
•  Hospitality team engagement and satisfaction.
•  Overall department growth and development of direct reports.
•  Memberships (Conversion Rate & Acquisitions)
•  Dollars per visitor, wine sales, conversion rate, food revenues.
•  Improvement of Hospitality Google ratings through increase in 5-star reviews.

Requirements and Experience:

•  3+ years hospitality management experience.
•  People management skills are a must.
•  Proven track record in mentoring, supervising, and developing staff.
•  Proficient in MS Office Suite, Commerce 7 or other winery POS software, Tripleseat, and TOCK.
•  Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
•  WSET level 2 or higher is a plus.
•  Must be 21 years of age of older.
•  Must be able to stand for 8 hours as well as lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
•  Ability to work weekdays/weekends 9:00 am – 5:30pm, with flexibility to work occasional holidays and evenings.

More about Ponzi Vineyards: Founded by Dick and Nancy Ponzi in 1970, Ponzi Vineyards is one of Oregon’s original wineries that has contributed to fostering the success and growth of the region’s Pinot Noir over the last 50 years. In April 2021, the Bollinger Family united with the Ponzi Family in its first official acquisition outside of France with Luisa Ponzi remaining as the Director of Winemaking and Viticulture.

More about The Bollinger Family: In addition to the iconic Champagne Bollinger, t