DTC & Hospitality Manager

Thurston Wolfe Winery | Prosser, Washington Full-Time | Thursday – Monday | Hourly Non-Exempt

About Thurston Wolfe
Thurston Wolfe Winery is a ~10,000-case winery in the heart of Washington's Yakima Valley, crafting distinctive wines with over two decades of winemaking history. We're entering an exciting new chapter under second-generation ownership and looking for a driven hospitality leader to help shape what comes next.

The Opportunity
Thurston Wolfe's next DTC & Hospitality Manager will take full ownership of our guest-facing revenue engine: the tasting room floor, wine club, events, and the community relationships that put people in the door. This is a high-autonomy role with direct strategic partnership with winery ownership. We would love to hear new ideas, spot opportunities, and act on them.

What You'll Do
- Floor Operations & Staff Leadership (~50%)
- Lead day-to-day tasting room service Thursday through Sunday, delivering warm, knowledgeable, and consultative guest experiences.
- Train, mentor, and schedule tasting room associates. Model high standards for wine education, pouring accuracy, hospitality, and floor presentation.
- Drive wine sales through engaged, relationship-based service.
- Oversee daily opening and closing procedures, cash handling, and point-of-sale operations (OrderPort).
- Maintain an organized, guest-ready tasting room and manage floor inventory and restocking.

Customer Acquisition & Creative Programming (~25%)
- Develop and launch new tasting experiences, programs, and promotions designed to increase foot traffic and per-visit revenue.
- Build and maintain relationships with local lodging partners, tour operators, and regional tourism boards to drive consistent visitor referrals.
- Actively promote winery happenings across community calendars, visitor platforms, and regional event listings.
- Identify opportunities in the local competitive landscape — what's working at other tasting rooms, what gaps Thurston Wolfe can fill, what partnerships are untapped.

Wine Club & Events (~15%)
- Manage the full wine club member lifecycle: signups, onboarding communications, retention outreach, and pickup weekend coordination.
- Serve as the primary relationship manager for club members, ensuring they feel valued and connected to the winery.
- Plan, coordinate, and host on-site winery events, wine club pickup weekends, and private group experiences.

Digital & Social Media (~10% — collaborative with ownership)
- Create authentic, regular photo and short-form video content for Instagram and Facebook highlighting wines, behind-the-scenes stories, and upcoming events.
- Draft and schedule customer emails and wine club newsletters via Mailchimp.
- Collaborate with ownership on content strategy, messaging, and brand voice.

Communication & Ownership Mindset
Maintain clear, proactive communication with ownership through brief end-of-shift updates and regular check-ins.
Bring a solution-oriented approach to daily challenges. Identify problems, propose fixes, and follow through.


Experience
- 2–4+ years in winery tasting rooms, upscale restaurants, or high-end hospitality, including direct experience leading or supervising staff.
- Demonstrated track record of driving sales, building guest loyalty, or growing a customer base — not just maintaining one.

Wine Knowledge
- Working knowledge of wine varietals, winemaking processes, and tasting terminology. Familiarity with Washington State AVAs (particularly Yakima Valley and surrounding appellations) is a strong plus.
- WSET Level 2 (Preferred)


Tech Literacy (Preferred)
- Experience with winery or restaurant POS systems (OrderPort)
- Comfortable with email marketing platforms (Mailchimp).
- Proficient in Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive, Chat).
- Canva and/ or Adobe.

Requirements
21+ years of age.
Valid Washington State MAST Class 12 Permit and Food Handler's Card (or ability to obtain before start date).
Ability to stand for extended periods and lift/move wine cases up to 45 lbs.

Compensation & Benefits
- 40 Hours a week with OT opportunities
- Pay Range: $25.00 – $28.00 / hour (DOE)
- Typical Salary Range with Benefits: $58,000 to $70,000
- Monthly DTC revenue bonuses tied to tasting room sales targets and wine club signup's.
- Paid Time Off (PTO) — accrued from date of hire