Job Description
Portfolio Director

COMPANY DESCRIPTION:

Headquartered in Napa, California—Quintessential is a leading fine wine marketer, sales agency and importer exclusively representing family-owned wineries. An early champion of multi-generational producers, Quintessential values expressions of celebrated terroir from around the world. Led by father and son, Steve Sr. and Dennis Kreps, the global portfolio now includes 28 dynamic families with 38 wineries.

JOB TITLE: Portfolio Director
The Portfolio Director leads the company’s marketing function and the strategic development, management and growth of its wine portfolio. The position oversees brand strategy, supplier marketing, distributor and trade programs, digital marketing, public relations, creative development and consumer engagement. The Director leads Brand Managers and Marketing staff, aligns annual brand plans with company priorities, and works cross-functionally with sales, finance, operations, suppliers and distributors. Success requires strong leadership, commercial judgement and a deep understanding of the U.S. wine industry and three-tier distribution system.
•  Reports to: CEO
•  Job Location: Napa (On-site)
•  Job Category: Marketing

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES*:

Critical Tasks – Lead Portfolio Brand Strategy: (50%)
•  Develop and execute annual plans for portfolio brands, including positioning, priorities, budgets, market strategies and measurable objectives. Apply direction to all: Inventory, pricing and programming needs for each family. Make sure all pricing & programming is understood, executed and recapped.
Performance Expectation: Deliver growth in depletions, revenue, distribution, market penetration, brand equity and profitability, while promptly recommending corrective action when performance falls short.

Critical Tasks – Drive Distributor and Trade Marketing Programs: (30%)
•  Create and oversee national programs that equip distributors and sales teams to win in on-premise and off-premise channels. Initiatives may include incentives, market work-withs, sales tools, education, point of sale materials, trade promotions and launches. Works closely with Supply Chain to optimize forecasting based on accurate marketing and sales trends/plans. ‘Owns’ the inventory in the warehouse; depletes existing vintage before moving on to the next vintage.
Performance Expectation: Produce measurable improvements in distributor engagement, placements, distribution, depletions and execution quality. Meets or exceeds average gross margins of the company by avoiding fire sales of excess inventory on one hand and out of stock situations on the other hand while growing the brand.
Critical Tasks – Manage Supplier Relationships and Brand Stewardship: (10%)
•  Serve as the senior marketing contact for winery partners, where necessary and appropriate. Lead annual planning, budget reviews, business reviews, performance reporting and strategic discussions. Protect each brand’s identity and standards while balancing supplier objectives with U.S. market realities.
Performance Expectation: Maintain trusted relationships that support supplier satisfaction, retention and long-term growth.

Critical Tasks – Lead and Develop the Marketing Team: (10%)
•  Direct, coach and develop Brand Managers and Marketing staff responsible for the wine portfolio.
Performance Expectations: Establish clear objectives, accountability and operating rhythms. Build a collaborative, high-performing team that consistently delivers quality work, meets deadlines, supports sales execution and develops future leadership capability.

Additional responsibilities:
•  Develop, administer and monitor annual marketing budgets; evaluate spending effectiveness and ROI.
•  Analyze market trends, consumer insights, competitive activity, pricing and channel opportunities; translate findings into action.
•  Oversee trade events, distributor meetings, supplier visits, portfolio presentations and educational programs.
•  Prepare concise business reviews, dashboards, presentations and recommendations for executive leadership and supplier partners.
•  Ensure marketing activities comply with all applicable federal, state and TTB and industry requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education/Experience: BA/BS or greater in Business, Marketing or Liberal Arts or equivalent, and/or a minimum of 10+ years progressively responsible marketing or brand management experience in a wine marketing or wine sales role. Bonus points for advanced degrees and wine certifications.


Skills: Strong problem solving, analytical, creative and organizational skills demonstrated by the ability to make sound and timely decisions.
Well established knowledge of wine marketing strategies, wine styles, winemaking and wine culture.
Solid understanding and experience with Trade Marketing concepts, including brand development, pricing, program analysis, IRI data, cross marketing and retail display strategies and materials production.
Excellent attention to detail and thoroughness in identifying and resolving problems are extremely important. Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects and deadlines. Experience with video production, photo shoots, Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. SEO, SEM or paid social media experience is a plus.
Able to work as part of a team and communicate with team members/colleagues regularly. Strong Microsoft Office skills. Excellent verbal and written English communication and presentation skills. Comfortable working in a dynamic, fast moving work environment.
Familiarity with the latest social media platforms, trends and social media marketing in wine or adult beverages. Experience with search engine marketing, Google Analytics, and Google AdWords. Impeccable copywriting and copy-editing abilities