General Manager & VP of Operations — Adobe Road Winery Based in Petaluma, CA (On-Site)
Adobe Road Winery is seeking an exceptional General Manager & VP of Operations to lead our next chapter…and what a chapter it is. We're approximately 90 days from opening the most ambitious winery project in the industry and we need a proven, high-energy operator to take the wheel and drive us across the finish line and beyond.
Adobe Road Winery is an award-winning boutique winery with a legendary tie to the world of professional sportscar racing through our sister company, The Racers Group (TRG), one of the most successful race teams in history, with four wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona, a victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, seven championships, and over one hundred professional wins worldwide. That winning DNA runs through everything we do. Our Winery Team has earned over one hundred 90+ scores from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and our lifestyle brand, The Racing Series, a collection of ultra-premium California blends inspired by moments on the racetrack, is scaling rapidly from 5,000 to 100,000 cases over the next five years. And now, the biggest move yet…
The New Facility — 10 Years in the Making. Opening This Summer.
We are putting the finishing touches on a one-of-a-kind, 16,000 sq. ft. Riverfront Winery & Entertainment Complex in the heart of downtown Petaluma on the Petaluma River and there is nothing else like it in the wine industry. It will be considered “The New Paradigm” Of the wine world and we are already booked with multiple national news outlets and television shows and more. This three-story architectural statement combines:
· A state-of-the-art production winery.
· A motorsports museum celebrating TRG's 30-year racing legacy.
· A spectacular rooftop event terrace with sweeping river views. Think: Miami South Beach flat deck upstairs, amazing decorations, lights, audio, comfortable for up to 125 and set up perfectly for group meetings or weddings.
· A commercial kitchen anchored by a custom 7,000-lb Italian pizza oven, that also offer our guests a variety of different beverages including craft beer, no & low alcohol wines, spritzers, Limoncello on tap, and anything else fun and desirable that we can provide for our clients. This is all part of “Pizza World”and will just blow everyone away
· Eight unique event spaces accommodating corporate events, weddings, banquets, private dinners, and beyond.
Like any great race car, the build is nearly complete, the engine is dialed in, and the team is on the grid. Multiple revenue streams are already in place and ready to go. All we need now is the right driver to take the wheel and run it flat out.
The New Paradigm
For decades, the wine country experience has followed the same unwritten rulebook. Hushed tasting rooms. Formal pours. A quiet reverence that somewhere along the way started leaving fun at the door. Adobe Road was never built for that world.
The New Paradigm is racecars and river views. Steering wheel chandeliers and a 7,000-pound pizza oven. World-class wine served the way it was always meant to be enjoyed, with great people, genuine laughter, and absolutely zero pretension.
As our new General Manager & VP of Operations, you won't just be running a winery. You'll be leading a movement. We are changing the wine world, and we need someone in the driver's seat who gets it, lives it, and sells it every single day.
The Role
As General Manager & VP of Operations, you will have full accountability over the business: DTC & FOB sales, hospitality, event operations, and the day-to-day running of the new facility. You will build and lead the team that brings this complex to life, creates unforgettable guest experiences, and drives aggressive revenue growth across all channels. You'll be the operator, the culture-setter, the closer, and the face of Adobe Road on the ground, reporting directly to the CEO & Founder.
This is not a caretaker role. We are looking for a builder, a driver, and a winner.
Duties & Responsibilities
· Own and oversee all revenue channels: DTC (tasting room, wine club, events, hospitality) and FOB (distributors, national accounts, chain retail)
· Lead the grand opening and ongoing operations of the new Riverfront Winery & Entertainment Complex
· Build, hire, train, and inspire a world-class team across sales, hospitality, and operations
· Develop and execute aggressive growth strategies for The Racing Series lifestyle brand and our Adobe Road legacy brand
· Manage and grow the wine club, currently 900+ members and projected to grow exponentially with the new facility
· Oversee event sales and execution across eight unique event spaces, corporate, weddings, banquets, and private experiences
· Manage distributor relationships and national account development
· Drive DTC and FOB pipeline development, account activation, and long-term client strategy
· Report directly to the CEO/Founder with weekly updates on sales activity, operations, and team performance
· Build and manage P&L accountability across all business units
· Partner with the winery and production team to align wine inventory, releases, and club allocations with sales strategy
Requirements & Qualifications
· Minimum Bachelor's degree (BA or BS) from a four-year college or university
· Located in Northern California or willing to relocate. On-site presence at our Petaluma facility is required
· 10+ years of experience in the wine, beer, or spirits industry
· Proven track record in both DTC and FOB sales
· Demonstrated experience managing hospitality operations, event venues, or tasting room programs
· Experience building and managing teams from the ground up
· Strong P&L and business operations acumen
· Distributor engagement and key national account management experience
· A natural relationship-builder with the ability to win new business and retain long-term clients
· Articulate, polished, and confident presenting to senior-level partners and clients
· Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities across a fast-moving, multi-revenue-stream business
· Thrives in an entrepreneurial, lean, high-performance environment
· Willingness to travel up to 40% and work select nights and weekends for events, client meetings, and industry functions
· Proven to be results-oriented, driven, and accountable
· Reporting to the CEO / Founder
The Culture
We run like a racing team, because we are one. Teamwork, synergy, precision, strategy, innovation, and an absolute obsession with winning. We do what it takes. We hold each other accountable and have each other’s back. We celebrate success and we move fast. If you've been waiting for a role where your impact is real, your fingerprints are on everything, and the sky genuinely is the limit, this is it.
Join us at the starting line of something extraordinary. The green flag is about to drop!!
Compensation
In addition to a competitive base salary, compensation includes a performance-based bonus structure, and the opportunity to grow alongside one of the most ambitious hospitality and lifestyle projects in the wine industry.
