Job description:
Fulkerson Winery is seeking a Customer Success Manager / Director of Retail & Experience to lead our direct-to-consumer business, including tasting room operations, wine club growth, and event programming. This role is responsible for delivering exceptional guest experiences while driving revenue, customer retention, and brand loyalty. The ideal candidate will oversee retail staff and day-to-day operations, own wine club strategy and lifecycle management, and develop a dynamic calendar of events that enhances engagement and profitability. This leader will be both strategic and hands-on—managing KPIs such as sales conversion, club retention, and event performance while continuously improving the customer journey. We are looking for a hospitality-driven, commercially minded professional with strong leadership skills and a passion for wine, experiences, and building lasting customer relationships.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Customer Success Manager / Director of Retail & Experience
Fulkerson Winery – Finger Lakes, NY
Role Summary
The Customer Success Manager / Director of Retail & Experience is responsible for delivering exceptional end-to-end customer experiences across all winery touchpoints, including retail, events, and wine club engagement. This role drives revenue growth, customer retention, and brand loyalty by overseeing tasting room operations, curating memorable events, and building a high-performing wine club program.
Key Responsibilities
1. Retail Operations (Tasting Room & Direct Sales)
- Lead day-to-day tasting room operations, ensuring a welcoming, high-quality guest experience
- Manage retail staff hiring, training, scheduling, and performance
- Own direct-to-consumer sales performance, including wine, merchandise, and upsell strategies
- Monitor KPIs (conversion rates, average transaction value, club sign-ups) and implement improvements
- Oversee inventory management, point-of-sale systems, and merchandising strategy
2. Wine Club Management & Growth
- Own full lifecycle of the wine club program (acquisition, onboarding, retention, and re-engagement)
- Design and execute campaigns to grow membership and increase lifetime value
- Curate club shipments, benefits, and exclusive experiences
- Monitor churn, engagement metrics, and customer feedback to continuously improve offerings
- Coordinate fulfillment, communications, and member support
3. Events Strategy & Execution
- Develop and execute an annual events calendar (wine releases, seasonal events, private events, weddings, etc.)
- Lead planning and onsite execution of events to ensure seamless customer experiences
- Manage vendor relationships, logistics, and budgets
- Partner with marketing on promotion, ticketing, and attendance targets
- Evaluate event ROI and customer engagement outcomes
4. Customer Experience & Brand Loyalty
- Act as the voice of the customer, translating feedback into improvements across the business
- Ensure consistent, high-quality service standards across all customer interactions
- Develop and implement customer journey enhancements (in-person and digital)
- Resolve escalated customer issues with professionalism and care
5. Commercial & Operational Leadership
- Own revenue targets for retail, events, and wine club channels
- Develop forecasts and budgets for direct-to-consumer business lines
- Collaborate with winery leadership on pricing, promotions, and product strategy
- Implement scalable processes to support growth while maintaining a personalized experience
Qualifications
- 5–10+ years in retail, hospitality, winery operations, or customer success
- Proven success managing customer-facing teams and driving revenue growth
- Experience with wine club programs, events, or DTC sales strongly preferred
- Strong analytical mindset with ability to translate data into actionable insights
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Passion for wine, hospitality, and building customer relationships
Success Profile
The ideal candidate is:
- Customer-obsessed – anticipates needs and elevates every touchpoint
- Commercially driven – understands how experience translates into revenue
- Operationally strong – brings structure, KPIs, and accountability
- Creative & entrepreneurial – develops new ideas for events and engagement
- Hands-on leader – comfortable working on the floor while driving strategy
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Referral program
- Work Location: In person
