ABOUT US

Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards is situated in the heart of Santa Barbara County’s top wine-growing region. Founded in 1973, we combine tradition with innovation by respecting our history while actively seeking new opportunities for growth and development to enhance our people-first culture, improve wine quality, and adopt sustainable practices.

Our location, surrounded by the San Rafael Mountains, provides breathtaking office views of vineyards and mountain scenery.

JOB SUMMARY

The Hospitality Manager oversees the daily operations of the tasting room and ensures an excellent guest experience at Zaca Mesa Winery. This role supports the winery’s mission to build lifelong patrons by creating memorable experiences. Additionally, the manager is responsible for developing and providing training on wine and customer service to the Tasting Room staff, boosting staff productivity. This position also involves planning, coordinating, and executing all on-site events at Zaca Mesa and TREAD Wines, including private, corporate, and winery-hosted functions.

MAJOR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Tasting Room

Responsible for recruiting applicants, interviewing, and hiring Tasting Room Associates, as well as designing onboarding programs for new staff that include proper training and documentation to comply with company policies, and local, state, and federal laws.
Train, supervise, motivate, and develop all seasonal, part-time, and full-time Tasting Room Associates in the following areas: sales, customer service, wine knowledge, inventory management, point-of-sale system, safety, company policies/procedures, and government regulations. Provide continuous feedback and yearly performance reviews.
Collaborate with the executive team to develop strategic plans for the organization, including financial planning, forecasting, and budgeting for the tasting room.
Develop monthly departmental objectives and goals, which may include wine sales, wine club sign-ups, phone sales campaigns, and customer outreach programs. Identify metrics to measure staff performance and develop individual and team incentives. Track and report performance results to the management team weekly and/or monthly.
Ensure the tasting room is adequately and efficiently staffed daily by scheduling tasting room associates to accommodate hours of operation, special events, and staff requests for personal time off. Monitor the accuracy of timecards daily and approve them accordingly.
Develop merchandise displays that are attractive and well-maintained. Select merchandise and food items that are aligned with our brand image, have high inventory turnover, and adequate gross profit margins that generate revenue.
Maintain physical inventory of merchandise and wine in the tasting room/club lounge and all front-of-house supplies. Conduct weekly inventory counts on bottled wine/merchandise and reconcile inventory. Monitor tax paid case good levels and initiate internal transfers.
Utilize cash register and OrderPort (point-of-sales system) to transact sales and maintain tasting room inventory and reconcile daily sales and post transactions. Process customer orders, ensuring proper packaging, accurate guest information, and timely order fulfillment.
Maintain, evaluate, and provide periodic reports on guest comments and feedback. Utilize this information to design training programs for the staff and identify key areas of improvement to share with the management team for collaboration and implementation.
Coordinate with Marketing Manager to develop point-of-sale collateral.
Answer incoming phone calls and respond to all customer phone messages and emails the same day before the close of business. Resolve to the customer’s satisfaction all customer service-related issues within 24 hours and confirm the problem and resolution during the next meeting with the executive team.
Monitor operational efficiencies. Identify problems or areas of improvement and develop a corrective action plan that includes training, resources, tools, and/or capital investment. Collaborate with the DTC Manager and General Manager to implement improvements.

· Create professional working relationships with vendors, caterers, concierges, drivers, and guides.

· Assist Marketing Manager in developing annual events designed for customer/club member engagement and profitability.

· Maintain knowledge of the market, competitors, Direct-to-consumer best practices in the industry, and Federal, State, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.

Perform other duties as required.

Private Events

Provide venue tours for prospective event booking clients.
Facilitate private events as the winery's on-site coordinator. Conduct facility walk-throughs to check lighting/electrical, receive vendor deliveries, and monitor guest safety during events. Inspect the site after the event to approve the return of the deposit to the clients.
Club/Winery Events
Create and manage an annual events calendar for club and tasting room events by collaborating with the Membership Manager, DTC Manager, and Marketing Manager.
Develop a budget for each club and winery event; book and manage vendors, assist with set-up and break-down, and provide feedback to the management team after each event.

· Solicit vendors, review contracts, book, and evaluate performance.

SUPERVISORY DUTIES

· Supervises tasting room staff by Company policy and applicable Federal, State, and local laws.

· Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, training, development, performance reviews, disciplinary action, and terminating employees.

· Plans, assigns, and directs work. Appraises performance and rewards.

· Effectively address complaints and resolve problems.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Ability to recognize talent, motivate and coach staff, and encourage development opportunities within the company.
Entrepreneurial and creative spirit with an appreciation and understanding of a small business environment.
Maintains comprehensive wine business knowledge, with an appreciation for wine, including wine regions, varietals, winemaking, viticulture, food pairings techniques, and service.
Possesses and demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills with experience and ability to write professionally and speak in front of people. Employs proper English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary.
Demonstrates the ability to communicate positively and in a straightforward manner.
Interpersonal awareness, relationship management, and influencing skills.
Must have a strong ability to follow through on projects with minimal supervision and exceptional attention to detail.
Adaptive to change and assist with varying personality types while demonstrating high customer service skills.
Strong computer skills with various software packages including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, UPS WorldShip, and OrderPort (retail point-of-sale applications).
Must be available to work alternative hours, including evenings and weekends.
Must possess a valid driver’s license, a dependable vehicle, and proof of insurance with an acceptable driving record.
Must be 21 years or older.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

· BA or BS in Marketing or Business degree or related field; or a combination of education and experience.

· Minimum (3) years in a management position in the retail or hospitality industry, or related field.

· Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) or Certified Wine Educator (CWE) accreditation is a plus.

· Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) certification is a plus.

Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations. Ability to write reports and business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, customers, and the general public.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical and environmental demands of this job are representative of those typically encountered while performing essential duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.

Physical Demands: 

· Frequently required to stand and walk for long periods of time.

· Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.

Work Environment: 

· Work is conducted in both indoor and outdoor winery environments.

· Occasional exposure to winery production areas where equipment noise, chemicals, and outdoor elements may be present

· May require travel between properties or to off-site functions.

WHAT WE OFFER

We are a team of wine industry professionals and enthusiasts. If you appreciate wine, enjoy sales and hospitality, and want to provide the ultimate wine-country experience, we would love to have you join our dedicated team. We offer a competitive salary and benefits, including 401(k), health, dental, and vision coverage, paid vacation, holiday pay, sales incentives, and employee wine discounts. We provide extensive training, resources, and top-quality wines to help our team succeed.

Please send your resume and cover letter. We look forward to meeting you.

Pay: $65,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k)
401(k) matching
AD&D insurance
Dental insurance
Employee discount
Health insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Tasting Room jobs in Los Olivos

Tasting Room Associate

Hospitality Manager