Job Description

Founder and President of Willamette Valley Vineyards, Jim Bernau, seeks to hire an experienced, highly respected and enthusiastic wine industry leader to collaborate as CEO with him continuing as President/Chair of the Board of Directors.

The new CEO’s priority will be to help navigate the evolving wine business environment, with a focus on national wholesale sales. This will involve traveling to key markets across the country for roughly 40% of their work hours. The ideal candidate will be experienced in overseeing winery National Sales efforts, fully understand the 3-tier system, and excited about traveling around the USA to promote the brand. This leader must exhibit a broad knowledge of the wine industry with a strong emphasis on branding, promotions and executing on the Company’s Strategic Plan. They must be well versed in production, farming, and winery operations, including hospitality and restaurant management. Ideal candidates will possess a strong work ethic and be capable of partnering with the Founding President and leadership team to leverage the foundation they have built over 43 years to increase points of distribution and acquire more volume opportunities with key buyers.

Required traits, qualities and attitudes include:

• Motivated to succeed, celebrating team success while being transparent, vulnerable and inclusive.
• Exudes professionalism, integrity and strong ethics.
• Strong preference for collaboration over making decisions in isolation.
• Enthusiastic about Oregon wines styles and understands Oregon winemaking methods.
• Thrives in an environment that requires working independently as well as with other company leaders.
• Builds positive, productive, and solid relationships inside and outside of the Company. 
• The CEO will focus on observing, asking questions, listening, and learning about the company’s history and the complexities of the business, while taking on more responsibility as the Founding President deems appropriate.

Responsibilities to start and add to over time:

• Eventually manages and reports on all aspects of the winery operation beginning first with the National Sales Department.
• Works with the Founder/President to set financial performance objectives and then prepares the annual business plan and budgets with key leaders.
• Working with the DTC team, oversees successful tasting room, wine club, events and hospitality experiences for consumers and trade partners.
• Collaborates with the Founder/President on branding including the refinement of current brand and messaging; supports in the development of new brands.
• Pursues and cultivates relationships, partnerships, and alliances internally/externally; understands how to navigate formal and informal networks.
• Maintains close relationships with the press, with key accounts nationwide and industry leaders in travel, hospitality and tourism arenas.
• Hosts VIPs, media, trade and other community partners regularly at our different locations and throughout the country to increase brand awareness and increase winery business opportunities.

Capabilities:

• Demonstrates strong financial abilities and, if not personally experienced working as a publicly held company, to be a quick study on how it benefits our company’s mission.
• Brand and marketing-minded, a creative storyteller, curious about others.
• Knowledge of winemaking and vineyard management.
• Comprehensive understanding of the world’s great wine estates.
• Dynamic and enthusiastic leader with industry expertise. A forward thinker with innovative sales, promotion, and marketing strategies.
• Reputation for a strong work ethic, as expressed in a sense of responsibility, reliability, and responsiveness.
• Quick study with a bias toward action. Astute listener who can receive large amounts of information and process broad ideas into organized and documented plans.

Travel: Extensive (approximately 40% of work hours) travel nationwide.

Compensation: Competitive base salary with generous performance-based incentives.

Willamette Valley Vineyards is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

NOTE: The information here does not constitute a contract, express or implied. The content of this material is not all-inclusive but is for informational purposes only.

Founded in 1983 by Oregon native Jim Bernau with the dream of creating world-class Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Vineyards has grown from a bold idea into one of the region's leading wineries, earning the title “One of America's Great Pinot Noir Producers” from Wine Enthusiast Magazine, and voted \Best Tasting Room\ from USA Today Readers' Choice Awards- 2024.

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