Reports to: President
Status/Classification: FT Exempt
Position Summary
The Director of Soul of a Lion is responsible for communicating and executing the DAOU Soul of a Lion brand to key National and Regional markets. The Director of Soul of a Lion will have an established record of luxury and fine wine brand building performance and will build our business and brand equity with trade, develop distributor relationships within the specified marketplace, and deliver on the company’s sales execution standards, brand building initiatives, and profit goals.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Distributor Activation
- Develop and conduct assigned distributor team plans, periodic team reviews, market surveys, competitive pricing surveys, and general sales meetings with distributor Soul of a Lion fine wine and on-premise teams.
- Participate in the preparation of the annual business plan for Soul of a Lion sales, marketing, budget, production, and communication needs necessary to meet case volume and profit contribution.
- Responsible for meeting or exceeding company Soul of a Lion sales goals and providing leadership to assigned teams to accomplish the accurate and timely execution of company initiatives, programs, brand-building activation and execution standards.
- Cultivate strong relationships with distributor personnel and manage and communicate goals/quotas, incentives, and allocations for Soul of a Lion.
- Develop luxury account target lists, ensure that teams are driving distribution in these accounts, track all account activity, and work cross-functionally to ensure deadlines are met.
- Regularly work with and coach distributor sales members to educate them on Soul of a Lion, brand activation initiatives, and execution standards.
Market Activation & Customer Management
- Directly manage key prestige regional accounts for Soul of a Lion; develop and cultivate strong relationships and leverage these relationships to explore business opportunities and foster trade advocacy.
- Effectively communicate our Soul of a Lion stories and develop a powerful set of brand experiences that leave a lasting impression.
- Optimize benefit to brand equity by managing allocations by account to ensure best use of scarce wines, upholding price integrity and execution standards, and leveraging tools and resources (e.g., trade events for winemaker visits).
- Execute national programs and Soul of a Lion brand building initiatives.
- Effectively present and promote Soul of a Lion through trade and consumer events, staff education, sales calls, wine dinners, and tastings.
Administration & Analysis
- Provide feedback to SVP of Sales and President on market issues, opportunities, changes, distributor issues, and competitive activity for effective planning and programming.
- Work with SVP of Sales and President to develop action plans for business opportunities using strategic insights and as applicable leverage distributor sales data.
- Conduct and report weekly progress checks of distributor performance for Soul of a Lion; ensure required reports are turned in timely and as necessary.
Management/Leadership
- Lead the National Soul of a Lion team to achieve placement, depletion, and profit objectives.
- Responsible for staffing, staffing planning, conducting performance appraisals on direct reports, ensuring compliance with training requirements, developing direct reports, and controlling expenditures.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- Ability to keep current with trends and purchasing behaviors of luxury wine consumers.
- Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills with an ability to work with a diverse group of people (e.g., executives, coworkers, staff, distributors, industry leaders, restaurant owners, buying managers, sommeliers).
- Must possess deep knowledge of varietals, growing regions, and wine.
- Must be a smart, professionally mature, polished, trustworthy leader who keeps his/her ego in check and doesnât take constructive feedback personally.
- Must dress, present, and carry him/herself with a sense of style, elegance, and confidence.
- Proficiency in MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Publisher, and PowerPoint.
- Embodies the core values of the organization through disciplined business practices, positive nature, relentless guest experience orientation, and consistent drive for top performance.
- Ability to travel as needed and work a flexible schedule when job duties dictate.
Education & Experience
- Bachelorâs degree in marketing, communications, or related field.
- Minimum of five years in wine industry brand management, ideally with experience in luxury wines, specifically Cabernet.
- Thorough wine knowledge (WSET certification or equivalent).
- Sommelier certification preferred.
- Minimum two years of experience working for a wine distributor or supplier/importer.
System, Physical, & Cognitive Requirements
- Must reside in Southern California (currently or willing to relocate).
- Work requires light physical exertion from up to 65% of the time.
- Ability to lift objects weighing 40 lbs. or less.
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Benefits:
401K, Auto Allowance, Medical, Dental, Vision, Life.
The purpose of this summary is to describe the essential job functions and the level of work performed by individuals assigned to this position. This description is not an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by this position. Management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and assign other duties as necessary.
DAOU is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
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