Tasting Room Manger and Associate (Wine Jobs: Wine Retail & Sommelier)

  S’milka Vista

  Cawston, British Columbia

There is nowhere else on earth like the Similkameen Valley. Pristine vineyards are tucked against soaring, windswept granitic mountains, producing wines that match the valley’s natural, wild beauty. 

S’milka Vista is a new winery that is scheduled to open in July 2021. We are currently recruiting two key positions for the upcoming hospitality season: (1) Tasting Room Manager and (2) Tasting Room Associate. Both of these full-time, seasonal positions will be based at the winery’s tasting room in Cawston.

(1) TASTING ROOM MANAGER

The Tasting Room Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of S’milka Vista’s boutique tasting room in the Similkameen Valley. They will hire, train, and manage a small team of retail associates, with an emphasis on delivering dynamic, unpretentious hospitality. They will also oversee S’milka Vista’s on- and off-premise sales in the Similkameen and Okanagan Valleys.  

Job Responsibilities:

Tasting Room Operations (20%)

• Fulfil daily accounting duties and responsibilities in conjunction with a Vancouver-based accounting team 
• Adhere to tasting room budgets
• Merchandise the tasting room according to established brand guidelines
• Provide regular reporting to head office team
• Ensure sales targets are being met

Staff Management (25%)

• Hire and train seasonal tasting room associates
• Develop biweekly staff schedules
• Implement tasting room policies and procedures and ensure they are upheld
• Manage tasting room staff on a day-to-day basis

Hospitality (25%)

• Lead by example, supporting the retail associates in the tasting room

On- and Off-Premise Sales (25%)

• Generate and maintain key on- and off-premise accounts in the Okanagan and Similkameen to build brand awareness and meet sales targets

Inventory Management (5%)

• Manage tasting room inventory on a weekly and monthly basis

Job Qualifications:

• Serving it Right
• FOODSAFE Level 1
• Completion of WSET Level 2, or equivalent
• Minimum of 1-2 years of wine experience
• Proven managerial skills in a supervisory role
• Commitment to dynamic, unpretentious hospitality
• Experience sticking to a budget and meeting sales targets
• Experience using POS/CRM platform

(2) TASTING ROOM ASSOCIATE

Reporting to the Tasting Room Manager, Tasting Room Associates will provide dynamic, unpretentious hospitality at the S’milka Vista tasting bar and support other on-site events, as required.

Job Responsibilities:

Hospitality (85%)

• Provide dynamic, unpretentious hospitality at the tasting bar, always closing the sale
• Build S’milka Vista’s email database
• Facilitate checkout experience using POS system

Other (15%)

• Ensure the cleanliness of the tasting room at all times
• Replenish inventory, as required
• Other tasks as assigned

Job Qualifications: 

• Serving it Right
• FOODSAFE Level 1
• Completion of WSET Level 1, or equivalent
• Experience in a hospitality role
• Winery experience an asset
• Experience using POS/CRM platform

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