Director of Luxury Brand Sales

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California, +4 more states.

📋 Description

• Direct the commercial strategy, market expansion, and disciplined implementation of the company's luxury wine portfolio.

• Transform portfolio and brand strategies into actionable channel, distributor, key account, and market plans.

• Enhance reputation, broaden high-quality distribution, maintain premium positioning, and achieve sustainable net sales and profitability growth.

• Create market business plans, develop the selling system, and establish operational rhythms.

• Represent the portfolio with key trade customers in collaboration with sales teams, distributor partners, and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Balance immediate goals with long-term brand equity through effective allocation, pricing, placements, education, and activation efforts.

• Act as the commercial leader for the luxury portfolio, driving market plans, distributor alignment, business reviews, execution standards, and resource allocation.

• Cultivate strategic relationships in on-premise, off-premise, and selective alternative channels.

• Function as the senior portfolio ambassador, establishing ways of working, goals, operational cadence, and accountability.

• Create and manage commercial plans based on origin, brand, channel, and priority market.

• Specify growth options, account segments, distribution criteria, pricing and promotion boundaries, activation priorities, KPIs, forecasts, and resource distribution.

• Assess and refine go-to-market strategies across wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels.

• Segment markets, define company/distributor roles, and recommend route-to-market modifications.

• Maintain a presence in the market 50%–60% of the time.

• Set objectives and execution standards in collaboration with distributor leadership and field teams.

• Establish a cadence for business reviews, track opportunities, implement corrective actions, prioritize tasks, and ensure brand education and follow-up.

• Develop account strategies for key on-premise, off-premise, and multi-unit customers.

• Build senior relationships, lead impactful presentations and tastings, and secure placements and programs.

• Ensure accountable market leadership in key geographies, clarifying ownership for focus accounts, distributor opportunities, market visits, blitz activities, and local follow-through.

• Collaborate with Finance, Supply Chain, wineries, and Sales on pricing integrity, allocations, limited releases, product launches, inventory exposure, and order-to-depletion performance.

• Create scalable trade education programs and conduct expert-level tastings, winery immersions, seminars, and market initiatives.

• Partner with Marketing for brand-appropriate retail and wholesale activations.

• Work alongside enterprise partners on winery, club, private-client, event, and other selective channels.

• Monitor shipments, depletions, distribution, account productivity, pricing, product mix, inventory, pipeline, program outcomes, and profitability.

• Develop sales projections and budget plans, manage financial resources, assess program returns, and collaborate with Finance on forecasting and risk management.

• Lead, mentor, and align assigned sales resources and cross-functional partners.

• Identify commercial gaps and opportunities, providing market insights to brand owners and leadership.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field, with a minimum of ten years of progressive experience in sales, marketing, or distributor management within the wine or beverage alcohol sector—especially with luxury or fine wine—or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Proven track record in brand building and achieving sustainable revenue and profit growth through the U.S. three-tier system.

• Strong understanding of distributor economics, market planning, key-account development, pricing, allocations, forecasting, and inventory management.

• Established capacity to cultivate senior relationships with distributors, customers, and influential members of the wine trade.

• Expert ability to present, taste, and communicate wine credibly to sales teams, customers, and trade audiences.

• Solid analytical and financial skills, with experience interpreting sales and depletion data, account performance, budgets, and profitability metrics.

• Proficient in translating strategy into clear priorities, operational rhythms, measurable standards, and timely corrective actions.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence senior internal and external stakeholders.

• High integrity, sound judgment, and an entrepreneurial spirit.

• Proficient in Microsoft 365 office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

• Valid Driver's license and the ability to be insured.

• Availability for frequent travel, including occasional evenings and weekends for market engagement, tastings, and events.

• Willingness to undertake overnight travel—both domestic and international—approximately 35%–50% of the time.

• Capability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs. and push/pull up to 50 lbs. occasionally.

• Ability to frequently sit and work at a desk for extended periods; regularly walk and occasionally stand, reach, climb, crawl, squat, kneel, and bend.

• Dexterity for keyboarding and extended computer work.

• Additional physical requirements related to domestic/international travel by air and ground transportation.

• Successful completion of criminal background checks, DMV checks, and drug screenings.

• Verification of citizenship or legal right to work in the United States at the time of employment offer.

🏝️ Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & Disability coverage from the first day.

• Tax Savings through a 401k plan with company matching.

• Short and Long-Term Disability benefits.

• Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays.

• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account benefits available to eligible employees.

• One day/shift off annually for Volunteer Time Off (VTO).

• Employee-centered health, wellness, training, and safety programs.

• Scholarship opportunities for dependents.

• Annual incentive targets aligned with individual and company performance.

• Transportation-related benefits.