Who We Are
Wine Enthusiast Companies is a Certified B Corporation and the ultimate source of innovation and information around wine. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, the family-owned company is composed of Wine Enthusiast Commerce and Wine Enthusiast Media. Wine Enthusiast Shop provides premium wine-lifestyle products, reaching millions of consumers globally via direct mail, an e-commerce site, and a business-to-business division. Wine Enthusiast magazine is an award-winning print publication and online resource that showcases wine news, food trends, and more than 25,000 ratings and reviews annually. Wine Enthusiast events include the annual premier Wine Star Awards gala. In 2024, the company launched a travel division, which includes the Tasting Room Directory and Cork+Compass Travel. Together, Wine Enthusiast Companies is the indisputable hub for everything wine. We bring wine to life.
Your Role in Our Journey
Wine Express is seeking an experienced, forward-thinking Wine Director to lead the strategic vision of our wine program with a strong focus on innovation in marketing, technology, and customer experience. This role is ideal for someone who blends a deep passion and experience for wine with the entrepreneurial drive, as well as the technological experience and savvy, to shape the future of the wine retail landscape for Wine Express.
What You"ll Be Uncorking
Key Responsibilities:Strategic Leadership & Wine Buying
Curate and evolve a best-in-class portfolio of wines across global regions and styles.Build and maintain relationships with top producers, importers, and distributors.Monitor industry trends and customer insights to guide selection and pricing strategies.Manage inventory levels, forecasting, and purchasing to support growth goals.
Marketing Innovation & Brand Storytelling
Collaborate with the marketing team to design and lead digital-first campaigns, including storytelling through social media, and personalized email journeys.Leverage customer data and behavior insights to drive segmentation and targeting strategies.Work with the team to help communicate our brand's voice through engaging content, wine education, and virtual tasting experiences.Conceptualize loyalty programs, wine clubs, collaborative initiatives and promotional calendars that maximize LTV.
Technology & Digital Experience
Partner with tech teams to evolve the digital wine-buying experience—smart recommendations via AI, streamlined checkouts, mobile optimization and more.Utilize CRM (e.g., NetSuite), AI tools, and eCommerce analytics to guide product merchandising and customer journey design.Test and adopt emerging technologies (e.g., virtual tastings, AR labels, chatbot assistants).Drive automation and innovation in the marketing tech stack.
Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
Lead the wine buying initiative to develop and maintain relationships, instilling a culture of curiosity and excellence, and ensuring it leads to the best wines for our company vision.Work cross-functionally with sales, customer service, and operations to ensure alignment and efficiency.Represent the voice of the customer internally—advocating for improvements in personalization, content, and engagement.Represent the voice of the customer internally—advocating for improvements in personalization, content, and engagement.
The Perfect Blend (What You Bring to the Table)
Qualifications:7+ years in wine retail, buying, or wine eCommerce leadership.Deep understanding of global wine regions, producers, and styles.Proven experience building or scaling innovative marketing campaigns.Strong grasp of CRM, DTC eCommerce platforms, SEO, digital ads, and analytics.WSET Level 3 (or higher) or equivalent experience preferred.Excellent communication, negotiation, and organizational skills.Passionate about using technology to elevate wine discovery and storytelling.
This hybrid rolehas an onsite requirement of a minimum of 2 days a week at our Valhalla, NY headquarters.
Our Commitment to You
Unlimited PTO, Full Medical, Dental and Vision benefits, 401(K) Match, FSA & Dependent Care FSA, Flexible Work Environment, Pet Discount Plans, Employee Discount, Wellhub, optional Wine Tasting Class participation, Flexible Schedule, Dynamic and Collaborative work culture.
Our Core Values
PASSION
We're not just a company; we're a community. Our job is to enhance the lives of others, making the wine industry and all its offerings accessible and enjoyable. Delighting and educating our consumers is at the core of everything we do.
COLLABORATION
We believe in the power of working together, sharing ideas, and leveraging our collective talents to achieve our goals. We mentor those we lead and surround ourselves with people who drive us to do more than our personal best.
INNOVATION
We value those who think outside the box to elevate the company. We celebrate change, appreciating that a nimble culture attracts talent and motivates team members to push the envelope and build our business for the future.
TRANSPARENCY
Communication and integrity are the cornerstones of our relationships with each other and our customers. We speak openly about our achievements and challenges, with the goal of helping each other grow.
EMPATHY
We support our employees with patience and understanding, recognizing that work hours represent a substantial percentage of one's time. We encourage a diverse mindset that helps us better reflect the evolving wine culture.
JOY
We recognize that our business is not just about numbers, but also about people. As a family business, we honor the importance of our employees' home lives. We encourage fun, discovery, adventure and health for our teams.
Our Commitment to Inclusion & Equity
At Wine Enthusiast, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and do not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status. As part of our commitment to fair hiring practices, we have adopted "ban the box" policies to provide individuals with criminal records a fair chance at employment. We consider all applicants on their merits and qualifications, considering their ability to perform the job.
Our family-owned company was born from a passion to bring a fine wine experience to the everyday. We believe wine is best shared with others and brings people together. In 2021, Adam and Sybil"s daughters Erika Strum Silberstein and Jacqueline Strum were named co-presidents and continue to lead the mission of bringing wine to life. The second generation works together with the collective team to create new and better ways for everyone to explore and enjoy the exciting world of wine, including low-alcohol wines, non-alcohol wines, spirits, and beyond! We hope you'll join us with a glass in hand.
The pay range for this role is:120,000 - 125,000 USD per year(Hybrid (Valhalla, New York, US))
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