Sales, Events & Hospitality Operations Manager

About Donkey & Goat Donkey & Goat is a pioneering Berkeley natural winery founded in 2004, making transparent, low-intervention wines from organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards throughout Northern California. Our winery and tasting room are also a gathering place—hosting music, food pop-ups, educational programs, private events and collaborations that bring together winemakers, artists, chefs and our broader Bay Area community. We’re looking for someone who can help grow these activities while ensuring they are thoughtful, welcoming and well-run. About the Position The Sales, Events & Hospitality Operations Manager helps drive several interconnected parts of our business: event sales and execution, off-premise sales, tasting-room operations, customer communications and day-to-day business administration. This is a hands-on role with both commercial and operational responsibility. The manager will develop new event and sales opportunities, build relationships with customers and partners, manage the winery calendar and tasting-room schedule, and create the systems needed to keep these activities organized and aligned with our business and hospitality goals. The ideal candidate is highly organized, takes initiative, and genuinely enjoys working with people. This is not a desk-only position. It requires commercial drive, administrative discipline, hospitality instincts, and a willingness to step in wherever needed. The position reports to the owner, takes strategic leadership from the head of Partnership Strategy and Business Development, and works closely with operational,winemaking, and tasting-room teams. Primary Responsibilities Events & Partnerships Proactively develop new event business through outreach to companies, event planners, community organizations, and other prospective partners. Manage private events and venue rentals from initial inquiry through proposal, agreement, payment, execution and follow-up. Develop collaborative programming and partnerships that bring new audiences into the winery and encourage them to return. Maintain the master winery calendar and coordinate staffing, space, wine, equipment, vendors, setup and breakdown. Serve as the primary contact for event clients and community partners. Track inquiries, bookings, attendance, revenue, repeat business and other key event results. Off-Premise Sales Develop local restaurant and retail accounts in partnership with our California distributor and through direct winery relationships with buyers, beverage directors, retailers and restaurant staff. Represent Donkey & Goat at staff trainings, account tastings, in-store events and by-the-glass takeovers. Call on accounts, participate in distributor work-withs and follow up consistently on sales opportunities with national distributors. Track visits, placements and follow-up opportunities, and communicate market feedback to winery management. Marketing & Customer Communications Plan and send a weekly newsletter covering events, releases and winery news. Maintain a communications calendar, customer lists and audience segments. Gather content from across the winery and ensure that communications reflect Donkey & Goat’s voice, personality and values. Keep events and customer-facing information accurate and up to date across winery channels. Monitor email performance and use the results to strengthen customer engagement and attendance. Tasting Room & Hospitality Build and maintain the weekly tasting-room schedule, including coverage for events and busy periods. Help ensure the tasting room is welcoming, organized, and ready for service. Train and support staff in hospitality, customer engagement, event awareness, and sales. Step into tasting-room or event shifts when additional leadership or coverage is needed. Communicate operational expectations clearly and work with leadership to identify and resolve any operational issues. Help ensure that the space, service, merchandising and staff culture express Donkey & Goat’s hospitality vision. Develop ways to convert first-time event guests into returning winery customers. Business Operations Maintain calendars, task lists, deadlines and internal communications across the areas managed by this position. Create practical systems, checklists and procedures for recurring activities. Maintain organized event, customer, account, vendor and operational records. Coordinate agreements, deposits, invoices, payments and other event documentation. Track key indicators across events, sales, communications and tasting-room activity and provide concise updates to management. Handle basic office needs including calls, mail, package deliveries and occasional shipping coordination. Support leadership on additional operational projects as needed. What We’re Looking For Experience in hospitality, events, sales, winery operations, customer service or a related field. Excellent organizational, project-management and communication skills. Comfort with proactive sales outreach and prospecting—someone who enjoys opening doors, not simply responding to inquiries. Confidence working with customers, event clients, distributors, restaurant and retail accounts, vendors and community partners. Ability to manage multiple projects while maintaining attention to detail. Strong written communication, sound judgment, and independent problem-solving skills. A collaborative, low-ego approach and willingness to jump in when needed. Experience with scheduling, email-marketing platforms, customer databases, POS or event-management tools is helpful. Availability for regular weekday hours plus evening and weekend event coverage. Enthusiasm for natural wine and Donkey & Goat’s role in Berkeley’s creative community. Deep wine knowledge is welcome but not required. We are open to candidates from different professional backgrounds who demonstrate curiosity, initiative, reliability, and an ability to learn quickly. Details Position: Full-time Location: Donkey & Goat Winery, Berkeley Typical schedule: Tuesday–Saturday, combining weekday administrative work, approximately one day per week of off-premise sales, and evening/weekend event coverage Reports to: Owner Compensation: $70-90K annually, depending on qualifications and relevant experience Benefits: Full medical coverage and flexible PTO Interested? Donkey & Goat is committed to building an inclusive workplace and welcomes applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and professional paths. #J-18808-Ljbffr Wine Industry Expo