Estate Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

In spring of 1996, Bill & Carol Foley purchased 1,000 acres of lush and fertile earth within the then relatively unknown Sta. Rita Hills region of Santa Barbara County. Their plan – produce hand-crafted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that reflected the best of California’s Central Coast. Named for their two daughters – Lindsey & Courtney – Lincourt Vineyards was born, and with it, the beginning of Foley Family Wines & Spirits.

Summary  

The Chalk Hill Estate Manager is a dynamic, hospitality focused, and strategic thinking leader with exceptional communication, operational and organizational skills. A successful candidate can prioritize, multitask, solve problems and ensure that all aspects of the Chalk Hill Estate are maintained to the highest standards of excellence.

The Chalk Hill Estate Manager serves as the primary steward of the estate experience and is responsible for the successful execution of all hospitality programs through close collaboration with Culinary, Garden, Facilities, Winemaking and Cellar Operations teams. This role leads estate wide efforts delivering best-in-class guest experiences, maintaining property presentation and operational readiness, and ensure all customer-facing experiences reflect the quality, luxury and legacy of the Chalk Hill Estate.

The Chalk Hill Estate Manager serves as the primary liaison for family members and ownership while on property and ensures all estate facilities, grounds, gardens and hospitality venues consistently meet brand standards and operational expectations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Own and deliver tasting room sales, profitability, membership growth, and guest experience results, ensuring achievement of daily, monthly, and annual business targets and key performance indicators.
• Build relationships with key community partners, vintner associations and develop key inter-winery partnerships; track and prioritize outreach. 
• Track and deliver daily, monthly, and annual metrics to senior leadership team. 
• Work closely with VP, Directors, and other managers to exceed member acquisition and retention rates, sales volume, and KPI goals. 
• Conduct self in a manner that drives team cohesion, unity, and performance. 
• Create a culture of continuous improvement through leadership behaviors that identify solutions, create opportunities for team members, and inspire positivity. 
• Lead the Hospitality Center and Chalk Hill Estate operations to exceed customer service expectations while motivating team members to achieve goals and celebrate key milestones.
• Serve as the operational leader and steward of the Chalk Hill Estate, ensuring that all guest-facing areas consistently reflect luxury hospitality standards.
• Work closely with the Culinary Team to develop, coordinate and execute culinary offerings, wine and food experiences, private events and member programs.
• Partner with the Garden Team to ensure all gardens, pathways, outdoor venues and customer-facing landscapes are maintained at the highest standards and support exceptional guest experiences.
• Serve as the primary liaison and point of contact for family members and ownership while on property, ensuring a seamless, personalized and elevated experience.
• Oversee the presentation, readiness and upkeep of all estate buildings, hospitality venues, and guest-facing facilities.
• Conduct routine inspections of estate buildings, hospitality spaces and grounds to identify maintenance, repair and improvement opportunities.
• Partner with Facilities and Operations teams to prioritize and execute maintenance projects and preventative maintenance initiatives.
• Work closely with Winemaking and Cellar Operations teams to ensure estate facilities, operational areas and grounds are maintained to the highest standards.
• Collaborate across departments to ensure winery operations and guest experiences are aligned and effectively executed.
• Support direct reports in developing skills and coaching professional development. 
• Understand, uphold and train employees on the Foley Family Wines Core Values. 
• Deploy critical thinking and problem-solving skills when presented with challenges, projects, and additional responsibilities as assigned. 
• Work collaboratively across businesses to understand the needs of trade, VIP, member and special event programs and deliver best-in-class experiences across all guest types. 
• Works with business analysts and key stakeholders for tracking, processing and reporting of wine club, hospitality and sales performance metrics.
• Aggregate and organize customer data; develop and analyze reports on customer feedback and provide meaningful insights to senior leadership. 
• Act as a senior host for VIP guests, ownership groups, trade partners, media representatives and special visitors.
• Ensure the estate is always prepared for ownership visits, VIP events, special activations and public-facing hospitality experiences.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Other Abilities

• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• High level wine knowledge and the ability to execute experiences, tours, VIP tastings and trade tastings independently and at an expert level. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite required.  
• POS and cash handling experience is required. 
• Must have a commitment to excellence and high standards for hospitality and customer service. 
• Must have excellent written and oral communication skills as well as strong organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills. 
• Must have a professional appearance and demeanor. 
• Strong understanding of luxury hospitality, estate operations, facilities management and property stewardship.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and operational excellence.
• Ability to build strong relationships with ownership groups, VIP clientele, community partners, and senior leadership.
• Ability to maintain discretion and confidentiality while working with family members, ownership groups, and high-profile guests.
• Strong leadership and coaching skills with a proven ability to develop high-performing teams.
• Working knowledge of facility maintenance, grounds management, and operational planning preferred.
• When necessary, must be able to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends and holidays. 

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or a wine-related technical degree with a minimum of 5 years of hospitality-related experience is preferred. 
• 7+ years of progressive hospitality, estate, luxury resort, private club or winery management experience preferred.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing complex guest experiences.
• Wine industry experience is strongly preferred.

Physical Requirements

• An employee in this position will be performing a wide variety of tasks requiring attention to detail, calmness and creativity in dealing with employees and customers, and the ability to think and react quickly under pressure 
• Ability to communicate in a clear, understandable speaking voice, capable of communicating information to fellow employees, vendors and guests 
• Accurate and clear vision and hearing. Ability to work in standing or seated position for extended periods of time 
• Ability to repeatedly stoop, lift and carry 40 lb. cases of wine 
• Sufficient digital manipulation skills to utilize a computer keyboard 
• Ability to walk (for long periods of time) for purpose of event coordination 
• Capable of following reasonably complex directions as well as being able to effectively communicate with co-workers and customers by telephone, email and/or in person 

Work Environment

• The tasting room is a non-smoking work environment. Employees working in the tasting room are asked to not smoke during a workday or be free from any smell that may be associated with smoking. 
• No heavy perfumes, hand lotion or hair products are allowed as they can interfere with the tasting of wines.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee usually works in the tasting room with moderate noise levels, heavy people traffic, food, wine and business office machines. 

Company Core Values

Teamwork – Be a Spirited Partner

Commitment – Crush Every Day

Quality – Good vs. Grape: It’s All in The Details

Integrity – It Takes a Community

Safety – Tend the Vines

Entrepreneurship – Love the Wine You’re With

Fun! - Smile! You Have Purple Teeth!