Director Or Vice President - Van Duzer Vineyards

Job Description:

WineTalent Is Conducting a Director or Vice President Search for Van Duzer Vineyards

About the Company: Founded by Carl and Marilynn Thoma in 1998, Van Duzer Vineyards is a family-owned Willamette Valley estate winery since 1998. The family is preparing to introduce the THOMA wine brand in 2027. Learn more at vanduzervineyards.com and about the Thoma family’s philanthropic work at thomafoundation.org.

About the Position: This person will work directly with Carl Thoma to increase sales and build the national stature of Van Duzer Vineyards and THOMA wines. The first priority is to work with Carl to create a wine sales strategy in today’s tough environment. Selling more wine requires strategic and creative thinking about marketing, pricing, and partnerships. This role will create compelling programs and incentives that keep sales partners engaged, focused, and enthusiastic about representing the brands. This is a time of evolution and growth for Van Duzer Vineyards and THOMA, where a bright, driven, and entrepreneurial leader can excel. The successful candidate will work closely with and learn from an accomplished owner and business leader. The role is expected to grow into broader leadership, with the potential to become President and earn an ownership interest.

Key Responsibilities:
National Sales and Distribution:
•  Create and execute a focused national wholesale strategy for Van Duzer Vineyards and THOMA.
•  Personally develop distributor relationships, priority markets, and key accounts.
•  Secure influential, brand-enhancing placements and partnerships that generate revenue and visibility.
Go-to-Market Strategy and Brand Building:
•  Develop and lead the go-to-market strategy for the national introduction of THOMA.
•  Strengthen the positioning and commercial story of Van Duzer while accelerating growth of the family's high-end wines.
•  Guide public relations, marketing priorities, sales materials, and brand communications to ensure strategy and execution remain aligned.
•  This is not a “doing what has always been done” role but one of rethinking the brands’ messages and amplifying those messages in new and creative ways that increase the stature of the brands while capturing long-term consumer engagement.

Qualifications:
•  A love of wine.
•  An appreciation for art, design, farming, hospitality, luxury experiences, and storytelling.
•  Experience assuming responsibility for a brand and demonstrating the commitment that brand stewardship required. This means looking out for the welfare of the brands, the people behind them, and the health of the company.
•  While a love of wine is essential, the successful candidate may come from outside the wine industry. Relevant backgrounds could include management consulting, luxury or lifestyle brand marketing, Michelin-starred restaurant management, high-end resort hospitality, or another business requiring exceptional brand stewardship and customer engagement.
•  Entrepreneurial, creative, highly driven, and comfortable operating in a small company where initiative and follow-through are essential.
•  The confidence and interpersonal skills to work closely and productively with an involved owner and an established winery team.
•  Willingness to travel extensively throughout the United States and visit Oregon approximately quarterly, with additional visits as business needs require.

What This Means for You:
•  You will work directly with the owner on the company’s most important immediate question: How can a small, high-end estate sell more wine in a tough market?
•  Marketing strategy, pricing, incentives, and relationships are all yours to shape.
•  If you have the judgment and drive to increase sales and create sustainable growth, the role offers a potential path to the President role and an ownership interest.

Compensation and Benefits:
•  Competitive salary plus performance-based incentive bonus. Benefits include employer paid health insurance, retirement contribution and PTO.

About WineTalent: WineTalent is a wine-industry-focused recruitment company. We work closely with our clients and job seekers to find the right fit for both the candidate and the company. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.

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