Compliance Specialist

Hood River Distillers is seeking a detail-oriented Compliance Specialist to join our team. This role is primarily responsible for ensuring the company's compliance with federal and state alcohol beverage regulations, including licensing, bonding, and reporting.

The ideal candidate will manage the full scope of regulatory filings and renewals, from maintaining licenses, permits, and bonds to preparing and submitting required federal and state tax and regulatory reports. This person will stay current on changes in alcohol beverage law and serve as a key resource for senior management, translating complex tax and regulatory processes into clear, actionable guidance. Accuracy and attention to detail are essential, as is the ability to manage multiple deadlines and maintain thorough records to support audits and regulatory inquiries.

A Bachelor's degree and a minimum of five years of bookkeeping experience are required. Experience in the alcohol industry is preferred. Strong written and verbal communication skills are a must, along with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively across accounting, sales, and operations teams.

SUMMARY

Manages federal and state regulatory compliance including shipment reporting, license renewals, brand registrations, and Federal Label approvals with the TTB. Oversees out-of-state tax reporting, in-bond shipping coordination, and manufacturer payment processing. Maintains compliance records and provides guidance on regulatory interpretation to minimize organizational risk. Responsible for tracking bulk liquid from receipt through finished good shipment in accordance with TTB. Researches inventory discrepancies as needed.


ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Regulatory Compliance & Reporting

• Prepare and submit all required TTB reports, including the Brewer's, Winemaker's, and Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) operational reports (TTB Form 5110.40) on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis
• Maintain the distillery's DSP permit and manage all permit amendments, renewals, and correspondence with the TTB
• Ensure compliance with the Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act, including formula approvals, label applications (COLA), and advertising regulations
• Manage state licensing and permit renewals across all markets where the company holds distribution rights
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes at the federal and state levels and communicate impacts to leadership
• Coordinate with the TTB and state agencies during audits and inspections; prepare documentation and serve as the on-site compliance contact
• Maintain records in accordance with TTB record-keeping requirements (27 CFR Parts 19 and 26), ensuring all documents are retained for the required statutory period

Inventory Control

• Oversee and maintain the distillery's Gauge Book and production records, tracking all spirits from raw material receipt through fermentation, distillation, maturation, bottling, and shipment
• Conduct and document required physical gauges of spirits in tanks, barrels, and bottling lines; reconcile physical counts against system records
• Administer the Inventory Management System (IMS) or ERP platform for spirits tracking; identify and resolve variances between physical and book inventory
• Manage the bond and in-transit records for tax-determined and tax-deferred spirits, ensuring accurate tax liability calculations
• Coordinate with the warehouse and production teams to ensure proper documentation of all transfers between bonded premises, including DSP-to-DSP transfers
• Oversee destruction, dumping, and loss records in compliance with TTB requirements, including filing of claims for spirits lost to casualty or processing loss
• Prepare and submit the monthly Tax Return for Distilled Spirits (TTB Form 5000.24), ensuring accurate excise tax reporting and timely payment

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with the production team to ensure all batch records, distillation logs, and blending records are complete and compliant
• Work with the finance team on excise tax accruals, bond liability reporting, and audit support
• Train production and warehouse staff on compliance-related procedures, recordkeeping requirements, and regulatory updates
• Support the sales and marketing teams with COLA submissions, formula approvals, and state product registration filings

OTHER DUTIES

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

No employee supervisory responsibilities but cross training is required.

COMPANY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support HRD's mission, vision, and core values
• Contribute to and support the strategic plan, annual priorities, and HRD initiatives
• Contribute to a positive HRD culture based on mutual respect, cooperation, support, and openness to many perspectives

• Maintain confidentiality

• Adhere to Hood River Distillers Employee handbook policies, company standards and procedures

QUALIFICATIONS

The individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, Business Administration or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 3+ years of experience in regulatory compliance, preferably within the distilled spirits, beer, or wine industry
• Working knowledge of TTB regulations (27 CFR Parts 1, 5, 7, 19, and 26) and federal excise tax requirements
• Proficiency with inventory management or ERP systems and Microsoft Excel
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for agency correspondence and internal reporting

Preferred

• Experience working directly with TTB and/or state alcohol control agencies
• Familiarity with COLA Online, TTB portal, and Pay.gov
• Knowledge of brandy or whiskey maturation and barrel inventory management
• CPA, paralegal certification, or completed coursework in beverage alcohol compliance

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and interpret federal and state regulations. Advanced ability to write with professional proficiency. Ability to communicate effectively in a professional manner with members of regulatory agencies, company management, customers and employees.


MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra.

COMPUTER SKILLS

Proficient technical capacity. Strong typing skills are required. Microsoft Excel, Windows and Office experience necessary.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to predict and manage common delays to the license, registration and bond process. Ability to reconcile lengthy detailed reports. Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. Ability to multitask and prioritize.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, this position is frequently sedentary and primarily involves sitting and standing; alternate sitting or standing at will; keyboarding; talking and hearing. The employee is required to walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; twist, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus and the ability to view a computer screen for prolonged periods.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in a professional office environment with the expectation of working independently as well as in a group and/or collaborative setting. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

LOCATION/POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK

This position is based in Hood River, Oregon. It is a full-time, salaried position with the expectation of working forty (40) hours a week. Typical business days and hours of work are Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. Any change in hours is to be approved by manager.