Hospitality Lead

Tasting Room Lead

At Oliver Winery, every visit tells a story, Join the team behind the #2 tasting room in the country, as awarded by Newsweek Magazine, and help create unforgettable wine experiences at one of the Midwest's most iconic wineries.

The Hospitality Lead is a full-time member of the Hospitality team. This position reports to the Hospitality Director and supports both the Events & Experience Manager and the Hospitality Manager. Primary responsibilities include Tasting Room operations (including keyholding), coordination and execution of special events, food and supply ordering/receiving, food and picnic preparation, and supporting daily tasting room experiences.

The ideal candidate is flexible, highly organized, and enjoys multitasking while engaging with a variety of guests and team members.

The Tasting Room Lead is a full-time, hourly, floor-level role within the Hospitality team. This position reports to the Hospitality Manager and provides day-to-day floor support to both the Hospitality Manager and the Events and Experience Manager by helping ensure established procedures and guest experience standards are consistently followed on the Tasting Room floor. The Tasting Room Lead executes existing procedures, provides limited, day-to-day coaching to teammates on established standards, and serves as an on-floor keyholder resource during shifts and events.

The Tasting Room Lead helps maintain consistency across a team that turns over multiple times per year by reinforcing training already established by management, and by acting as a day-to-day point of continuity on the floor between management direction and daily execution.

The Tasting Room Lead also provides administrative support for events coordination and retail operations, assisting the Events and Experience Manager and Hospitality Manager as needed. The role's primary focus remains on-floor: guest experience, keyholder duties, and limited, day-to-day coaching support.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

Tasting Room Operations — Supporting the Hospitality Manager

• Serve as a Level II Keyholder:
• Perform opening and closing duties for the Tasting Room.
• Conduct and assist in coordinating reserved experiences.
• Provide and lead sensational customer service.
• Provide daily floor coverage and help coordinate among Tasting Room staff during shifts, following priorities set by the Hospitality Manager.
• Help monitor service standards, cleanliness, and completion of daily operational checklists on the floor.
• Flag floor-level staffing, inventory, or product data issues to the Hospitality Manager for resolution.

Event Support — Supporting the Events and Experience Manager

• Serve as the on-site keyholder host for private and public events, providing floor-level support since event hosting requires keyholder authority not held by part-time event staff.
• Assist with offsite events as needed when keyholder presence is required.
• Partner with the Events and Experience Manager on day-of event logistics requiring keyholder presence.
• Help reinforce event-readiness standards on the floor using training materials provided by the Events and Experience Manager.

Training & Onboarding Support — Supporting Both Managers

• Deliver on-floor onboarding walkthroughs for new Tasting Room hires using materials and procedures established by the Hospitality Manager.
• Provide limited, in-the-moment coaching to fellow team members on standard operating procedures for reserved experiences, picnics, and guest service standards.
• Reinforce event-readiness training materials provided by the Events and Experience Manager.
• Serve as a peer resource and go-to contact for new hires during their initial ramp-up period.
• Provide ongoing, informal coaching and tips to current staff as needed to help maintain day-to-day service consistency.

Support Duties

• Provide general administrative support to the Hospitality Manager and Events and Experience Manager as needed.
• Assist with event-related administrative tasks, such as event inquiries or calendar updates, as directed by the Events and Experience Manager.
• Assist with retail administrative tasks, such as invoice reconciliation or POS data entry, as directed by the Hospitality Manager.
• Assist with answering phones and responding to general guest inquiries.
• Flag guest or floor-level concerns to the on-duty manager as needed.

Qualifications / Requirements

• High School Diploma/GED or Associate's Degree required.
• Minimum of two years of customer service or retail experience required.
• Prior experience training or coaching peers preferred.
• Must be at least 21 years of age due to the nature of the business.

Core Competencies & Expectations

• Floor Execution & Reliability: Reliably executes daily Tasting Room priorities and keyholder duties with minimal oversight, following procedures set by the Hospitality Manager and Events and Experience Manager.
• Coaching & Peer Support: Provides limited, day-to-day coaching using established training content to help onboard and orient new team members, especially valuable given frequent staff turnover.
• Attention to Detail & Execution: Produces accurate, thorough work with a high level of attention to detail while maintaining efficiency.
• Collaboration & Problem Solving: Contributes to a team-oriented environment through effective communication and collaborative problem-solving with both managers.
• Adaptability & Agility: Manages multiple priorities and adjusts quickly in a fast-paced environment.
• Coachability: Open to feedback and able to quickly apply learnings to improve performance.
• Professional Communication: Builds strong relationships and communicates effectively with guests, vendors, team members, and leadership.
• Strong interest in wine and winemaking.

In addition, all successful winery employees will:

• Contribute to a positive work environment through attitude and effort.
• Be engaged and committed to doing their best work every day.
• Model winery values: Respect People, Expect Quality, Think Differently, and Get Stuff Done.

Physical Demands / Work Environment

This position requires the ability to stand, walk, bend, and lift for up to 8 hours per day. Must be able to lift and carry up to 40 pounds while working on the retail floor.

Performance Standards

• Annual performance review conducted by management.
• Annual goals established collaboratively with supervisor.

Schedule & Availability

This is a full-time position (40 hours per week). Due to the nature of the role, there is no set schedule, and hours will vary based on event programming and retail needs. This position requires a high level of flexibility, including evenings, weekends, and extended hours as needed.

FLSA Classification: Full-Time, Non-Exempt