WineTalent Classifieds: Production Cost Accountant and Analyst role in the Napa Valley

WineTalent is working with our client, Far Niente Family of Wineries and Vineyards, on an Accountant role within the Napa Valley.

About the Company:  Far Niente is a group of well-respected wineries and sustainably grown vineyards.  The six wine brands have widespread distribution and a strong direct-to-consumer business.  

About the Position:  The Production Cost Accountant and Analyst will apply the principles of accounting to analyze financial information and prepare financial reports by compiling information, preparing account reconciliations, and utilizing appropriate accounting control procedures.  The role provides accounting support in inventory, COGS reporting and analysis, account reconciliations, monthly close activities and end of year accounting resolution. 

Responsibilities:  

• Assists in month-end accounting close by performing accurate and timely completion of assigned financial close activities. 
• Performs complex analysis functions, reviews sub-ledger transactions and posts entries to general ledger accounts. 
• Responsible for the preparation of more complex account reconciliation and analysis.
• Perform analysis and forecasts on project and operational production costs.  
• Recommends and supports improvement opportunities and/or risks based on review and analysis of variances. 
• Develop and report key metrics to senior management. 
• Applies cost principles to analyze project costs and reconcile variances.
• Supports audit and regulatory requests, generates ad hoc analyses reports ensuring needed financial information is presented clearly, consistently, and on time.  
• Assists with specialized and complex assignments.

Requirements:

• Bachelor degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or closely related discipline.  Experience in lieu of a degree will also be considered.
• Can-do attitude, with at least 5 years of closely related work experience.
• Knowledge of finance, accounting, and cost control principles including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. 

Desirable Qualifications:

• Experience with NAV, Adaptive Planning and Vintrace strongly desirable. 
• Experience in manufacturing (including but not limited to wine industry) accounting highly desirable.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proven effective communication skills, both verbally and in writing, working with various levels throughout an organization.

Compensation and Benefits:

• This is a full-time, salaried position
• Competitive compensation depending on experience plus benefits including medical, dental and vision coverage, paid time off and 401(k).

About WineTalent:  WineTalent is a wine industry focused recruitment company. We work closely with our clients and our job seekers to find the right fit of talents, experience and work environment. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.  

Please email resume and all inquiries to amy@winetalent.net  

WineTalent:  The Right People for the Job

WineTalent Classifieds: Senior Financial Analyst in the Napa Valley

WineTalent is working with our client, Far Niente Family of Wineries and Vineyards, on a Senior Financial Analyst role within the Napa Valley.

About the Company:  Far Niente is a group of well-respected wineries and sustainably grown vineyards.  The six wine brands have widespread distribution and a strong direct-to-consumer business.  

About the Position:  The Senior Financial Analyst is responsible for the day-to-day analytical support for the company’s sales divisions and overall wine operations. This position requires ethical conduct and thoroughness in conjunction with critical thinking, attention to detail and strong time management skills.  

Responsibilities:  

• Support budgeting, forecasting and longer-term planning processes by providing revenue and cost inputs, including drivers and assumptions for various channels and products
• Assist in tracking consolidated cased goods inventory reporting
• Track marketing metrics to help measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
• Serve as interface between 3rd party data providers and develop, maintain and identify inaccuracies for daily dashboards
• Perform ad hoc analysis of daily business issues and provide sales support for the company
• Analyze and explain variances and prepare reporting package and presentation for monthly Management financial review
• Proactively analyze profitability trends - evaluating revenue, cost of goods sold and operational expenses and make recommendations to various teams
• Ability to navigate the three-tier system, recognize depletion trends and evaluate pricing
• Ability to organize and efficiently manipulate large data sets in Excel
• Work extended hours during peak times

Requirements:

• BS/BA in finance or business-related discipline
• Minimum of three years of increasingly responsible experience in a sales finance role with financial planning/analytics and modeling experience
• Experience in budgeting/forecasting and explaining a P&L
• Proficiency in Targit is a strong preference. Familiarity with Adaptive and NAV are highly desirable
• Advanced computer skills, especially in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word
• Successful candidate will be a very motivated self-starter and be able to work without daily guidance

Desirable Qualifications:

• Strategic thinker with highly competent analytical skills 
• Versatile, flexible, and willing to work within constantly changing priorities with enthusiasm
• Positive, energetic, engaging and able to maintain composure under pressure
• Team-oriented professional who is willing to help and support others in their work to contribute to the overall success of the Company 
• Detail oriented, with ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly
• Curious and pro-active in recognizing trends and able to recommend action-oriented insights
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
• Prioritizes and balances workload to respond to new reporting and data requests
• Service orientation - maintains collaborative relationships with multi-functional teams while managing relationships and expectations of management and their various team members

Compensation and Benefits:

• This is a full-time, salaried position
• Competitive compensation depending on experience plus benefits including medical, dental and  vision coverage, paid time off and 401(k).

About WineTalent:  WineTalent is a wine industry focused recruitment company. We work closely with our clients and our job seekers to find the right fit of talents, experience and work environment. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.

Please email resume and all inquiries to amy@winetalent.net  

WineTalent:  The Right People for the Job

Winery Intern Positions Job Board

Wineries need good interns for the 2020 harvest.  If you are looking for a job, would enjoy learning how wine is made, and are ready to work hard with great people, visit the Napa Valley Vintners job board:  https://napavintners.com/wineries/harvest-interns-needed.asp

Job Board Created for Napa Valley Wineries Hiring this Harvest Season

7/15/2020 - St. Helena, CA – The Napa Valley Vintners has launched a matchmaking webpage that connects job seekers with Napa Valley winemaking teams looking to hire this harvest season.  

In a typical year, Napa Valley’s harvest intern positions are largely sought out by international applicants. With the interruption of international travel, and a freeze on J-1 educational exchange visas related to Covid-19, winemakers are optimistic that workforce needs will be filled by local talent.    

More than 25 Napa Valley wineries are currently seeking interns, and hope to attract workers who want to deepen their wine knowledge or wish to explore a career in winemaking. 

“A harvest internship provides an opportunity to learn about every aspect of wine production and can be helpful for those considering a career in winemaking as well as for those in related industries,” said Matt Reid, winemaker at Benessere Vineyards.  

“Understanding the process of winemaking can yield insights that are helpful to many careers. For example, a wine buyer can ask better-informed questions, or a sommelier can better describe how a wine was produced,” said Reid. 

While prior cellar experience is not necessary, there are several character traits that winemakers agree are essential to working a harvest.  

“Those that have the highest aptitude for the work typically possess a maniacal attention to detail, a tireless work ethic, and the ability to meet adverse situations head on, all while keeping an upbeat attitude,” said Josh Widaman, winemaker at Lewis Cellars. 

For those who might wonder what role a harvest intern plays, Widaman said, “Every task that they complete is integral to the making of wine. We hope that they will leave here with an in-depth knowledge of the complete process from dirt to glass.” 

Applicants are encouraged to explore job postings at https://napavintners.com/wineries/harvest-interns-needed.asp.  

About the Napa Valley Vintners 
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its 550 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, to provide environmental leadership and to care for the extraordinary place they call home. Learn more at napavintners.com.

Contact: Teresa Wall, Senior Director of Marketing Communications - 707-968-4210, twall@napavintners.com

WineTalent Classifieds: Director of Events and Hospitality

WineTalent is working with our client, Castello di Amorosa, on a Director of Events and Hospitality role.  The Director will be responsible for bringing in events to this phenomenal property and managing the events to ensure all guests have a world-class experience at the Castle.  

About Castello di Amorosa:  The property is an amazing and unique event venue in Calistoga.  The winery is an authentically-styled 13^th century Tuscan castle winery.  The winery was voted the Best Tasting Room in the US this year by USA Today.  Events at the winery can be held for groups of 200 to 1000, ranging from social parties, corporate events, wine club get-togethers and industry meetings.  The property is vibrant and sophisticated, creating limitless opportunities to create memorable events for guests.

About the Job:  The Director of Events and Hospitality will be promoting the property as a premier venue for corporate and social events.  This person will be handling new business development with hospitality professionals as well as planning and managing memorable events for guests.  The Director will interact closely with industry contacts at a wide variety of businesses including destination management companies, caterers, corporate event planners, as well as resort and hotel event managers.  The ideal candidate will have a strong network of meeting professionals and a keen understanding of the needs and desires of the luxury resort guest.  The Director of Events and Hospitality will also work closely with primary guests to plan and execute world class events throughout the year.  This role manages a team of event professionals and ensures that events are carried out to the highest level of guest satisfaction. 

Requirements:  A successful Director of Events and Hospitality will have the following:

·       Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management, Hospitality, Tourism, Recreation, Business or a closely related discipline.  Industry experience in lieu of a degree will also be considered.

·       Proven track record in event sales and business development within the hospitality, resort or related industry.

·       Excellent understanding of the Napa Valley and the venues for events in it.

·       Highly tuned eye for luxury.

·       Effortless ability to build rapport in person, on the telephone and through electronic communications. 

·       An ability to work with your team to create memorable and creative events for a wide range of guests.

·       Commitment to creating a strong team work culture within your department to ensure events are carried out to the highest level of customer satisfaction.

·       Ability to represent the winery and its affiliated companies throughout the hospitality and wine industry to continuously promote and support the resort. 

·       Dedicated and professional work habits with a desire to build business and support a luxury brand in Napa Valley.

Compensation and Benefits:

·       This is a full-time, salaried position.

·       Competitive compensation depending on experience including performance bonus, medical/dental insurance, paid vacation and 401(k).

About WineTalent:  WineTalent is a wine industry focused recruitment company.  We work closely with our clients and our job seekers to find the right fit of talents, experience and work environment.  All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.

WineTalent:  The Right People for the Job

To Apply:  Email your resume to amy@winetalent.net.  

WineTalent Classifieds: Winemaker in Mendocino, CA

WineTalent is working with our client, Redwood Valley Cellars, to find a Winemaker to manage the production and cellar team, and to serve as the leader of the winemaking team.  This position oversees the wines from vineyard to bottle, as well as working with custom crush clients to produce quality wines for their wine programs. The Winemaker will be handling the overall management, direction and coordination of strategic planning for the family owned, 1.2 million case custom crush and storage facility.  Additionally, the Winemaker will be handling all of the winemaking activities for the company’s estate grown, organically farmed, Barra of Mendocino and Girasole Vineyards brands.  This position will interact closely with other departments to support the brand in the market, to represent the company at trade events, and to manage business relationships. 

Responsibilities: 

Production:

·      Manage and direct production processes to maximize capacity and efficiency

·      Adherence to safety, quality, regulatory compliance and the company’s vision. 

·      Assure effective communication among production staff including consulting winemakers and other staff as well as with other departments, managers and owners.

·      Promote strong relationships with custom crush clients. 

·      Effectively and timely manage production issues and consistently reach satisfactory resolutions. 

·      Ability to troubleshoot and create new SOP’s to eliminate production problems, ensure safety and increase efficiency.

·      Lead the Safety Management Committee

·      Direct the winemaking team in daily execution of Work Orders including record keeping.

·      Direct supervision of winemaking team and cellar crew.

·      Hire, train and coach winemaking and cellar team, including harvest cellar crew.

·      Work collaboratively with the Chief Operations Officer for the purchase and maintenance of production equipment and winemaking supplies.

Administration:  

·      Responsible for compliance with local, county, state and federal agencies.

·      Budget preparation and management of production to budget.

·      Assistance with administrative tasks as needed to ensure a highly functioning operation.

Qualifications and Requirements: 

• 10 or more years of winemaking experience in a similar sized winery.
• Prior personnel management experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Enology, Fermentation Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related field.  Industry work experience will also be considered in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree.
• Knowledgeable of all cellar equipment and an understanding of proper use, maintenance, sanitation and repair.
• Excellent mechanical aptitude
• Effective communication skills to manage the production team, interact and support other company departments and ensure strong relationships with custom crush clients.
• Microsoft Office experience.  AMS fluency highly desirable.
• Valid Driver’s license.
• Spanish language skills a plus.

Compensation and Benefits:

·       This is a full-time, salaried position.

All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.  Please visit www.winetalent.net for contact information to email your resume to us.  

WineTalent:  The Right People for the Job