Events & Tasting Room Assistant Manager
Hours & Pay Information
- Full-time, salaried position
- $45,000 annual salary
- 15 days paid time off annually
- Typical schedule of approximately 40 hours per week
- Schedule will vary based on tasting room operations and events
- Evening and weekend availability is required, with flexibility around event schedules
- Opportunity to earn additional compensation through event coordination fees as the employee becomes trained and takes on independent event management
McPherson Cellars is seeking an organized, energetic, and hospitality-minded Events & Tasting Room Assistant Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of our tasting room and coordinate private events, winery events, and special programming.
This is a hands-on management role for someone who enjoys working with people, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and can confidently move between guest service, staff leadership, event coordination, and daily operations.
The Events & Tasting Room Assistant Manager will work closely with the Hospitality & Wine Club Director. Together, the two positions will collaborate on staffing, guest experience, winery programming, and front-of-house operations, while each maintaining primary responsibility for their respective areas.
Responsibilities
Tasting Room Management
- Oversee daily tasting room operations and ensure a welcoming, polished guest experience.
- Lead, support, and supervise tasting room staff during service.
- Create and manage tasting room staff schedules, including coordinating shift coverage and staffing needs.
- Assist with hiring, training, and ongoing wine and hospitality education.
- Maintain tasting room standards, including opening and closing procedures, cleanliness, organization, and presentation.
- Monitor tasting room and retail inventory and coordinate restocking needs.
- Assist with POS operations, daily sales reconciliation, reporting, and other administrative tasks.
- Handle guest questions, concerns, and special requests with professionalism.
- Work with the Hospitality & Wine Club Director to identify opportunities to improve front-of-house operations and guest experience.
Events
- Coordinate and execute private events, winery events, live music, classes, parties, and other special programming.
- Communicate directly with event clients from initial planning through event completion.
- Coordinate event details, setup, staffing, vendor needs, timelines, service, and breakdown.
- Manage event staffing and ensure the team is prepared for each event.
- Work closely with winery leadership and outside vendors to ensure events run smoothly.
- Maintain organized event calendars, records, and client information.
- Help identify opportunities to improve and grow winery events and guest programming.
- As experience grows, independently manage events and take greater ownership of event coordination.
Hospitality
- Provide knowledgeable and approachable wine service.
- Conduct tastings and assist guests with wine selections and purchases as needed.
- Support wine club events, special tastings, VIP visits, and other winery programming.
- Represent McPherson Cellars professionally at winery and community events.
- Create an environment that encourages guests to return, join the wine club, and build a lasting relationship with the winery.
- Step into service and other front-of-house responsibilities whenever needed.
Qualifications
- Previous hospitality, restaurant, tasting room, retail, or event experience preferred.
- Previous supervisory or management experience strongly preferred.
- Excellent communication, organization, and customer service skills.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Comfortable leading a team, managing schedules, and making decisions independently.
- Interest in wine and willingness to continue learning; previous wine knowledge is a plus.
- Comfortable learning POS, scheduling, event management, and other winery systems.
- Must be available to work evenings and weekends as needed for tasting room operations and events.
- Must be 21 years of age or older.
- Ability to stand for extended periods and assist with event setup, including lifting and moving supplies when necessary.
The Ideal Candidate
You are warm and personable while also being highly organized and dependable. You notice the details, enjoy creating memorable experiences, and aren’t afraid to jump in wherever you’re needed. You are comfortable leading a team and taking ownership of the tasting room while also enjoying the planning and execution that goes into a successful event. You can move between managing staff, communicating with an event client, solving a problem, and pouring a tasting without losing sight of the guest experience. This position plays an important role in creating the experience guests have when they walk through the doors at McPherson Cellars.