Director, Sales & Brand Education

Constellation Brands•Napa, CA

23h•$140,100 - $303,300

About The Position

The Director of Education sets and leads the Wine & Spirits education and capability-building strategy. The role develops programs that strengthen brand knowledge, luxury selling capabilities, product expertise, and commercial execution across internal teams and distributor partners. It leads a team responsible for scalable education experiences, including foundational curriculum, advanced wine and spirits education, sales training, digital learning, and experiential programming. The Director partners with Brand, Sales, Commercial Excellence, Hospitality, and other cross-functional leaders to translate business priorities into education strategies that build capability and deliver measurable impact. The position oversees education strategy and content, commercial and luxury capability development, digital learning and technology, field activation, measurement, and the education budget. It leads administration of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) program and serves as Lead Educator for Level 2 and 3 courses. The role is based in Napa, California, with Virtual - US also listed as an additional location, and requires regular domestic and international travel of 30–50%, including overnight stays as business requires.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required, ideally in Communications, Business Administration, Marketing, Education, or a related field.
12–15 years of relevant Wine & Spirits industry experience in Commercial Sales, Marketing, Education, or Hospitality.
Minimum WSET Level 3 in Wine, ideally Level 4; Level 2 in Spirits or equivalent qualification such as CMS Advanced, CWE, or CSS.
Learning and Development leadership experience, including leading a team and curriculum development.
Demonstrated team leadership and motivational skills.
Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
Experience presenting to groups virtually and in person.
Excellent computer skills, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel; knowledge of webinar and online presentation platforms.
Proficiency in creating and delivering engaging, effective presentations.
Ability to build productive working relationships across functions.
Strong organizational skills, self-discipline, and follow-through.
Solid understanding of the three-tier distribution system.
Financial and budgetary management skills.
Passion for the wine and spirits industry.
Must be at least 21 years of age.
Must be able to travel regularly, domestically and internationally, 30–50%, and stay overnight as business requires.
Must be able to sit and/or stand for long periods and work on a computer for extended periods.

Nice To Haves

WSET Level 3 Certificate in Spirits and Level 4 Certificate in Wine.
WSET Nominated and/or Certified Educator for Wine and Spirits.
Experience in teaching, training, or an education field or role.
Knowledge of Adobe Suite, including Premiere Pro, InDesign, and Photoshop.
Experience developing or editing video content for social media.
Knowledge of LMS systems management.

Responsibilities

Set and lead the Wine & Spirits education and capability-building strategy, aligning priorities with business, brand, and commercial objectives.
Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of education professionals, with clear priorities, accountability, and development plans.
Translate Fine Wine and Craft Spirits strategies into scalable education, tools, and enablement programs across DTC, Hospitality, Brand Marketing, and Commercial teams.
Partner with senior Commercial, Brand, and Hospitality leaders to identify capability gaps and establish education priorities aligned with business objectives.
Build an integrated Wine & Spirits learning ecosystem spanning brand education, luxury selling, wine and spirits expertise, commercial capabilities, and experiential learning.
Develop scalable programs and tools to strengthen selling capabilities, elevate brand storytelling, and improve execution across internal teams and distributor partners.
Lead administration of the WSET program and serve as Lead Educator for Level 2 and 3 courses.
Build and manage foundational and advanced sales training initiatives tailored to commercial and business needs.
Establish reinforcement strategies that sustain adoption and application of learning.
Partner with business leaders to identify emerging capability needs and develop solutions supporting strategic priorities.
Collaborate with Brand, Sales, Marketing, Hospitality, Events, Commercial Excellence, Talent Development, and IT to align education with business objectives.
Set strategy and standards for education content across training modules, e-learning, webinars, job aids, digital platforms, and experiential programs.
Collaborate with Talent Development on New Hire Salute Onboarding and implement Envoy onboarding for Wine & Spirits.
Ensure education programs and content consistently express the Wine & Spirits brands and portfolio in a differentiated and compelling way.
Establish KPIs and measurement frameworks for learner engagement, capability improvement, application of learning, and business impact; use insights to optimize programs and investment.
Provide regular follow-up and sustain learnings shared across teams.
Work with leaders to prioritize performance and execution standards, and identify and develop future leaders through targeted programs.
Define the digital learning strategy, leveraging LMS platforms, emerging technologies, AI-enabled learning tools, video, and digital content to scale education and improve learner engagement.
Identify innovative approaches, research methodologies, and learning practices that improve education effectiveness and accessibility.
Evaluate external partners and emerging learning capabilities, and manage strategic vendor relationships and investments as appropriate.
Assess opportunities to modernize and scale learning experiences for internal and distributor audiences.
Partner with internal and distributor teams to assess capability needs, understand execution opportunities, and ensure education translates into practical application.
Build relationships with leaders across Sales, Brand Marketing, Commercial Excellence, Hospitality, Operations, Finance, and distributor organizations.
Use field insights and feedback to improve education strategies, tools, and programs.
Oversee the Wine & Spirits education budget and ensure strategic allocation and cost-effective use of resources.
Prioritize investments based on business needs, learning impact, scalability, and organizational priorities.
Manage external partners, vendors, and resources supporting education programs.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned.