Vice President of Winery Operations

DFG BEVERAGE LLC•Hopland, CA

12d•$228,000 - $285,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President of Winery Operations is the senior site leader for McDowell Valley Winery in Hopland, California. The role provides executive leadership and strategic direction across production, bottling and distribution, quality, supply chain and planning, maintenance, facilities, and capital improvement initiatives. It is accountable for overall site performance, including safety, quality, service, cost, productivity, employee engagement, financial performance, and achievement of strategic business objectives. The position operates in a matrix environment and aligns priorities and execution across direct-report and matrixed functions. It partners closely with Winemaking, Finance, Human Resources, Quality, Procurement, IT, and Warehousing to establish shared priorities, resolve conflicts, and ensure execution supports site and enterprise objectives. The role provides leadership in operational excellence, safety and compliance, product quality, financial and business management, supply chain and inventory, maintenance and capital planning, people development, strategic planning, and stakeholder relations. The position works in both office and production environments, with regular presence in production, bottling, warehouse, and facility areas. Occasional travel may be required, and additional hours may be required based on business and operational needs. DFG Beverage produces wines at McDowell Valley Winery, home of Josh Cellars. The company describes its approach as sustainable and quality-driven, and its mission is to inspire wine drinkers with premium responsibly crafted products.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Food Science, Enology, Supply Chain, or a related field.
At least 15 years of progressively responsible operations and manufacturing leadership experience.
At least 7 years in senior operational leadership roles with responsibility for multiple functions, significant financial and capital accountability, and leadership across direct and matrixed teams.
Experience leading large-scale manufacturing or production operations, including budgeting, workforce leadership, operational improvement, and capital planning.
Experience managing complex production planning, supply chain, maintenance, and inventory requirements.
Experience leading across a matrixed organization, including accountability for outcomes delivered through functions with separate direct reporting lines.
Strong knowledge of winery, beverage, or comparable manufacturing operations, including production, bottling, quality systems, supply chain, maintenance, and facilities.
Ability to develop and execute operational strategy.
Strong financial acumen and experience managing operating and capital budgets.
Ability to use operational metrics and data to drive decision-making and continuous improvement.
Strong leadership and organizational development capabilities.
Ability to lead effectively in a matrix environment, influence without direct authority, clarify shared accountability, resolve competing priorities, and build effective partnerships.
Excellent communication, influence, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to lead through change and operate effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Strong judgment, business acumen, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work the assigned schedule and additional hours as required by business and operational needs.
Ability to comply with applicable safety and personal protective equipment requirements.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA.
Experience in wine, beverage, food manufacturing, or another complex manufacturing environment.
Winery and bottling operations experience is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational leadership for winery production, bottling, supply chain and planning, maintenance, facilities, and related operations, with site leadership and matrix accountability for warehousing and distribution.
Lead the site leadership team and establish shared operating priorities, performance expectations, decision rights, and key performance indicators aligned with site and enterprise objectives.
Develop and execute strategies to improve safety, quality, productivity, service, efficiency, and cost performance.
Champion continuous improvement, operational discipline, and accountability across the facility.
Ensure appropriate staffing, resources, equipment, systems, and processes are in place to meet production and business requirements.
Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, company policies, and industry standards.
Establish and reinforce a strong safety culture, identify operational risks, implement corrective and preventive measures, and promote safe work practices and employee well-being.
Maintain product quality, consistency, process control, and operational execution; establish, maintain, and improve quality control procedures, including compliance with ISO 9001 requirements.
Collaborate with Winemaking and Quality teams to protect product integrity and product excellence.
Develop and manage the annual operating budget, capital budget, and longer-term financial plans; monitor performance against budgets, forecasts, and targets.
Identify and implement opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce waste, manage costs, and increase operational effectiveness without compromising safety or quality.
Partner with the Plant Controller on budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, inventory management, and overall financial and operational performance.
Evaluate major operational investments using financial and business analysis, and deliver annual operating plan commitments for productivity, cost, service, inventory, and capital.
Lead production planning, bottling scheduling, inventory management, and availability of materials and supplies.
Partner with Procurement and cross-functional teams to ensure timely and cost-effective availability of raw materials, packaging materials, and operating supplies.
Partner with the matrixed warehouse organization to establish service, inventory, storage, labor, and performance priorities; clarify decision rights; and address issues affecting site execution.
Align production and bottling schedules with business priorities, demand requirements, and operational capacity; optimize inventory while balancing production, service, storage, cost, and risk.
Provide strategic oversight of facility maintenance, equipment reliability, and infrastructure, and ensure preventive and predictive maintenance programs are established and maintained.
Establish capital priorities based on safety, quality, productivity, capacity, reliability, and return on investment.
Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a high-performing operations leadership team and a cohesive site leadership team across direct and matrixed functions.
Establish accountability, decision-making authority, and performance expectations; develop leadership capability and succession plans for key operational positions.
Build and sustain a site culture grounded in safety, accountability, collaboration, inclusion, continuous learning, and employee engagement; serve as a visible and accessible facility leader.
Ensure leaders provide regular employee feedback, coaching, development opportunities, and clear performance expectations.
Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, talent development, organizational design, employee relations, and succession planning.
Contribute to long-term operational and business strategy with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
Identify opportunities for operational growth, automation, innovation, and modernization, and evaluate capabilities against current and future business requirements.
Stay informed about emerging technologies, industry trends, regulatory developments, and best practices affecting winery and beverage operations.
Translate business strategy into measurable operational priorities and execution plans; lead major change initiatives and ensure changes are implemented and sustained.
Represent the Hopland facility with regulators, community stakeholders, strategic suppliers, customers, and other key partners.
Represent the winery during audits, inspections, customer visits, and key business reviews.
Partner with corporate leadership and ownership on significant site initiatives and strategic priorities.