Direct to Consumer Marketing Manager (Marketing)

An industry leader, The Wine Group is one of the world's foremost producers of award-winning wines across more than 60 wine brands and many winery facilities in California, New York, and Australia. Headquartered in Livermore, California, TWG is an industry innovator when it comes to developing, marketing, and selling wine brands beloved by consumers around the world, including Cupcake, Franzia, Benziger, Imagery, Tribute, 7 Deadly, Cooper & Thief, The Dreaming Tree, Charles Smith Wines, and more. The Wine Group believes in producing wine using sustainable and earth-friendly practices to foster healthy land and agriculture for generations to come. The company demonstrates environmental stewardship through its commitment to clean energy and by ensuring that all its owned vineyards are certified sustainable or biodynamic. To learn more, please visit: www.thewinegroup.com.

JOB SUMMARY

The Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Marketing Manager plays a key leadership role in overseeing the Benziger and Imagery DTC Marketing team, which includes a DTC Marketing Specialist and a DTC Graphic Design Specialist. Based at Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, CA, this full-time position reports to the Sr. Director, Direct-to-Consumer (DTC), and is responsible for executing Benziger and Imagery DTC marketing plans to drive key brand and business objectives. The role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities including DTC strategy development and execution, performance analysis, and cross-functional team leadership. The DTC Marketing Manager will serve as a key brand ambassador - both internally and externally - to ensure that brand communications and initiatives reflect the distinct philosophies and values of Benziger and Imagery wineries.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Key Skills

• Serve as a thought leader in developing and executing marketing programs to achieve Benziger and Imagery's DTC sales goals, including on and off-site promotions, print/digital advertising, social media, consumer research, public relations, and events.
• Communicate in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner - both written and verbal - to align cross-functional teams and ensure successful initiative execution.
• Manage the development and creative execution of print/digital advertising, events, PR, POS materials, and sponsorships that support brand strategy.
• Create and manage the annual marketing budget, including processing and reconciling invoices, ensuring optimal spending across initiatives.
• Analyze brand, segment, and competitor performance, along with consumer behavior and marketing trends; prepare actionable reports for senior leadership.
• Foster strong cross-functional partnerships with Direct Sales, Tasting Rooms, Hospitality, Events, Winemaking, Production, Commercial Brand Marketing, and PR teams.
• Lead, empower, and motivate team members while overseeing day-to-day management of direct reports to ensure organizational goals are met.

Core Responsibilities: 

• Visitation Marketing
  • Develop and execute promotional and advertising strategies to drive target visitation to Benziger Family Winery and Imagery Estate Winery in a competitive market.
  • Occasionally host winery guests, as needed, highlighting key points of interest to foster brand affinity.

• Website & eCommerce
  • Oversee the development and maintenance of the Benziger and Imagery websites in partnership with web agencies and internal stakeholders. Maintain brand websites with SEO best practices and SEM oversight.
  • Collaborate on eCommerce campaigns with the Direct Sales Sr. Manager and eCommerce Manager, when requested.
  • Advertising & Social Media
  • Support development of the marketing content calendar in partnership with the DTC Marketing Specialist.
  • Own strategy, budgeting, and execution of print, digital, and social campaigns (SEM, influencer, display) to drive traffic, acquisition, and brand awareness; direct creative, analyze performance, and optimize using emerging marketing trends.
  • Identify and test new digital marketing opportunities and growth strategies.
  • Coordinate ad placements in consumer and travel publications through partnerships with media and trade outlets.
• Public Relations, Local Outreach & Trade Partnerships
  • Oversee wine competition submissions and maintain an up-to-date accolade database.
  • Manage the winery's PR agency relationship in collaboration with Commercial Brand Marketing, including press mailings and media visit coordination.
  • Cultivate and sustain partnerships with local organizations (e.g., Sonoma Botanical Gardens, Transcendence Theater Company, Sonoma Valley Education Fund) and regional trade groups (e.g., Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, Sonoma Chamber, Sonoma County Tourism) to strengthen community and industry engagement.
• Sales & Marketing Collateral
  • Lead the creation of marketing materials to support Wine Club, Tasting Rooms and Special Event sales.
  • Oversee asset library and photoshoots, proactively securing photography and creative materials to support engagement initiatives, tasting notes, product descriptions, bottle shots, and multi-channel marketing needs.
• Packaging
  • Oversee packaging development and updates for approximately 60 - 70 DtC Benziger and Imagery SKUs each year, partnering with Production, Winemaking, and the DTC Graphic Design Specialist to ensure accuracy and brand consistency.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Bachelor's degree in marketing, Business, Communications, or related field (MBA/WSET a plus).
• 5+ years' progressive leadership in DTC wine, hospitality, or marketing.
• Strong leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and project management skills.
• Deep understanding of wine consumers, luxury brand marketing, and experiential sales.
• Knowledge of on/off-premises businesses and the three-tier distribution system.
• Exceptional communication, storytelling, and brand-building abilities.
• Skilled in consumer insights, brand positioning, and data-driven strategy.
• Financially savvy, organized, and adept at managing multiple priorities.
• Self-starter who thrives in fast-paced environments with minimal oversight.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite; CRM systems and Commerce7 experience a plus.
• Flexibility to work special events, including evenings and weekends, as needed.

 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds at varying frequencies.
• Ability to perform tasks requiring bending, stooping, standing, and twisting in an office environment.
• Working environment is both indoors and outdoors, with exposure to related equipment and noise levels.
• Limited travel to other facilities in California as required.

COMPENSATION

• Hiring Salary Range Posted: $98,900- $132,000.
• Actual compensation will be based on factors such as experience; skills, knowledge, and abilities; education; and other position related factors.

At The Wine Group, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristic protected by law.

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NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES

Please note that we do not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Services Agreement, we will not consider, or agree to, payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event that a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, we explicitly reserve the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency.

Salary Minimum: 98900Salary Maximum: 132000