Vice President of Product

Wine Enthusiast Companies is a Certified B Corporation and the ultimate source of innovation and information around wine. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, the company is composed of Wine Enthusiast Commerce and Wine Enthusiast Media. Embodying the commerce side, the Wine Enthusiast Shop provides premium wine-lifestyle products, reaching millions of consumers globally via direct mail, an e-commerce site, and a business-to-business division. Representing the media side, Wine Enthusiast magazine is an award-winning print publication and online resource that showcases wine news, food trends, and more than 25,000 ratings and reviews annually. By the end of 2023, WineEnthusiast.com reached 4.5 million monthly pageviews and is the industry leader with the most traffic of any wine media website. Wine Enthusiast events include the annual premier Wine Star Awards gala. Together, Wine Enthusiast Companies is the indisputable hub for everything wine. We bring wine to life.

Wine Express is the exclusive wine-shop partner of Wine Enthusiast, featuring curated selections from around the globe. WineExpress.com is a wine retail site that offers customers quality wines at value prices.

VP of Product

Wine Enthusiast Companies, the leading full-service provider of innovative products for the wine lifestyle, is creating a new role of Vice President of Product, and seeking a design visionary to lead our strategy to new heights.

As our VP of Product, you will have an eye for quality and style, while listening to the needs of our consumer. Reporting directly to the President, you will play a critical role in defining and implementing the product roadmap, fostering innovation, and ensuring alignment with the company's strategic objectives. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact and shape the future of our products in a fast-paced and collaborative environment. A love of wine and the lifestyle around it is essential for the role. You must be an approachable leader, capable of setting a strategy while collaborating well across Marketing, Finance, Operations, Customer and Content. You love helping to tell a legacy brand story. Product is at the heart of Wine Enthusiast and you’ll make it your career goal to underline that, while building on the foundation of our 44+ year strong family business.

Your primary focus will be on steering the ship of product development, enhancing our Accessories line while also maintaining an emphasis on Wine Cellars, Racking, Furniture, and Accessories.

Key Responsibilities:

• Setting a vision for product array and assortment while leading our merchants by vertical with an unwavering focus on product design.
• Managing the product lifecycle from concept to launch, including go-to-market strategies, pricing, and positioning.
• Leading a team of product category managers to deliver high-quality products on time and within budget.
• Creating sales goals by product and holding the team accountable to how those goals help us meet overall Revenue goals
• Cultivate relationships with manufacturing sources and explore new partnerships as needed to fuel our product innovation.
• Overseeing packaging design and QA with the Creative and Operations teams.
• Conducting consistent competitive research on market trends, identifying gaps and ensuring we are best-of-breed
• Being the Voice of the Customer, steadfastly focused on quality control and tracking opportunity areas by item.

Reports To: President, Wine Enthusiast Commerce

Required Skills

• Product Design Prowess: Over 5 years of experience in industrial design, product design, and development, or manufacturing.
• E-commerce Acumen: Extensive experience in multi-channel direct-to-consumer commerce businesses, with a proven track record of driving top and bottom-line results.
• Leadership Excellence: Demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate teams toward ambitious goals, coupled with strong negotiation skills and a customer-centric mindset.
• Communication Mastery: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex ideas with clarity and conviction.
• Analytical Savvy: Strong financial and technical analytical skills, coupled with a resourceful, hands-on approach and meticulous attention to detail.
• Collaborative Spirit: Proven ability to cultivate strong cross-functional relationships and work collaboratively across diverse teams.

Additional Helpful Skills

• Background in refrigeration or electronics manufacturing
• Familiarity with EOS (Enterprise Operating System)
• Netsuite experience

Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Location:

This position requires a hybrid work schedule, with a minimum of two days per week in our Valhalla, NY office.

Benefits

Unlimited PTO, Full medical, dental and vision benefits, 401K match, FSA/HSA, pet insurance, employee discount, wellness benefits, optional wine tasting class participation, dynamic and collaborative work culture.

The position is at our beautiful Valhalla, NY headquarters which has onsite covered parking, a cafeteria and a gym for employees. Hybrid work schedule is available.

Wine Enthusiast was born from a passion to bring a fine wine experience to the everyday. Our love for wine goes beyond the bottle. We value family and community. We believe wine is a conduit that brings people together and that every pour brings celebration to life’s moments, big and small. We’re a family-owned business with a big heart, led and run by wine lovers working together to create new and better ways for you to explore and enjoy the exciting world of wine.

Our Core Values:

PASSION

We’re not just a company; we’re a community. Our job is to enhance the lives of others, making the wine industry and all its offerings accessible and enjoyable. Delighting and educating our consumers is at the core of everything we do.

COLLABORATION

We believe in the power of working together, sharing ideas, and leveraging our collective talents to achieve our goals. We mentor those we lead and surround ourselves with people who drive us to do more than our personal best.

INNOVATION

We values those who think outside the box to elevate the company. We celebrate change, appreciating that a nimble culture attracts talent and motivates team members to push the envelope and build our business for the future.

TRANSPARENCY

Communication and integrity are the cornerstones of our relationships with each other and our customers. We speak openly about our achievements and challenges, with the goal of helping each other grow.

EMPATHY

We support our employees with patience and understanding, recognizing that work hours represent a substantial percentage of one’s time. We encourage a diverse mindset that helps us better reflect the evolving wine culture.

JOY

We recognize that our business is not just about numbers, but also about people. As a family business, we honor the importance of our employees’ home lives. We encourage fun, discovery, adventure and health for our teams.

At Wine Enthusiast, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

We believe that diversity of thought, background, and experience enhances creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion extends beyond compliance; it's integral to our culture. We actively support employees from all backgrounds and experiences, and we value the unique perspectives they bring to our organization.

As part of our commitment to fair hiring practices, we have adopted "ban the box" policies to provide individuals with criminal records a fair chance at employment. We consider all applicants on their merits and qualifications, considering their ability to perform the job.

We recognize the importance of supporting underrepresented communities, including individuals with disabilities. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please let us know, and we will provide reasonable assistance to ensure a fair and equitable opportunity.

Additionally, we are dedicated to supporting local communities where we operate. We believe that a strong local presence fosters economic growth and strengthens the social fabric. We actively engage in initiatives to give back and make a positive impact.

We invite you to join us in our journey toward a more inclusive and diverse workplace. Your unique background and experiences can contribute to our shared success.

If you share our values and are excited about the opportunity to work in an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, we encourage you to apply for this position.

Wine Enthusiast is an EOE and strives to build a diverse and inclusive team. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, abilities, and experiences.