TASTINGS & EVENTS MANAGER CANDIDATE INFORMATION Contents: Advert text Job description Person Specification Employee benefits How to apply Key dates
TASTINGS & EVENTS MANAGER The Wine Society is one of the country's leading wine merchants and lists more than 1,500 wines, ranging from 6 to over 500 a bottle. It is a mutual selling only to its members and exists purely for their benefit. Member satisfaction is paramount; maximising profit is not. An exciting opportunity has arisen to lead The Society s Tastings and Events team which takes The Society to its members all over the UK with a comprehensive and varied programme of tastings and events. As a full-time member of the team, you will be responsible for overseeing the development of the varied programme and will be involved in all aspects of delivering a busy schedule of events. You will be able to present with confidence, knowledge and authority to audiences from between 20 and 500 wine enthusiasts. To thrive in this high profile role, you will have excellent communication skills and a passion to share your wine knowledge combined with strong management skills and a reputation for delivering unsurpassed service standards. You will already have achieved (or will be working towards) the WSET Diploma and have successfully planned, organised and delivered a variety of events. Your working style must be hands on and you will combine this with the effective management and development of a small, well established team. The event schedule is demanding and will involve frequent travel, evening working and regular overnight stays. You will need to possess a full driving licence and be able to lift and move cases of wine. If you are motivated by our unique ethos and possess the necessary range of skills, experience and drive, please visit www.thewinesociety.com/jobs-at-the-society for more information or telephone Andrea Harkness, Human Resources Adviser, on 01438 761280.
THE WINE SOCIETY JOB DESCRIPTION Job title: Tastings and Events Manager Department: Tastings and Events Reports to: Head of Member Experience Responsible for: 4 direct reports Job purpose: To lead the team who are the face of The Society around the UK, organising and implementing first class tastings and events for members and their guests; increasing member engagement and satisfaction with their Society Main duties: Build, develop and oversee the delivery of a varied Tastings and Events Programme that fulfils the requirements of the Tasting and Events Strategy Define, monitor and report progress against the budgeted targets for the programme Manage and develop the team who deliver the programme Oversee all aspects of event coordination, including organising staff and buyer attendance and generating ticket sales. Ensure that each event is hosted with confidence, knowledge and authority; in practice the role-holder is expected to host a large proportion of the programme. Organise supplier attendance at tastings, acting as their host on behalf of The Society Encourage and oversee supplier visits to Stevenage to host staff tastings. Additional Duties: Monitor and learn from competitor activity First Aider
Other: This is a hands-on role which requires: Regular travel and overnights away in the UK Driving, usually in a company van Evening and weekend work Key Relationships outside the team: Buying team Suppliers Volunteer Staff Accountability: For the standards of service experienced by members attending Society Tastings and Events For the annual departmental expenditure of the Tastings and Events department. For the sales revenue generated by ticket sales and incremental sales generated by tastings. For the recruitment, management, development and welfare of the Tastings and Events team Health and Safety: All employees have a responsibility to carry out their work in a safe manner, reporting any incidents or problems to their Team Leader or Manager and taking all reasonable steps to minimise risk to both self and others. Variation: The Society reserves the right to make reasonable variations or amendments to the duties and responsibilities of the post holder at any time according to the needs of the business. Prepared by: Liz Cerroti, Head of Member Services Date: June 2017
PERSON SPECIFICATION Job Title Department Tastings & Events Manager Tastings & Events Please complete this form making reference to the guidance notes. You should list each required attribute and indicate whether it is regarded as Essential (E) or Desirable (D). Place an X in the appropriate column to indicate how it is to be assessed. Attribute Assessment Method: Essential or Desirable CV = Curriculum vitae T = Test I = Interview PP = Personality profile O = Other Experience E/D CV T I PP O 1. Event management experience D X X 2. Experience of effectively managing and E X X developing a small team 3. Ability to prepare and deliver presentations to small and large groups E X X Knowledge & Skills 4. Highly developed written and verbal E X X X communication skills 5. Good attention to detail E X 6. Numerate with the ability to plan and deliver against budget E X X 7. Able to think creatively D X X Qualifications 8. WSET Level 3 Essential, Diploma Desirable E/D X Personal Attributes (attitude) 9. Strong interpersonal skills E X 10. Focussed and experienced in delivering high levels of service quality E X Personal Qualities (physical) 11. Prepared to work in a hands-on style at all levels including for example, lifting and transporting cases of wine and setting up resources at events Other 12. Willingness to undertake frequent travel including regular overnight stays 13. Full valid driving licence and be comfortable driving Society vehicles E E E X X X
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS At The Wine Society we are proud of our benefits package; here are some of the benefits you could enjoy as an employee: Holiday Holiday entitlement varies according to length of continuous service starting at 23 days and rising to 30 days per annum. You are also entitled to paid leave for Bank and Public Holidays. Holiday Purchase Scheme Employees may purchase up to two additional weeks of annual leave each year. Pension Plan We operate a Pension Plan to which both the employee and The Society contribute. These contributions are invested by external investment managers to create a fund for retirement. Life Assurance Life assurance is effective from the start of employment at the rate of four times salary. Private Medical Insurance Scheme All our employees are offered the protection of a private health insurance scheme currently operated by BUPA. It is free to employees (although it is a taxable benefit) and you are able to include your partner and/or children at a discounted rate. Permanent Health Insurance This scheme is designed to provide the security of a continuing income if sickness or injury results in long-term absence. Staff Discount Employees are eligible to enjoy staff discount immediately upon joining. Simply Health (formerly HSA) Employees may contribute weekly or monthly to buy health benefits (e.g. optical, dental and maternity treatment). Company Sick Pay A comprehensive scheme; entitlements are linked to length of service. Staff Interest Free Loan Scheme The loan scheme is intended to allow staff to borrow money for expenditure that would not be classified as part of a regular household budget.
Sports & Social Club The Social Club is run on a voluntary basis by employees for employees. Childcare Scheme Childcare vouchers are available from a scheme operated in conjunction with Computershare Voucher Services. Car Parking Free on-site parking in Stevenage. Staff Restaurant Complete with TV and games area. Health Regular health checks and annual flu vaccinations are available to all employees. Further details on all of the above benefits can be obtained from Human Resources upon joining The Society.
How to Apply Please submit a comprehensive CV, detailing your most significant achievements, together with a covering letter that addresses the criteria in the candidate profile. You should also include details of your current salary package and notice period. Applications may either be emailed to harknessa@thewinesociety.com or posted to the address below: Andrea Harkness Human Resources Adviser The Wine Society Gunnels Wood Road Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 2BT Should you have any questions or wish to discuss any aspect of our recruitment process please contact Andrea Harkness, Human Resources, on 01438 761280. Key Dates Closing date for applications will be 12 noon Friday 30 th June 2017. First stage interviews are scheduled to take place week commencing 10 th July 2017. Second stage interviews are scheduled to take place week commencing 24 th July 2017. Please let us know in your application if you are unavailable on any of the above dates.