Sommelier

POSITION OVERVIEW:                  The Sommelier leads the wine program for Harvest dinner service and stewards the wine strategy resort-wide. This role curates mostly California selections with a thoughtful international component, manages inventory and costing, builds vintner partnerships, trains the team, and drives profitable wine sales—while delivering warm, high-touch tableside hospitality nightly.

Compensation & Benefits:
•    Pay scale: $68,640 per year + incentive bonus structure
•    Benefits overview: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, CalSavers, PTO
 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

What you’ll do

• Lead tableside wine service during Harvest dinner; weekends/holidays required
• Curate and maintain wine lists for restaurants, bars, and banquets (CA-forward, global depth)
• Manage inventory, costing, and allocations; keep COGS on target
• Build vintner/distributor partnerships, host winemaker events
• Train servers/bartenders; elevate pairings and guest experience
• Analyze mix and sales KPIs; deliver growth plans

Key responsibilities

• Harvest dinner floor sommelier: Host-level greeting, discovery, pairing recommendations, decanting, service standards; present for peak dinner periods (incl. weekends & holidays).
• Wine list strategy (all outlets + banquets): Seasonal curation emphasizing California AVAs with targeted global benchmarks; pricing architecture; BTG/BTB balance; pairing menus for events.
• Inventory & cellar management: Forecasting, par levels, month-end counts, variance control, receiving, storage, label integrity, and loss prevention; maintain targeted COGS.
• Vintner & distributor relationships: Allocate and secure sought-after SKUs, plan winemaker dinners and activations, negotiate pricing and allocations.
• Sales growth & analytics: Build mix-shift strategies (attach rate, BTB %, premium tiers), contests and education to increase check averages; track KPIs and report weekly/monthly.
• Training & culture: Ongoing wine education for servers/bartenders/banquets; certify service standards and tasting notes; coach on responsible service.
• Banquets & special events: Design pairings, manage tasting events, curate lists for group profiles and budgets; coordinate with Culinary and Catering Sales.
• Compliance & safety: Adhere to CA alcohol service requirements; maintain sanitation and safe handling standards; uphold resort policies.

NOTE: This description is not intended to be all-inclusive.  Other related duties may be assigned as required in addition to the principal duties outlined above. 

Supportive Functions:

In addition, this position may be required to perform a combination of the following supportive functions, with the percentage of time spent performing each function solely determined by the manager based on the requirements of The Ranch at Laguna Beach.

• Provide direct service to guests as needed, including, but not limited to, serving tables, bussing tables, seating guests, and general clerical/cashier duties.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POSITION

Education:

• High school or equivalent education required.  Bachelor’s Degree preferred.

Skills and Experience:

• Certification: Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Sommelier (Level 2) or equivalent required.
• Experience: 3+ years in a sommelier or beverage-lead role in an upscale/fine-dining environment with multi-outlet oversight preferred.
• Knowledge: Deep understanding of California wine regions/AVAs plus global classics; cost controls; inventory systems (e.g., BinWise/Uncorkd/BevSpot or similar).
• Schedule: Nights, weekends, and holidays required (Harvest dinner service primary).
• Licenses/Compliance (California):
  • RBS certification (CA Responsible Beverage Service)—must hold a valid ABC server certification (or obtain within 60 days of hire).
  • California Food Handler Card—obtain within 30 days of hire (unless exempt as Certified Food Protection Manager).
• Other: Ability to lift ~40–50 lbs, stand/walk for extended periods, and work in a temperature-controlled cellar environment.

Grooming:

• All team members must maintain a neat, clean, and well-groomed appearance per The Ranch standards.

Competencies:

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that they can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Must be able to speak, read, write and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace. Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process.   Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to prepare and analyze data, figures and transcriptions prepared on and generated by computer.
• Knowledge of The Ranch operations, its services, and facilities and of The Ranch's food and beverage operations.  Overall knowledge of food and alcoholic beverages. Must possess basic computational ability.   Must possess basic computer skills.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local laws governing equal employment opportunity and civil rights, occupational safety and health, wage and hour issues, and labor relations, including, but not limited to, the following statutes and their comparable state and local laws (where applicable): Title VII, ADEA, Equal Pay Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, FLSA, ADA, OSHA, FMLA, and NLRA.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Most work tasks are performed indoors.  Temperature generally is moderate and controlled by The Ranch environmental systems; however, must be able to work in extreme temperatures like freezers (-10°F) and kitchens (+110°F), possibly for one hour or more.
• Position requires walking and giving direction most of the working day. The length of time of these tasks may vary from day to day and task to task.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability to maneuver between functions occurring simultaneously.
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, listening and hearing ability, and visual acuity.
• Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors and subordinates.
• Must be able to lift up to 25 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis.
• Must be able to push and pull carts and equipment weighing up to 250 lbs. occasionally.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space and to reach other locations of The Ranch on a timely basis.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space.
• Must be able to bend, stoop, squat, and stretch to fulfill cleaning tasks occasionally.
• Vision occurs continuously, with the most common visual functions being those of near and color vision and depth perception.
• Requires manual dexterity to use and operate all necessary equipment.
• Must have finger dexterity to be able to operate office equipment such as computers, printers, 10-key adding machines, multi-line touch tone phones, filing cabinets, FAX machines, photocopiers, dollies, and other office equipment as needed. 

OTHER

Regular attendance is essential to the successful performance of this position.  Irregular attendance will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Due to the fluctuation in business levels in the hospitality industry, team members may be required to work varying schedules to reflect The Ranch's business needs. In addition, attendance is required at all scheduled training sessions and meetings.

Upon employment, all team members are required to fully comply with company rules and regulations for the safe and effective operation of The Ranch’s facilities.  Team members who violate The Ranch rules and regulations will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

This description is intended to indicate the typical kinds of tasks and difficulty levels required of positions given this title. This job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that a team member in this position may be asked to perform from time to time.  It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of team members under their supervision.