Hospitality Director

Tasting Room Expo; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Benefits

Performance incentives

Job summary

Understudy, an estate winery and traditional-method sparkling house, seeks a Hospitality Director to build and lead the hospitality program from the ground up. You will shape guest experiences, train the team, and oversee daily operations in a new cliffside tasting room at the Gorge.

You will develop events, foster relationships with wine club members, and contribute to DTC sales and revenue management as the brand launches in 2027.

Qualifications

• Experience leading hospitality teams in restaurant or winery settings.
• Ability to design and scale hospitality programs.
• Strong focus on guest experience and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Build, train, and lead the hospitality team.
• Co-develop the service style and guest experience.
• Manage reservations and daily operations.
• Create events, dinners, and special programming.
• Grow wine club membership and direct-to-consumer sales.
• Manage revenue and operating performance.

Skills

Team leadership

Hospitality program development

Guest experience

Events & programming

Wine knowledge

Direct-to-consumer sales

Reservations management

Training & onboarding

Job description

Hospitality Director

Understudy | Columbia River Gorge

$80,000+ base salary | Benefits | Performance incentives

Start date: March 15, 2027

An estate winery and traditional-method sparkling house.

About Understudy

Understudy is an estate winery and traditional-method sparkling house in the Columbia River Gorge. In 2027, we'll launch the Understudy brand alongside a new cliffside tasting room overlooking the Gorge and Hood River Valley.

Our Vineyards & Wines

Our 26 acres of biodynamically farmed vineyards span three distinct sites on Underwood Mountain, rooted in volcanic ash soils. Our later budbreak, higher diurnal temperature shifts, and strong Columbia Gorge winds shape a distinctive growing environment. These winds limit canopy growth, contributing to smaller clusters and thicker skins, while higher elevations and full canopy exposure develop fruit with electric acidity, ripeness, and texture. Traditional-method sparkling wine is central to our program, alongside Alsatian-inspired whites, skin-contact wines, expressive reds, and distinctive white blends.

The Hospitality

We want to create a distinctive hospitality experience that feels thoughtful, relaxed, and generous.

The Hospitality Director will help develop a program that reflects Understudy's identity and gives people a reason to return.

The Role

• Building, training, and leading the hospitality team
• Co-developing the service style and guest experience
• Managing reservations and daily operations
• Creating events, dinners, and special programming
• Growing wine club membership and direct-to-consumer sales
• Managing revenue and operating performance

Understudy is a small, hands‑on team, and we value people who enjoy being involved in the wider life of the estate. Hospitality will be your primary focus, but depending on the season and your interests, there may be opportunities to contribute to winery production, vineyard care, gardening, or our animal program.

What We’re Looking For

You may currently be an AGM, Service Director, or senior restaurant leader at a highly regarded independent restaurant, destination property, or hospitality group. You've spent years learning how great hospitality works: how to build a strong team, train people well, create standards without rigidity, read a room, and make guests feel genuinely welcome.

You care about food, wine, design, music, atmosphere, and the details that make an experience memorable. You understand that hospitality is more than good service—it’s the feeling a place creates and the reasons people come back.

Wine knowledge is a plus. Winery experience is not required.

We’re particularly interested in people coming from serious restaurant and hospitality programs who are ready to take greater ownership, develop their ideas, and bring their experience to a new setting.

The Opportunity

You’ll play a central role in launching the Understudy brand and opening its tasting room. Working closely with ownership and the General Manager / Winemaker, you’ll co‑develop the hospitality program, build the team, and shape the guest experience from the beginning.

For the right person, this is an opportunity to help build something distinctive, contribute meaningfully to its direction, and grow alongside the project.

Compensation

• $80,000+ base salary
• Benefits
• Performance-based incentives
• Relocation assistance may be available

Understudy is an equal opportunity employer.