Wine Brand Manager - Kalamazoo, MI

Imperial Beverage; Kalamazoo (MI); On-site; USD 77,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical coverage

Dental and vision coverage

HSAs/FSAs

401(k) with employer match

PTO: 3.5 weeks

Training and career development

Volunteer time

Parental leave

Weekly pay

Transit reimbursement

Company events across Michigan

Travel opportunities

Job summary

Imperial Beverage, a Michigan-based beverage distributor, is seeking a Brand Manager to oversee a large product portfolio and supplier relationships. The role involves negotiating contracts, launching products, performing audits, and managing pricing and margins.

The position requires a bachelor’s in business, wine knowledge, and strong communication, with full-time hours Monday–Friday. Compensation starts at $77,000 and can reach $99,000 annually, depending on experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or equivalent.
• 1+ year(s) experience in the beverage industry on wholesale level.
• 21 years of age or older.
• Advanced knowledge of wine.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to problem solve quickly while staying calm and professional.
• Strong negotiating skills and analytic capability.
• Highly motivated self-starter with high productivity.
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Ability to coordinate processes across departments and obtain MLCC license.

Responsibilities

• Meet with suppliers to discuss new products, updates and annual plans.
• Create product launch plans and communicate with the Sales team.
• Manage brand objectives and incentives for the Sales team.
• Manage pricing, including monitoring shipping costs.
• Deliver presentations at sales meetings as needed.
• Assist in organizing company trade shows.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration

Job description

Sampling wine like it's your day job? It could be! We are a top beverage sales company looking for a proven professional to manage our brands and huge portfolio of products. Our Brand Managers tell us they love to sample and pick out the best products for us to carry, the great suppliers they build relationships with, and their awesome co-workers!

Will work for beer? Great! Working for a beverage distributor has its perks:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus HSAs, FSAs, and more. (Full time employees)
• 401(k) with Traditional and Roth options, employer match, and immediate vesting
• 3.5 weeks of PTO starting in year one, accruing from day one with rollover
• Ongoing training and career development opportunities
• Paid volunteer time to give back to the community
• Paid parental leave to welcome your newest family member. (Full time employees)
• Weekly pay
• Uber, Lyft, or taxi reimbursement when you need a safe ride home
• Kick ass events and fun across Michigan
• Domestic and international trip opportunities to learn about the beverage industry
• Referral bonuses for bringing great people to the Imperial Beverage family

The minimum total compensation for this role is listed below; pay will be determined based on experience:

$77,000 - $99,000 per year

Eat. Sleep. Launch Wine Repeat: Our Brand Managers not only get to pick out great products for us to carry, but they also negotiate contracts, setup new products in our software, create launch plans, perform audits, and manage quality, pricing and margins. We choose Brand Managers who know the product and the market and can make educated decisions for the brands we carry. They are also detail-oriented, organized, and have strong analytical skills. This full-time position requires Monday-Friday availability.

A Day in the Life

• Arrive to the office ready to be awesome
• Meet with suppliers to discuss new products, updates and annual plans
• Create product launch plans and communicate with the Sales team
• Manage brand objectives and incentives for the Sales team
• Manage pricing, including monitoring shipping costs
• Deliver presentations at sales meetings as needed
• Assist in organizing company Trade Shows

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent education and experience) in Business Administration
• One or more years' experience in the beverage industry on the wholesale level
• 21 years of age or older
• Advanced knowledge of wine
• Must possess superior communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written
• Ability to problem solve and make decisions quickly and efficiently while remaining calm and professional
• Strong negotiating skills
• Self-starter, highly motivated with a high productivity level
• Strong analytical skills and numeric ability
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Ability to coordinate processes and work well with various departments
• Ability to attain a Michigan Liquor Control Commission license

Like a fine wine, Imperial Beverage has been getting better with age since 1933. We are a Michigan family-owned beverage distributor and we are passionate about helping others succeed – at work and in the community. We only hire those with passion, integrity, customer focus and the desire for hard work. Once all the work is done at our fast-paced company, we also like to have fun and lots of it!