This role is fully remote and can be based anywhere in the United States. Ideal candidate lives in a major metro given the national travel the position will require (50% domestic travel, 50% local market support). **
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What the Role Is

The purpose of the Samson & Surrey Whiskey Specialist is to serve as a deeply knowledgeable representative for the Samson & Surrey portfolio of spirits brands, specifically for Widow Jane, FEW, & Brenne, focusing on driving awareness, trial and education of our world-class caliber stable of craft spirits. The Whiskey Specialist will focus primarily on overseeing all whiskey-based education efforts, both internally and externally, including: conducting Samson & Surrey team, distributor partner, and retail staff trainings on our brands and their categories; building strong relationships with identified key industry influencers and media specializing in the whiskey, bartending, and cocktail spaces; and executing both trade and consumer-facing events on behalf of our whiskey brands. This work will include extensive national travel to meet these objectives for the company. The Whiskey Specialist will leverage the strengths of the Commercial, Marketing, and Advocacy teams within Samson & Surrey, and support our efforts with the full book Heaven Hill teams and distributor partners around the country.

How You Will Spend Your Time?

• Managing travel & activation budget
• Creating & delivering educational materials for Widow Jane, FEW, & Brenne, and the categories they are part of
• Planning & delivering relevant parts of major national & international advocacy activations, including (but not limited to) WhiskyFest, Whiskies of the World, WhiskyX, Tales of the Cocktail, and more
• Being a public face to trade and media representing Samson & Surrey and its whiskey brands
• Managing strategy & building relationships with key influencers and affinity groups in cocktails/bartending & whiskey arenas
• Participation in planning & delivery of Samson & Surrey Commercial Team training plan
• Planning, with site leads, and coordination of educational & incentive trips to our facilities for Widow Jane and FEW, where relevant
• Working closely with the Director of Advocacy to plan activations against the commercial calendar towards delivering the S&S annual operating plan
• Working closely with Marketing team to develop whiskey brand-related content and activations, POS ideas, brand training, cocktail strategy and recipes, social media calendars, PR and other external messaging, and more
• Working closely with the Sales team to support the sales effort through customer training & activations, menu consultations & development, distributor training & activations, and more ****

Who You Are…

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience - specifically minimum 5 years working closely with whiskey in a production, education, or other hospitality trade
• Deep connections within the whiskey industry & beverage trade communities
• Excellent public speaking & presentation skills
• Experience working with craft brand(s) preferred
• US Beverage alcohol industry experience
• In-depth knowledge and passion for spirits, their history, and production
• Responsible use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
• Ability to use technology in presentations, tool building, and reporting
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Exceptional organizational and prioritization skills
• Exceptional ability to follow-up with market teams, accounts, and other partners
• Network of influencers in the whiskey, overall spirits, and hospitality industries
• Up to 50% travel, mostly domestic with some international, as required to perform job function
• Flexibility to frequently work nights and weekends
• Valid driver's license
• Must be at least 21 years of age ****

Physical Requirements
While performing duties of job, employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands and fingers to handle, or feel objects, and use of computer; reach with hands and arms. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. ******
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Benefits

• Paid Vacation
• 11 Paid Holidays
• Health, Dental & Vision eligibility from day one
• FSA/HSA
• 401K match
• EAP
• Maternity/Paternity Leave

Heaven Hill and its affiliates are committed to fostering a diverse workforce as an Equal Employment Opportunity company. We invite applications from candidates of all backgrounds, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, natural origin, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic.