Director of Restaurant Awards

Your Role in Our Journey

Wine Enthusiast Media is seeking an entrepreneurial, highly organized Director of Restaurant Awards to lead the execution and growth of our new national restaurant recognition program.

The Restaurant Awards program celebrates exceptional wine programs across the hospitality industry, recognizing restaurants that demonstrate excellence in wine selection, accessibility, discovery, and guest experience.

This is a hands-on role responsible for driving restaurant participation, managing submissions, delivering exceptional client services, and overseeing the program from recruitment through winner recognition.

The Director will serve as the central owner of the Restaurant Awards business, working closely with internal marketing, editorial, product, sales, and events teams to build a successful and scalable annual program.

What You'll Be Uncorking

Key Responsibilities:

Restaurant Recruitment & Business Development

• Own restaurant recruitment strategy and execution, driving participation and paid submissions nationwide.
• Build and maintain relationships with restaurant groups, sommeliers, wine directors, hospitality organizations, and industry associations.
• Develop prospect lists and conduct direct outreach to prospective applicants.
• Manage recruitment pipelines, follow-ups, and conversion tracking.
• Identify strategic partnerships and opportunities to expand restaurant participation.
• Achieve annual submission volume and revenue targets.

Submissions Management & Client Services

• Own the entire restaurant submission process, from initial inquiry through completed application and payment.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for participating restaurants, providing responsive, professional client services.
• Manage the Restaurant Awards inbox, answering questions about eligibility, categories, deadlines, pricing, and submissions.
• Track incoming applications, ensure completeness, and resolve submission issues.
• Maintain accurate applicant records and coordinate the preparation of submissions for judging.
• Develop and maintain FAQs, client communications, and operational workflows to ensure a seamless applicant experience.
• Manage ongoing relationships with participating restaurants throughout the awards lifecycle.

Program Management & Operations

• Own the annual Restaurant Awards calendar, including key milestones, deadlines, budgets, and deliverables.
• Serve as the central point of accountability across internal departments and external partners.
• Coordinate judging logistics, winner notifications, recognition materials, and program fulfillment.
• Develop reporting dashboards to track participation, submissions, revenue, and overall performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, applicant experience, and program profitability.

Marketing & Audience Development

• Collaborate with internal marketing teams and external PR partners to develop and execute recruitment campaigns.
• Coordinate paid media, email, social media, owned advertising, and earned media initiatives.
• Provide insights from restaurant outreach and applicant feedback to improve marketing effectiveness.
• Monitor campaign performance and identify opportunities to increase submissions.

Product & Digital Experience

• Partner with the product team on the submission platform and restaurant directory.
• Identify and communicate product enhancements that improve usability, conversion, and client experience.
• Support testing, troubleshooting, and ongoing optimization of the submission process.

Editorial, Sales & Events

• Coordinate with editorial leadership on Restaurant Awards content, newsletters, and winner coverage, while preserving editorial and judging independence.
• Collaborate with sales and external partners on recognition products, restaurant marketing opportunities, and related revenue initiatives.
• Coordinate winner outreach, communications, and recognition fulfillment.
• Partner with the events team on launch events, winner celebrations, and other program activations.

The Perfect Blend (What You Bring to the Table)

Qualifications:

• 6–10+ years of experience in hospitality, restaurant industry relations, awards programs, client services, business development, or program management.
• Strong knowledge of the restaurant and hospitality industry, with existing industry relationships preferred.
• Proven ability to drive outreach, recruitment, participation, or customer acquisition.
• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a service-oriented approach.
• Experience managing customer databases, CRM systems, and digital application or registration platforms.
• Commercially minded, detail-oriented, and comfortable taking ownership of both strategy and execution.
• Entrepreneurial, proactive, and willing to roll up their sleeves in a growing business.

This position offers a flexible hybrid schedule, requiring employees to be onsite at our Valhalla, NY headquarters a minimum of twice per week, with Tuesday and Thursday designated as a required in-office day.

Our Commitment to You

Unlimited PTO, Full Medical, Dental and Vision benefits, 401(K) Match, FSA, Flexible Work Environment, Onsite Gym, Pet Discount Plans, Employee Discount, optional Wine Tasting Class participation, Flexible Schedule, Dynamic and Collaborative work culture.

Our Core Values

JOY

We recognize that our business is not just about numbers, but also about people. As a family business, we honor the importance of our employees’ home lives. We encourage fun, discovery, adventure and health for our teams.

EMPATHY

We support our employees with patience and understanding, recognizing that work hours represent a substantial percentage of one’s time. We encourage a diverse mindset that helps us better reflect the evolving wine culture.

TRANSPARENCY

Communication and integrity are the cornerstones of our relationships with each other and our customers. We speak openly about our achievements and challenges, with the goal of helping each other grow.

PASSION

We’re not just a company; we’re a community. Our job is to enhance the lives of others, making the wine industry and all its offerings accessible and enjoyable. Delighting and educating our consumers is at the core of everything we do.

INNOVATION

We value those who think outside the box to elevate the company. We celebrate change, appreciating that a nimble culture attracts talent and motivates team members to push the envelope and build our business for the future.

COLLABORATION

We believe in the power of working together, sharing ideas, and leveraging our collective talents to achieve our goals. We mentor those we lead and surround ourselves with people who drive us to do more than our personal best.

Our Commitment to Inclusion & Equity

At Wine Enthusiast, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and do not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status. As part of our commitment to fair hiring practices, we have adopted "ban the box" policies to provide individuals with criminal records a fair chance at employment. We consider all applicants on their merits and qualifications, considering their ability to perform the job.

Our family-owned company was born from a passion to bring a fine wine experience to the everyday. We believe wine is best shared with others and brings people together. In 2021, Adam and Sybil's daughters Erika Strum Silberstein and Jacqueline Strum were named co-presidents and continue to lead the mission of bringing wine to life. The second generation works together with the collective team to create new and better ways for everyone to explore and enjoy the exciting world of wine, including low-alcohol wines, non-alcohol wines, spirits, and beyond! We hope you’ll join us with a glass in hand.