Director – Sales & Brand Education

Job Description

Company Summary 

Constellation Brands is a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Our mission is to build brands that people love, pushing boundaries to think beyond today because we believe that elevating human connections is Worth Reaching For. Our Wine & Spirits Division strives to lead the high-end market with a world-class portfolio of premium and fine wines and craft spirits that reflect authenticity, passion, and uncompromising standards—from soil to glass. Our success is powered by a high-performing, entrepreneurial team that moves with agility, works collaboratively, and is driven to win while growing their careers in a dynamic, rewarding environment.

Position Summary

The Director of Education sets and leads the Wine & Spirits education and capability-building strategy, developing programs that strengthen brand knowledge, luxury selling capabilities, product expertise, and commercial execution across internal teams and distributor partners. This role leads a team responsible for scalable education experiences spanning foundational curriculum, advanced wine and spirits education, sales training, digital learning, and experiential programming. The Director partners closely with Brand, Sales, Commercial Excellence, Hospitality, and other cross-functional leaders to translate business priorities into education strategies that build capability and drive measurable impact.

Key Responsibilities

Education Strategy & Leadership

• Set and lead the Wine & Spirits education and capability-building strategy, establishing clear priorities aligned with business, brand, and commercial objectives. 

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of education professionals, establishing clear priorities, accountability, and development plans.

• Translate Fine Wine and Craft Spirits strategies into scalable education, tools, and enablement programs across DTC, Hospitality, Brand Marketing, and Commercial teams.

• Serve as the strategic education partner to senior Commercial, Brand, and Hospitality leaders, identifying capability gaps and establishing education priorities aligned with business objectives.

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, professional development, and luxury storytelling.

Commercial & Luxury Capability Development

• Lead the development of an integrated Wine & Spirits learning ecosystem spanning brand education, luxury selling, wine and spirits expertise, commercial capabilities, and experiential learning.

• Develop scalable programs and tools that strengthen selling capabilities, elevate brand storytelling, and improve execution across internal teams and distributor partners. 

• Lead administration of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) program; serve as Lead Educator for Level 2 and 3 courses.

• Build and manage foundational and advanced sales training initiatives tailored to evolving commercial and business needs. 

• Establish reinforcement strategies that drive sustained adoption and application of learning. 

• Partner with business leaders to identify emerging capability needs and develop solutions that enable teams to execute against strategic priorities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Content Strategy

• Partner cross-functionally with Brand, Sales, Marketing, Hospitality, Events, Commercial Excellence, Talent Development, and IT to align education with business objectives.

• Set the strategy and standards for education content across training modules, e-learning, webinars, job aids, digital platforms, and experiential programs. 

• Collaborate with Talent Development on New Hire Salute Onboarding and implement Envoy onboarding for Wine & Spirits.

• Ensure education programs and content deliver a consistent, differentiated, and compelling expression of our Wine & Spirits brands and portfolio.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Establish KPIs and measurement frameworks to assess learner engagement, capability improvement, application of learning, and business impact; use insights to continuously optimize programs and investment.

• Provide regular follow-up and sustain learnings shared across teams.

• Strategize with leaders to prioritize performance and execution standards; identify and develop future leaders through targeted programs.

Digital Learning, Technology & Innovation

• Define the digital learning strategy and leverage LMS platforms, emerging technologies, AI-enabled learning tools, video, and digital content to scale education and improve learner engagement. 

• Identify innovative approaches, research methodologies, and learning best practices that improve education effectiveness and accessibility. 

• Evaluate external partners and emerging learning capabilities, managing strategic vendor relationships and investments as appropriate. 

• Continually assess opportunities to modernize ad scale the learning experience across internal and distributor audiences.

Field Activation & Relationship Building

• Maintain a strong connection to the field by partnering with internal and distributor teams to assess capability needs, understand execution opportunities, and ensure education translates into practical application. 

• Build strong relationships with key leaders across Sales, Brand Marketing, Commercial Excellence, Hospitality, Operations, Finance, and distributor organizations. 

• Leverage field insights and feedback to continuously improve education strategies, tools, and programs.

Budget & Resource Management 

• Oversee the Wine & Spirits education budget, ensuring strategic allocation and cost-effective use of resources. 

• Prioritize investments based on business needs, learning impact, scalability, and organizational priorities. 

• Effectively manage external partners, vendors, and resources supporting education programs.

Other Duties

• All other responsibilities as assigned.

Key Relationships

• Senior Director, Brand Strategy & Enablement

• VP of Commercial Excellence

• Sales GMs & Directors

• Marketing Directors & Brand Managers

• Sales Operations Directors

• Operations & Finance Leadership

• Distributor Partners

• DTC / Hospitality Leadership Team

• Talent Development 

• Cross-functional Commercial and Brand leadership

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required (ideally in Communications, Business Administration, Marketing, Education, or related field)
• 12-15 years relevant Wine & Spirits industry experience in Commercial Sales, Marketing, Education, or Hospitality

• Minimum WSET Level 3 in Wine (ideally Level 4), Level 2 in Spirits or equivalent (CMS Advanced, CWE, CSS)

• Learning and Development leadership experience - leading a team & curriculum development

• Demonstrated team leadership and motivational skills

• Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills

• Experience presenting to groups virtually and in-person

• Excellent computer skills (Word, PowerPoint, Excel); knowledge of webinar/online presentation platforms

• Proficiency in creating and delivering engaging, effective presentations

• Ability to build productive working relationships across functions

• Strong organizational, self-discipline, and follow-through abilities

• Solid understanding of three-tier distribution system

• Financial and budgetary management skills

• Passion for wine and spirits industry

Preferred Qualifications

• WSET Level 3 Certificate in Spirits, Level 4 Certificate in Wine

• WSET Nominated and/or Certified Educator for Wine and Spirits

• Experience in teaching, training, or education field/role

• Knowledge of Adobe Suite (Premiere Pro, InDesign, Photoshop)

• Experience developing/editing video content for social media

• Knowledge of LMS systems management

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

• Must be at least 21 years of age
• Must be able to travel regularly (domestically/internationally, 30-50%) and stay overnight as business requires

• Must be able to sit and/or stand for long periods and work on a computer for extended periods

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

Location

Napa, California

Additional Locations

Virtual - US

Job Type

Full time

Job Area

Human Resources

The salary range for this role is:

$140,100.00 - $303,300.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting.  Our compensation is based on cost of labor. For remote locations or positions open to multiple locations, the pay range may reflect several US geographic markets, including the lowest geographic market minimum to the highest geographic market maximum. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, the prevailing minimum wage for the location, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs.  At Constellation Brands, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate. We offer comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401(k), and any other benefits to eligible employees.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, or any other form of compensation that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

Equal Opportunity

Constellation Brands is committed to a continuing program of equal employment opportunity. All persons have equal employment opportunities with Constellation Brands, regardless of their sex, race, color, age, religion, creed, sexual orientation, national origin or citizenship, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristics), marital status, gender (including gender identity or gender expression), familial status, military or veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related conditions (or any other group or category within the framework of the applicable discrimination laws and regulations).