Calcaire, Wild Horse, Smith & Hook Brand Ambassador

ABOUT STRATEGIC GROUP

Strategic Group is a full-scale marketing agency specializing in experiential programming and sales support initiatives. For more than two decades, we’ve built a reputation for engaging our clients’ retail customers and influencing their hard-to-penetrate consumer base.

CALCAIRE, WILD HORSE & SMITH & HOOK BRAND AMBASSADOR

In this role, the Calcaire, Wild Horse & Smith & Hook Brand Ambassador will serve as the dedicated brand resource and in-market authority on behalf of Calcaire, Wild Horse and Smith & Hook in the Dallas, TX market.

They will own a target account list across the Dallas market, securing placements with the trade and building consumer demand across all three brands. This is a full-time, in-market hire responsible for the account list, the trade relationships and the entire activation calendar, including recruiting, training and managing a Brand Advocate sampling team who execute consumer-facing events to the Ambassador’s direction and brief. Qualified candidates will be credible across three distinct brand identities — Calcaire’s coastal Chardonnay precision, Wild Horse’s Central Coast Pinot Noir, and Smith & Hook’s Paso Robles Cabernet and Hahn family ranch heritage — and will have the commercial acumen and trade relationships to secure placements while directing a support team on consumer trial and sampling.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

The Calcaire, Wild Horse & Smith & Hook Brand Ambassador shall be responsible for the following:

- Own and manage a target account list across the Dallas market.

- Secure and maintain by-the-glass and menu placements across Calcaire, Wild Horse and Smith & Hook, serving as the primary point of contact for wine directors, sommeliers, general managers and buyers.

- Lead all trade education and staff training sessions across all three brands, ensuring on-premise staff can confidently describe and sell each brand.

- Recruit, hire, train, manage and develop a Brand Advocate sampling team to execute on-premise sampling, by-the-glass trial events, and community, club and western-equity activations to the Ambassador’s brief and calendar.

- Build, implement and own the full activation calendar — trade education, sampling and trial, winemaker dinners, and community, club and western events — balancing account coverage with event execution across all three brands.

- Develop and maintain relationships with key market stakeholders, including the local trade community, distributor partners and the GALLO Dallas sales team.

- Act as a valued partner and consultant to key accounts, using judgment and market knowledge to prioritize account and brand focus.

- Support development of POS and trade tool materials, with GALLO approval, including brand- specific assets for Calcaire, Wild Horse and Smith & Hook.

- Adhere to and manage T&E and activation budgets across all three brands.- Coordinate with Strategic Group’s existing La Marca and Whitehaven Dallas team to confirm shared-account overlap and sampling support logistics.

- Complete regular quantitative and qualitative reporting, including account visit tracking, activation recaps and competitive brand observations.

- Participate in debriefs after activations to capture strengths and opportunities.

- Maintain satisfactory attendance, to include timeliness.

- Responsible for understanding and complying with applicable quality and safety regulatory considerations.

- Accountable for the work of the Brand Advocate sampling team and responsible for ensuring their understanding of and compliance with brand standards.

REQUIREMENTS

Exhibits Intrapreneurship and Ownership behaviors:

- Intrapreneurship is entrepreneurship in an established company: behaviors that include thinking boldly, taking appropriate risks, learning from mistakes, showing initiative, and encouraging and reinforcing innovation.

- Ownership refers to behaviors that include setting high expectations, driving candid discussion, and holding self and others accountable.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or adjacent field and five-plus years of on-premise experience, restaurant-specific — sommelier, wine director or supplier ambassador background; OR Bachelor’s degree plus 3 years of Gallo winery marketing, sales, or Gallo-affiliated/non-affiliated distributor sales experience reflecting increasing levels of responsibility.

- Established Dallas trade relationships across polished and fine dining accounts.

- Commercial acumen: able to read a depletion report and build an account plan against it.

- Dallas resident, able to independently manage a broad, geographically dispersed account territory.

- Experience with owned social media and networks.

- Wine category fluency; with particular expertise in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet.

- Candidate is required to have a valid driver’s license, a safe driving record and a reliable vehicle at the time of hire. This position will undergo a motor vehicle check (MVR) to confirm a history of safe and responsible driving.

- Required to be 21 years of age or older.

- Personal passion and curiosity for wine, and a demonstrated depth of knowledge.

Preferred Qualifications

- WSET Level 2 or 3, or Court of Master Sommeliers equivalent.

- Experience carrying a multi-brand portfolio without diluting any single brand’s story.

- Prior work in a split-channel state and comfort with by-the-glass pricing dynamics.

- Country club, steakhouse and private-event experience.- Credible across three brand identities: Calcaire’s coastal Chardonnay precision, Wild Horse’s Central Coast Pinot Noir, and Smith & Hook’s Paso Robles Cabernet with 45 years of Hahn family ranch heritage.

- Comfortable in western-culture settings — rodeo events, steakhouses, suburban bars.

- Self-directed; this role has no local team above it.

- Established relationships within the Dallas on-premise market.

- Entrepreneurial mindset, creative with excellent presentation skills.

- Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP AND EVALUATION

Reports directly to and is evaluated by the company’s Senior Director of Operations.

The above description is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of the job of the Calcaire, Wild Horse & Smith & Hook Brand Ambassador. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities, or requirements nor should it be construed as creating a contract of employment, which is terminable by the employee or Strategic Group at any time for any reason. 

TARGET MARKETS

Dallas, TX