HEAD OF WINEMAKING - Romania

A unique opportunity to take full ownership of winemaking operations within a large and quality-driven wine group in Eastern Europe.

A role combining technical leadership, scale, and real impact on product evolution.

Company

Our client is a leading wine group operating in South-Eastern Romania, managing two production sites located approximately two hours from Bucharest and close to the Black Sea coast. The company cultivates around 1,200 hectares of vineyards and processes approximately 120,000 quintals of grapes per year, producing both bulk wine (around 30,000 hectoliters) and bottled products (about 2.5 million units across different formats, including Bag-in-Box). The organization combines significant production volumes with a strong focus on quality, supported by modern facilities and the ongoing collaboration with a well-established Italian oenological consulting firm.

Position

Reporting directly to top management and working in close cooperation with the external oenological consultant, the Head of Winemaking will be responsible for overseeing all winemaking operations across the two production sites.

The role combines technical leadership, operational coordination and quality control, ensuring consistency of production standards across both wineries. The role also requires a strong ability to operate in a demanding entrepreneurial environment, acting as a key reference point for ownership and ensuring alignment between strategic expectations and operational execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Supervising the entire winemaking process, from grape intake to vinification, aging, bottling and warehouse management.
• Coordinating, supporting and closely supervising the two resident winemakers, ensuring alignment with company standards, production objectives and consistent execution across both sites.
• Managing harvest operations, with particular focus on organization, efficiency and quality under high-volume conditions.
• Monitoring product evolution and ensuring consistency in style and quality across different product lines.
• Collaborating with the commercial and marketing teams in production planning and product development.
• Coordinating with the purchasing department for the procurement of materials and production inputs.
• Acting as the main internal reference point for the implementation of guidelines provided by the external consultant.
• Acting as a primary interface with ownership, managing expectations and providing structured, reliable feedback on operations and results.
• Ensuring effective coordination between the two production sites, managing different production streams (bulk and bottled wine) with distinct processes, timing and priorities.

Requirements

We are looking for a senior winemaking professional with solid experience in medium to large-scale wine production environments, ideally managing significant volumes while maintaining high-quality standards. Beyond technical expertise, the role requires strong managerial and interpersonal capabilities. The ideal candidate is able to operate with credibility in front of ownership, combining technical authority with clear communication and a structured approach to problem solving.

The Ideal Candidate Will Bring

• Proven experience in managing winery operations in structured and high-volume contexts.
• Strong technical expertise across all phases of winemaking and bottling.
• Experience in coordinating teams and managing multiple production sites or complex operations.
• Strong organizational and control skills, with the ability to manage complex operations across multiple sites and ensure consistency of execution.
• A structured and quality-driven approach, with attention to process control and continuous improvement.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multicultural and international environment.
• Proven ability to manage relationships with ownership or senior stakeholders in entrepreneurial or family-driven environments.
• Natural authority and credibility, capable of guiding teams and gaining trust in situations where alignment is not always immediate.

Fluency in English is required; knowledge of Romanian is considered a plus.

The position is based in Romania, with daily presence required at the production sites.

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