Buyer / Portfolio Manager, France

Are you currently buying at a senior level for a major UK wine business, or have the expertise and experience to bring this role to life?

Do you thrive on building successful, commercially sound relationships with small and large producers alike, and do you have the ambition to develop a world-class lineup of French wines that work across the trade? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

We have an exciting opportunity for a high-performing wine professional, with a passion and specialist knowledge of France, to join our dynamic buying team, combining expertise in selecting and collaborating with world-class producers, whilst bringing a strong commercial perspective to the role.

About the role

As an Alliance Wine Buyer, you would develop, manage, and ensure the success of your portfolio in line with the company's overall vision and buying philosophy.  A vital element of the role is upholding and championing Alliance's values within the company and the broader market. The role is UK based, although we are based in Ayrshire and have an office in London, we are open-minded about your location.

About you

The ideal candidate would bring drive, interpersonal skills, creativity and passion to this pivotal role, responsible not only for managing relationships and generating new opportunities across the premium supply base, but also for ensuring success throughout the product's life cycle. As such, strong industry knowledge, commercial instinct and analytical skills are necessary to develop and deliver product strategy.

The successful candidate will have

• A proven track record, strong contacts and a minimum of 3 years’ wine buying experience, with a specialist knowledge of France (across Fine Wine, Premium Wine and core categories).

• Strong multi-channel experience of the UK trade, spanning on-trade, independent off-trade and national accounts.

• Exceptional negotiation, communication and presentation skills, with an ability to work across departments, enthuse and impart knowledge to sales teams and customers alike.

• An ability to build strong and collaborative partnerships with suppliers, and optimise their sales, distribution and reputation in the UK market.

• A high level and breadth of wine knowledge (min. WSET Diploma or equivalent).

• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to drive success and profitability.

• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, travel regularly to producers, company offices and support customer visits where required.

• Accountable, credible, proactive, and with the confidence to take ownership and responsibility for the French portfolio.

• Experience of using Power BI analytical tools to inform and support commercial decision making, and awareness of trends.

• Fluency in French is essential.

At Alliance, we are entering an exciting new phase of premium wine growth, and this unique opportunity sits at the heart of the business. The right candidate will partner with and nurture our internationally acclaimed French producers while building an industry-leading portfolio that meets the needs of a fast-paced business and a changing wine landscape.

How to apply

To apply for this position, please send your CV to Jean Wareing MW at [email protected]
 
The closing date is 9th November 2026.