Join to apply for the Marketing Director role at Wasabi Sushi & Bento

Wasabi now has 40 thriving restaurants across London and major UK cities and 4 in New York. We introduced Wasabi Home Bento, the grocery channel, in 2019, launching exclusively in Sainsbury’s. The grocery business broadened its reach to Tesco in September 2022, followed by launches in Co-op and Morrisons in 2024. Wasabi grocery is a growing business and is now a £62m RSV brand, with a reputation as the No. 2 chilled ready-meal brand in the market. Our menu is celebrated for its unique character, freshness, and bold flavours, designed to delight a wide audience with both comfort and excitement in every bite.

We have an ambitious 5-year growth strategy focused on new restaurants, franchise partnerships, and international expansion. As we prepare for our next phase of growth, there is an exciting opportunity for a Marketing Director to join our Marketing Team based in Park Royal.

The Role

This is a key role in Wasabi’s growth strategy to double the size of the business in the next five years. The Marketing Director will oversee our brand-building activities with a focus on driving penetration and conversion in our 40-strong UK restaurant business and through our grocery partners. The successful candidate will shape the overall strategy to build on Wasabi’s credentials to become a trusted and loved brand.

The role will lead a team responsible for the development and delivery of all current and future propositions and marketing activity to achieve our growth ambitions and drive commercial success. They will partner with the Food Team to bring customer insight to our menu development and ensure we capitalise on trends in the QSR and grocery markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and evolve the Wasabi brand vision, personality and values to inform our creative strategy, visual identity and tone of voice. Act as the guardian to ensure consistent representation of our brand throughout the customer journey
• Develop and implement the three-year brand strategy aligning across our restaurant and grocery businesses and driving synergies where possible
• Oversee a robust and data-led process for reviewing marketing activity to drive continuous improvement in ROI
• Lead a cross-functional team to drive restaurant like-for-like sales growth, maximising transaction value through alignment of marketing activity, product availability and in-restaurant customer experience
• Bring customer and trend insight to the food development process, partnering with the food and commercial teams to capitalise on opportunities whilst maintaining alignment to our brand promise
• Champion sustainability and ensure ESG considerations are applied to marketing activity, product development and packaging decisions
• Lead a cross-functional team on packaging design and development alongside the Procurement and Food teams
• Source and develop new product or sales channel opportunities and drive them through to compelling customer propositions, working closely with the Restaurant Operations teams
• Support the successful opening of equity-owned restaurants and any co-marketing activity for franchise partnerships
• Define and implement Wasabi’s PR and social strategy to develop a balanced and broad dialogue with our customers and the wider public. Optimise both business (LinkedIn) and social channels (TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
• Oversee agency and supplier partnerships to ensure ROI and adherence to service levels
• Lead the pricing strategy for restaurant menus and evaluate performance and impact
• Develop and implement a Restaurant commercial playbook and lead a cross-functional working group to establish local restaurant marketing strategy and a local vs central approach
• Partner with Area Managers to understand sales drivers and how operational teams can maximise sales and brand perception
• Lead merchandising optimization and range reviews to maximise transaction value, alongside the Operations & Food teams
• Maintain a climate that attracts, retains and motivates a high performing team

Our Requirements

The ideal candidate is a commercial marketing leader with extensive experience delivering results in QSR, retail or hospitality, with exposure to FMCG. They should balance short-term sales driving activity with long-term brand development and hold a degree (ideally with a post graduate Marketing qualification).

They will also need to demonstrate:

• Strategic thinking with a passion for working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Data literacy and the ability to interpret numbers
• Strong commercial acumen and financial literacy, with the ability to evaluate campaign performance and ROI
• Experience in developing, managing and working within budgets
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build trust across the business
• A track record of building creative, ground-breaking marketing campaigns with strong understanding of current social and digital trends
• Excellent leadership capabilities with the ability to build a high-performing and engaged team
• Benefits include Refer A Friend Scheme, Free Sushi or hot food (vegan options available), 50% discount in our branches, Employee Assistance Programme, health/wellbeing services, and more local perks
• Cycle to Work, Free on-site parking, and various discounts through Perkbox
• Opportunity to develop your skills within a growing company

Our people make us who we are. If you’re looking for an exciting challenge and this sounds like the job for you please apply today as we can’t wait to hear from you.

Seniority level

• Director

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Marketing
• Industries: Hospitality, Food and Beverage Manufacturing, and Restaurants

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