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- Tasks: Own and grow labour optimisation to improve staffing economics and customer experience.
- Company: Join Sona, a cutting-edge AI-native workforce management company transforming frontline jobs.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible working, generous leave, and professional development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in hospitality while working with innovative technology and a dynamic team.
- Qualifications: Analytical mindset, practical experience, and strong communication skills are essential.
- Other info: Be part of a fast-growing team with excellent career growth potential.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 100000 £ per year.
Location: Hybrid - London Office
Employment Type: Full time
Location Type: Hybrid
Department: Product
Compensation: £70K – £100K • Offers Equity
3 billion people across the world work in frontline jobs. Yet, despite rising costs and staff shortages, frontline organisations are still left to choose between paper, Excel, and WhatsApp, or decade-old workforce management solutions to take care of the most important part of their businesses - their people.
Enter Sona: the next generation of AI-native, frontline workforce management. We’ve built an end-to-end platform covering Scheduling, HR, Payroll, and Communications that gives the largest frontline organisations everything they need to staff more intelligently and empower their teams.
In 4 years, we’ve already made a deep impact on the lives of over 100k frontline workers and the operation of their organisations, grown the team to 120+, and secured over $50M in funding from notable VC’s, including Felicis, Northzone, Gradient Ventures (Google), SpeedInvest, Antler, and Notion Capital, plus notable angels like Tom Blomfield (Monzo).
It’s a hugely exciting time to be joining the team as we’re still small enough that you’ll have a significant impact on the company’s growth trajectory and culture, yet large enough to have a great structure, experienced leaders and world-class benefits in place.
About the Role:
Hospitality is getting squeezed. Wages are up, margins are down, and customers won’t part with their card-earned cash unless service is both good and fast. The operators who thrive will be the ones who get labour right - enough people to deliver great experiences, not so many that they’re bleeding money on quiet Tuesday afternoons.
The answer is precision: forecast demand accurately, set intelligent labour rules, and let software schedule the shifts. Sona has built the tooling for all three, but getting this right for each client presents a new challenge every time. It’s as much an art as a science, and Sona is looking for an artist-come-scientist to own and grow this immensely important workstream.
In this role, you’ll own labour optimisation at Sona. Your objective: help customers improve the staffing economics of their business, while maintaining customer experience, and making sure employees have busy but achievable shifts.
Responsibilities:
- Using Sona's tooling to derive labour rules from real trading data.
- Being on-site in restaurants, seeing the practical realities - stock deliveries, close-down procedures, the difference between a dine-in close and a Deliveroo-only finish.
- Building trust with site managers so they actually follow the workload models.
- Producing impact reporting for C-level executives that proves ROI.
- Being the subject matter expert in sales conversations.
Requirements:
This is a jack-of-all-trades role. You’ll need to be:
- Analytical - natural instinct for numbers, can interrogate a dataset and spot what matters.
- Practical - relishes the down-to-earth realities that spreadsheets can’t capture.
- A communicator - can bring operators, execs, and internal teams on the journey.
- A leader - will bring order to ambiguity, set up processes, and ultimately build a team as Sona scales.
You might have been a strategy consultant, a start-up founder, someone analytical in hospitality, or none of these. Regardless, we’ll be looking for a combination of these traits and experiences:
- Analytical chops - fast in spreadsheets, ideally comfortable with SQL or BI tools.
- AI-native - you’ve embraced Claude, ChatGPT, or similar for data analysis and building things quickly.
- Operations exposure - you’ve made resourcing or scheduling decisions, or worked closely with those who do.
- Stakeholder skills - you’ve influenced senior people without authority over them.
- Product exposure - you’ve been responsible for building a tool to solve a novel problem.
- Industry knowledge - hospitality, retail, care, leisure - anywhere with hourly workers and fluctuating demand.
- Workforce management - scheduling systems, productivity analysis, labour modelling.
- Start-up instincts - you’ve built from scratch, operated without a playbook, shipped under uncertainty.
Benefits:
- Salary: £70-100k (flexible banding for a first-of-its-kind hire).
- Flexible hybrid working: remote-first with regular in-office (Soho) and customer on-site sessions.
- Share options.
- 35 days annual leave (25 days standard plus 10 flexible public holiday days).
- Extra day of leave for every year of service.
- Pension contributions matched up to 5%.
- Comprehensive health insurance.
- Enhanced parental leave & pay.
- Co-working space stipend for those based outside London.
- Bi-annual all expenses paid team retreats.
- The latest Macbook and equipment budget for your home office.
- Professional development budget.
- Unlimited free books.
Note: this represents a typical benefits package for a UK-based, full-time employee. Exact details may vary based on location and employment type but we try to be as fair as possible to all of our team members. Please ask your contact in the Talent team to clarify the available benefits for you.
Compensation Range: £70K - £100K
Labour Optimisation Specialist in London employer: Antler
Contact Detail:
Antler Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Labour Optimisation Specialist in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to labour optimisation. Use our resources to brush up on your analytical skills and be ready to showcase how you can make a real impact at Sona.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your practical experience! When discussing your background, highlight any hands-on work you've done in hospitality or operations. This will demonstrate that you understand the realities of the industry and can apply your skills effectively.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of the Sona team and contributing to our mission.
We think you need these skills to ace Labour Optimisation Specialist in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV speaks directly to the Labour Optimisation Specialist role. Highlight your analytical skills, practical experience, and any relevant industry knowledge. We want to see how you can bring value to Sona!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you're passionate about labour optimisation and how your unique background makes you the perfect fit for our team. Keep it engaging and personal!
Showcase Your Data Skills: Since this role involves a lot of data analysis, make sure to mention any experience you have with spreadsheets, SQL, or BI tools. We love seeing candidates who are comfortable with numbers and can derive insights from data.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother application process. It helps us keep everything organised and ensures your application gets the attention it deserves. Can't wait to see your application!
How to prepare for a job interview at Antler
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Labour Optimisation Specialist, you'll need to demonstrate your analytical skills. Brush up on key metrics related to staffing and labour costs in the hospitality sector. Be ready to discuss how you would use data to optimise workforce management.
✨Get Practical
Understanding the real-world challenges of frontline operations is crucial. If possible, visit a local restaurant or similar venue to observe their processes. This hands-on experience will help you relate to the practical realities during your interview.
✨Communicate Clearly
You’ll be working with various stakeholders, so practice articulating complex ideas simply. Prepare examples of how you've influenced others without direct authority, as this will showcase your communication skills and ability to build trust.
✨Show Your Start-Up Spirit
Sona is looking for someone who thrives in ambiguity. Share experiences where you've had to adapt quickly or solve problems creatively. Highlight your ability to work independently and take initiative, as this aligns with the start-up culture.
