Head of Event Sales & Marketing in West End of London

Have an Impact at a Purpose-Driven Business. Jikoni is looking for our first Group Head of Event Sales & Marketing and team members to lead the growth across Jikoni, our upcoming sites at the V&A East and Bloomsbury and the development of a new business vertical - Jikoni Events - for private catering and events, cultural venue partnerships, product launches, parties and corporate bookings.

We are seeking kind, bright, and empathetic leaders who are passionate about helping us share our story with a wider audience and shape the next chapter of our purpose-driven business.

In this role, you will work closely with our Directors, Nadeem Nanjuwany, Ravinder Bhogal, the senior central team and our current Jikoni restaurant team on developing the sales and marketing of these new brand verticals, all reflecting Jikoni’s company values and ethos of restorative hospitality and maternal, cross-cultural cooking. The role will build off Jikoni's catering for top quality and world leading private events including 4 years as one of only three restaurants at Frieze London in Regent's Park, Chef-Patron Ravinder Bhogal's headline at Glastonbury Yurtel in 2024 pop ups at the Barbican and Fortnum & Mason and our upcoming partnership with a world leading cultural organisation, the V&A Museum.

At our flagship site in Marylebone, Jikoni, we “cook without borders”. Our food is a joyful celebration of maternal cooking, immigrant cuisine and pluralism. This includes a celebration of the rich culinary heritage of South Asia, the Far East, the Middle East, East Africa and Britain. As we grow, our core principles remain the same.

We are a restorative business committed to our team, our guests, our planet and wider community. As the UK's first independent Carbon Neutral certified restaurant, and with an exclusive partnership with a biodynamic farm, our commitment to social and environmental sustainability is at the heart of everything we do.

Jikoni has consistently been recognised among the UK’s best restaurants, appearing in the top 7 restaurants in London on the Nordic 360 Eat Guide (2024), Timeout’s Top 100 London Restaurants (2023), SquareMeal’s Top 100 Restaurants (2022), Harden’s Best 100 UK Restaurants (2019), and the National Restaurant Awards (2017). Jikoni is also currently featured in Condé Nast Traveller’s Best Restaurants in London.

We’re looking for someone who leads with heart, curiosity and a strong commercial mindset.

• Emotional Skillset: You embody the qualities that define great hospitality: Kindness, Optimism, Self-Awareness, Curiosity, Integrity, and Empathy.
• Experience: At least 3 years' experience in sales and marketing in the hospitality industry with a proven track record of sales growth and in planning and executing sales and marketing strategies in similar fields or brands.
• Values Alignment: You share our family values of Multiculturalism & Pluralism, Integrity, Hospitality & Seva (Selfless Service), Excellence, and Entrepreneurialism.
• Leadership & Ambition: A desire and drive to build and shape new channels of the business, contribute to a positive and supportive culture and build a career with us.
• Culinary Curiosity: A deep curiosity for our style of maternal cooking and immigrant cuisine and global flavours.

Key Responsibilities:

• Developing and delivering a sales and business plan to deliver growth across all channels, managing all steps of the event booking process, coordinating with the management team.
• Delivering events, new bookings revenue and profitability growth to meet or exceed targets.
• Presenting KPI forecasts including: sales revenue, costs, cover numbers and SPH, PDR occupancy, in-house/external event bookings and promotional activity results.
• Collaborating with the directors, management and creative/social teams on strategic initiatives that will produce measurable financial results, including creation and maintenance of sales kits and all client facing collateral, marketing plans, marketing calendar and digital analytics (website, email, SEO/PPC and social media platforms).
• Building strong relationships with our neighbourhood, corporate community and local residents to drive Jikoni and sister brands sales & revenue through private events, corporate and party bookings, external catering and other channels.
• Take ownership and accountability for revenue growth across key revenue streams. These revenue streams may include:

• Jikoni Events & Catering: Outside catering, special events, weddings, office/partner catering, consultancies and brand partnerships.
• Jikoni Private Dining: In-house private hires, including kitchen table experiences.

What We Offer in Return:

• Career Progression: Opportunities for growth in a dynamic and progressive company and working directly with senior management and directors to grow your leadership, business and hospitality skills while contributing to business with a positive purpose.
• Unique Training: Go beyond the kitchen with visits and hands-on training with our biodynamic farm partner and specialist producers.
• Competitive Package and Team Benefits: Delicious and wholesome team meals, a 51% team discount at our restaurants upon passing probation, 28 days holiday, a company pension scheme and private health insurance plans for all team members.