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- Tasks: Lead customer insights and commercial strategies to drive growth at wagamama.
- Company: Join wagamama, a vibrant Asian-inspired restaurant chain with over 165 locations in the UK.
- Benefits: Enjoy a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth and development.
- Why this job: Be the voice of the customer and shape strategies that impact real change in a beloved brand.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in insight and strategy roles, with strong data storytelling and leadership skills.
- Other info: Opportunity to work with innovative technologies like AI to enhance customer insights.
The predicted salary is between 54000 - 84000 £ per year.
At wagamama, we’re an eating house for the soul. With over 165 UK restaurants and growing, our purpose is to nourish the world from bowl to soul, inspired by fast-paced Japanese ramen bars since 1992.
We’re looking for an insights + commercial strategy director to join us on our continuous journey of true nourishment.
Purpose:
- Be the voice of the customer, connecting all customer data to drive valuable insights and convert that insight into tangible action to ensure that we deliver accelerated customer-led growth.
- This role is accountable for developing, in partnership with the chief marketing + commercial officer and the exec, the 3-year growth strategies against the five key battle grounds.
- Includes leading our pricing and promotional strategy recommendations and managing our out of restaurant (OOR) commercial strategies and executional plans.
Key Responsibilities:
- Starting with the customer, use this as the fuel to drive our 3-year growth strategies aligned to the five battle grounds: win with families, 1st choice with groups, reset value proposition, healthier/lighter, win share with loyal guests.
- Oversee all the various customer data and insight we access, ensuring all strategies and initiatives have the customer at heart, converting all the data into insight and insight into action for our business and teams.
- Apply new technologies such as AI to be more informed on customer insight/social listening to fuel our business success.
- Co-create customer-led growth strategies including menu growth.
- Co-create the commercial construct of the loyalty program, Soul Club, in order to drive sustainable profitable growth.
- Lead pricing and promotion strategy and execution.
- Lead our out of restaurant commercial growth with a priority on delivery, which is 20% of our revenue and a critical channel of growth.
- Accountable for our out of restaurant commercial growth strategy and plan beyond delivery, including retail and future growth channels.
- Coach, develop and grow a team of high potential individuals.
- Provide inspiring leadership and lead from the front.
- Bring the outside in and ensure teams are thinking broadly and future forward.
Requirements:
- A customer-led leader with over 10 years of experience in insight and strategy.
- Insight-led with prior experience of running an insight team.
- Commercially savvy leader who can juggle multiple priorities and is highly resilient.
- Great stakeholder management and influencing skills.
- Skilled at taking data from multiple sources and converting it into tangible and meaningful action for brand and business.
- Strong ability to tell stories through data.
- Past experience of managing commercial growth partners, ideally with experience of managing delivery partners.
- Creative thinker who challenges the status quo.
- Confidence and experience presenting and representing the wagamama brand in internal and external forums.
Contact Detail:
Wagamama Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Customer Insight + Commercial Strategy Director
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with wagamama's brand values and customer experience. Understanding their mission to nourish the world from bowl to soul will help you align your insights and strategies with their core purpose, making you a more compelling candidate.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the food and beverage industry, especially those with experience in customer insights and commercial strategy. Engaging with industry peers can provide valuable insights into current trends and challenges that wagamama may be facing.
✨Tip Number 3
Stay updated on the latest technologies in customer insight and data analysis, particularly AI tools. Demonstrating your knowledge of how these technologies can enhance customer understanding will set you apart as a forward-thinking candidate.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully driven customer-led growth in previous roles. Being able to share tangible results will showcase your ability to convert insights into actionable strategies, which is crucial for this position.
We think you need these skills to ace Customer Insight + Commercial Strategy Director
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Before applying, make sure you fully understand the responsibilities and requirements of the Customer Insight + Commercial Strategy Director position at wagamama. Tailor your application to highlight how your experience aligns with their needs.
Highlight Relevant Experience: In your CV and cover letter, emphasise your previous roles in insight and strategy, particularly those that demonstrate your ability to lead teams and drive customer-led growth. Use specific examples to showcase your achievements.
Showcase Data Skills: Since the role involves converting data into actionable insights, be sure to include any relevant experience you have with data analysis, market research, and using technologies like AI for customer insights. This will demonstrate your capability to fulfil the job's requirements.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter should not only express your enthusiasm for the role but also tell a story about your career journey. Connect your past experiences to the mission of wagamama, showing how you can contribute to their vision of nourishing the world from bowl to soul.
How to prepare for a job interview at Wagamama
✨Understand the Customer-Centric Approach
Make sure you grasp the importance of being the voice of the customer. Familiarise yourself with how customer insights can drive growth strategies and be prepared to discuss how you've used customer data in previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Data Storytelling Skills
Be ready to demonstrate your ability to convert complex data into actionable insights. Prepare examples where you've successfully told a story through data, highlighting the impact on business decisions.
✨Highlight Your Leadership Experience
Since this role involves coaching and developing a team, come equipped with examples of how you've led teams in the past. Discuss your leadership style and how you inspire others to think creatively and strategically.
✨Prepare for Stakeholder Management Scenarios
Expect questions about managing relationships with various stakeholders. Think of instances where you've influenced decision-making or navigated complex organisational dynamics, and be ready to share those experiences.
