Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic projects to enhance employee experience and business effectiveness at wagamama.
- Company: Join wagamama, a vibrant Asian-inspired restaurant group with over 165 locations in the UK.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, hybrid working, and a £200 monthly food allowance.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on workplace culture while enjoying delicious food and great vibes.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership experience at director level, with a passion for people and culture.
- Other info: Be part of a family-friendly culture that values diversity and inclusion.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
At wagamama, food is life and we’re here to make every bite count. With over 165 restaurants across the UK (and growing fast), we’ve been dishing up vibrant, fresh Asian inspired flavours since ‘92. It’s all about good food, good vibes, and good company.
We’re looking for a director of projects + people experience to join us on our journey. Ready to dive in and stir things up?
Purpose: As our director of projects + people experience, you will be responsible for driving strategic initiatives that enhance business effectiveness and elevate the employee experience. This role ensures the successful delivery of key projects aligned with business priorities while fostering a culture of engagement, inclusion, and continuous improvement. You will provide leadership in projects, change management, and experience design to create a workplace where employees thrive and business goals are achieved.
Key Accountabilities:
- Deputising for CPO: In their absence, providing strategic leadership across all the people functions within the restaurant group, maintaining continuity in decision making and ensuring alignment across the full group. This includes overseeing and directing the people team, acting as a key support across the full group, and attending key meetings in CPO’s absence including exec meetings.
- Projects: Define and lead the strategic project roadmap for people initiatives, ensuring alignment with strategic goals. Oversee the planning, implementation, and delivery of projects, including culture programs and engagement initiatives. Drive collaboration, partnering with the senior leadership teams to ensure seamless implementation. Own internal communications for projects, ensuring clear, timely, and engaging messaging to all stakeholders. Monitor initiative progress, making adjustments to ensure successful embedding, using feedback loops and data to inform continuous improvement. Manage timelines, budgets, and risks across multiple projects, ensuring initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and with maximum impact. Keep stakeholders informed, managing expectations with clarity and empathy, providing regular updates and facilitating two-way communication.
- Wellbeing: Lead, develop and implement our wellbeing strategy which will build a resilient workforce whilst ensuring our teams feel supported and educated.
- Reward: Create and deliver a forward-thinking reward strategy working across the restaurant group to shape and align the reward strategy with business goals, ensuring fairness, transparency, and employee engagement.
- Lead Culture and Implementation Programme: Lead the successful implementation of all business initiatives across teams, driving cultural transformation and ensuring full implementation of strategic programs to achieve organisational objectives.
- People Experience and Recruitment: Expert in all aspects of people experience at wagamama, leveraging insights, expertise, and thought leadership to challenge conventional approaches. Take full ownership of the end-to-end employee experience, ensuring it reflects our values and culture.
- Comms: Align the internal people communications strategy with the communications manager, ensuring clear, consistent, and engaging messaging that reinforces the business culture and priorities.
What You’ll Need:
- Confident communicator and influencer at exec level.
- Demonstrated experience of operating at a director level.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into action.
- Inspiring leader who empowers others and builds high-performing teams.
- Experience in fast-paced, multi-site or hospitality environments preferred.
- Curious, creative and always looking for better.
- A talented and collaborative leader, adept at engaging, motivating, and developing teams across the business.
- A team player, dynamic and enthusiastic, with a ‘can do’ attitude and a passion to be the best.
- Genuinely interested in the performance of the business, rather than a single focus on their own area of expertise.
- High integrity, able to instil trust at all levels, with a desire to create success that they can be “proud” of.
- Attention to detail and sees the bigger picture. Able to move seamlessly from focusing on detail to the broad strategic challenges and contributing to the success of the whole business.
What’s in it for You:
- Competitive salary + 30% bonus potential.
- Hybrid working.
- Come as you are culture, with modern offices, fresh fruit and soft drinks.
- £200 monthly wagamama food allowance — enjoy all your favourite dishes on us!
- Private healthcare.
- 3% pension contribution.
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays + further discounts across retail, hospitality & leisure — perks that make life sweeter.
- Supporting you every step of the way! Family-friendly pay: 26 weeks full pay + 13 weeks half pay for expectant or adopting parents.
Nothing brings people together like great food. No matter where you’re from or who you are, you’ve got a seat at our table because food is the ultimate connector, and here everyone belongs.
director of projects + people experience in Slough employer: Wagamama
Contact Detail:
Wagamama Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land director of projects + people experience in Slough
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at Wagamama on LinkedIn. Ask them about their experiences and any tips they might have for landing the director role. Personal connections can give you insights that a job description just can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by diving deep into Wagamama's culture and values. Think about how your experience aligns with their mission of creating a vibrant workplace. Bring examples of how you've driven engagement and inclusion in past roles to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your strategic thinking! Be ready to discuss how you would define and lead the project roadmap for people initiatives at Wagamama. They want someone who can translate vision into action, so come armed with ideas and a clear plan.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of the Wagamama family. Let’s get you on this exciting journey together!
We think you need these skills to ace director of projects + people experience in Slough
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Food and People: When you’re writing your application, let your love for food and creating great experiences shine through. We want to see how you connect with our values and how you can bring that passion to the role.
Tailor Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in project management and people leadership. We’re looking for someone who can drive initiatives and foster a positive culture, so be specific about how you've done this in the past.
Be Clear and Engaging: Your written application should be clear and engaging. Use a friendly tone and make it easy for us to see why you’re the perfect fit. Remember, we’re all about good vibes!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Wagamama
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into wagamama's values and culture. Understand their approach to employee experience and how they drive engagement. This will help you align your answers with their mission and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of their journey.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
As a director, you'll need to demonstrate your leadership capabilities. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led teams through change or implemented strategic initiatives. Highlight your ability to empower others and foster a collaborative environment, as this is key to thriving at wagamama.
✨Be Data-Driven
Wagamama values continuous improvement, so come prepared with examples of how you've used data to inform decisions and drive project success. Discuss how you've monitored initiative progress and made adjustments based on feedback, showcasing your strategic thinking and attention to detail.
✨Engage with Empathy
Communication is crucial for this role. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and empathetically. Be ready to discuss how you've managed stakeholder expectations and facilitated two-way communication in previous roles. This will demonstrate your ability to connect with people at all levels.
