Warehouse Group Manager in London

Founded in 2003, Wasabi's vision is to lovingly create and serve delicious Asian food for a busy nation. Wasabi now has 42 thriving restaurants across London and major UK cities and 4 in New York. In 2019, we introduced Wasabi Home Bento, the grocery channel, launching exclusively in Sainsbury’s. Building on that success, the grocery business broadened its reach to Tesco in September 2022, followed by exciting launches in Co-op and Morrisons in 2024. Wasabi grocery has seen phenomenal growth and is now a £62m RSV brand. Wasabi proudly stands as the No. 2 chilled ready-meal brand in the market, consistently attracting new customers to the category through an innovative East Asian range. Wasabi’s menu is celebrated for its unique character, exceptional freshness, and bold flavours. Our diverse range is designed to delight a wide audience, delivering both comfort and excitement with every bite. We have an ambitious 5-year growth strategy, focusing on new restaurants, franchise partnerships, and international expansion.

As we prepare for our next phase of growth and innovation, we have an incredibly exciting opportunity for a Warehouse Group Manager to join our Central Production Unit based in Park Royal.

The Role: The Warehouse Group Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the warehouse, leading teams to deliver safe, compliant and efficient Goods In, storage, inventory control and dispatch operations. Reporting to the Warehouse Operations Manager, the role focuses on daily execution, people leadership and operational control, ensuring plans, standards and performance expectations are delivered consistently across all warehouse activities. The role operates on a shift pattern of five days out of any seven, working 45 hours per week, to meet operational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Warehouse Operations (End-to-End Accountability)
  • Lead day-to-day warehouse operations across Goods In, storage, inventory control, picking, packing, dispatch and yard activities.
  • Ensure warehouse operations deliver against agreed service levels, productivity targets and cost controls.
  • Maintain clear operational oversight, setting daily priorities and ensuring effective deployment of people and resources.
  • Act as the senior operational lead for the warehouse on shift, escalating risks and issues as required.
• Goods In & Storage
  • Oversee the receipt of inbound goods, ensuring accuracy, quality and compliance with purchase orders and delivery documentation.
  • Ensure stock is handled, stored and moved safely and efficiently, following GMP, BRC.
  • Maintain clear controls for discrepancies, damages and non-conformance, ensuring timely investigation and resolution.
  • Ensure inbound processes support availability of stock for production and customer fulfilment.
• Inventory Management
  • Lead cycle counting, reconciliations and investigations, ensuring root causes of discrepancies are understood and addressed.
  • Maintain controls to minimise waste, obsolescence and stock loss.
  • Support improvements to warehouse layout, space utilisation and stock flow.
  • Liaise with Material Planners and Procurement teams to ensure an adequate supply of all inventory and ingredients.
• Dispatch & Transport
  • Own the full dispatch operation including picking, packing, labelling, loading and despatch paperwork.
  • Lead transport coordination activities, ensuring deliveries are planned and executed on time and in full.
  • Optimise loading and despatch processes to maximise vehicle utilisation, minimise damages and control transport costs.
  • Monitor service performance, addressing exceptions and implementing corrective actions where required.
  • Manage communication with third parties, ensuring timely updates where production requires time adjustments for inbounding transport.
  • Identify operational risks, inefficiencies and improvement opportunities across warehouse activities.
• Team Management
  • Lead and manage all warehouse teams, including Transport Assistant, Stock Quality Controllers, Warehouse Supervisors, Warehouse Operatives – those with and without MHE duties.
  • Create a culture of accountability, engagement and high performance through visible leadership and clear communication.
  • Set objectives, review performance and provide regular feedback to team leaders.
  • Ensure robust onboarding, training and development is in place across all warehouse roles.
  • Manage attendance, performance and conduct issues in line with company policies.
• Health, Safety, Quality & Compliance
  • Champion a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with all health & safety legislation and company standards.
  • Ensure adherence to GMP, BRC, hygiene and PPE requirements across all warehouse activities.
  • Ensure audit requirements are met and actions from internal and external audits are completed and sustained.
  • Maintain a clean, organised and audit-ready warehouse environment at all times.
• Performance Management & Continuous Improvement
  • Track and review operational KPIs including safety, service, productivity, inventory accuracy and cost.
  • Implement standard operating procedures and improvement actions aligned to business priorities.
  • Address nonconformities from previous internal and external audits.
  • Support and embed continuous improvement initiatives using Lean principles (e.g. 5S, Kaizen).
• Reporting & Stakeholder Management
  • Manage Site Report and provide regular performance reporting to the Warehouse Operations Manager.
  • Work closely with Supply Chain, Production, Procurement, Quality and Commercial teams to ensure alignment.
  • Act as an escalation point for warehouse-related operational issues.
  • Attend daily Kaizen meetings representing Warehouse operations.
• ESG
  • Support delivery of the Wasabi Seiyaku (ESG pledge) within the warehouse.
  • Promote sustainable, responsible and safe working practices across teams.

Our Requirements

• 3+ years of supervisory management experience in warehouse operations.
• A proven track record of people management and delivering strong results through a team in a people management role.
• Experience working with WMS.
• An understanding of cost models and experience of budgetary control.
• Strong communicator.
• Strong time management personally and across teams.
• Experience implementing WMS/AMS.
• Experience with ERP/CRM systems.
• Previous experience working with BRC compliance.
• Experience working in FMCG environment.
• Experience of identifying and implementing process improvements to optimise space utilisation, increase efficiency and reduce costs.
• A hands-on, proactive approach with strong problem-solving skills and a focus on continuous improvement.

Benefits:

• Refer A Friend Scheme.
• Free Sushi or hot food (vegan options available).
• 50% discount in our Branches.
• Employee Assistant Programme (a service providing health and wellbeing support).
• Long Service Awards.
• Wagestream - a financial wellbeing benefit that lets you access your pay as you earn it in real time and manage savings.
• Life Assurance.
• Electric Vehicle Scheme through Octopus.
• Cycle To Work.
• Free on-site parking.
• A variety of discounts (shopping, food & drink, entertainment and health & fitness) through Perkbox.
• The 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.