We are part of the Wonderfield Group which includes the Taiko, YO! and Bento brands – we operate more than 1500 kiosks, 60 wholly owned restaurants, our grab and go sushi is available in over 3,700 locations and we have 50 major retail partners.
Our key markets are the USA, Canada and the UK with additional geographic presence in Europe and Australia. Our brands are:
* Wonderfield - the franchisor of over 1,000 full-service sushi kiosks in 25 states throughout the continental U.S., Hawaii and Alaska
* Taiko - founded in 1997, Taiko was the first sushi manufacturer for UK supermarkets and has evolved into a highly innovative manufacturer of sushi, bento and snacks in the UK.
* Bento - founded in 1996 in Canada and provides quality grab & go sushi and hot Asian food in over 900 locations, including supermarkets
* YO! - the first to bring the ‘kaiten’ conveyor belt to the UK in 1997. Today, YO! is the UK's #1 Sushi brand with over 50 restaurants, over 170 sushi kiosks and a popular YO! To Go range
Our Purpose:
We Believe in Better Food for Everyone, the Japanese Way…
We continue to capitalise on consumer trends, spearheading category growth by bringing our proposition to more people around the world across more channels, in more locations, on more occasions and in more innovative ways. We are committed to purposeful progress and profit for the benefit of our people, our communities and our planet and we have a clear ESG strategy that delivers progress against nine UN sustainability development goals.
Overview of the role:
The primary purpose of this role is to take the lead on managing a defined subset of the organisations’ NPD Projects. This means applying project management principles and disciplines to lead the cross-functional delivery of new products from idea through to operational readiness at the relevant production location, delivery to customer and post-launch review. The scope of the role includes the Pre-Packed, Branded Goods and Kiosks sales channels.
3 Best Things about the job
1. Working in a business that is growing rapidly making each day exciting whilst providing personal growth opportunities
2. A friendly and inclusive workplace with a great team that is passionate to work together to provide the best quality products and service
3. Market leading brand and high-quality product-set across all channels
Key Accountabilities:
Key Aspects of Job
* Lead a cross-functional project team through the NPD Stage Gate process to ensure successful delivery of a broad range of NPD projects to the agreed target launch dates
* Projects will be triggered by NPD, EPD, changes to ingredients and/or suppliers and changes in manufacturing processes
* Developing project plans from idea generation through to delivery to customer and post-launch review
* Allocation of project teams, tasks and responsibilities.
* Creation and management on Issues Logs and Risk Register for each project, that allow issues and risks to be clearly communicated to the stakeholders
* Chairing various NPD project meetings with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure alignment with the project launch plans and drive the NPD projects forward
* Collaboration with various internal teams and external stakeholders to guide project development outcomes by providing clear project communications
* Management of KPIs for project delivery to ensure targets are met
* Managing conflicting priorities and tight deadlines within a busy rapidly growing business
* Build, maintain and manage the NPD projects portfolio tracker, showing the status of all NPD projects within the Pre-Packed, Branded Goods and Kiosk channels
* Conduct post-launch project reviews, sharing cross-functional knowledge and learnings from each new product launch
* Creation of project documentation including meeting output and project templates
What you’ll need:
* Degree educated, higher level education or equivalent in work experience
* Experience of working in the Grocery and Foodservice sectors for a medium/large organisation; an understanding of how UK retailers operate
* Experience of managing projects and new product launches within an NPD environment
* Good Project Management disciplines, learned through a combination of hands-on experience and best practice training
* An ability to communicate well at multiple levels within the internal organisation, and the same with customers, partners and suppliers
* Technically inquisitive with a problem-solving mindset and can-do attitude
* An ability to see the cross-functional implications of decisions made in the NPD process
* Grit and a desire to keep going when things get difficult
* A passion for great food
What’s in it for you?
We’re committed to building inclusive Teams and giving our People the opportunity to grow their careers alongside us.
* We strive to be a friendly and inclusive workplace and have a diverse team of people who share a passion for providing the best quality service and products.
* 50% off your food every time you dine with us for you and 3 friends.
* Annual Discretionary bonus
* Group Personal Pension
The Wonderfield Group is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We are committed to ensuring that our technology is made available and accessible to everyone. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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