Customer Experience Manager

Wasabi Sushi and Bento; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free sushi

50% branch discount

Life Assurance

Cycle to work

Perkbox discounts

Employee assistance

Long service awards

On-site parking

Job summary

Wasabi is expanding its Procurement Team with a strategic Procurement Manager based in Park Royal, London. You will lead sourcing and commercial management for direct spend, focusing on protein categories such as salmon and chicken, and work with the broader team to secure supply, drive cost efficiency and protect margins in a complex global market.

You will mentor a Buyer and shape sustainable, value-driven sourcing models across retail channels.

Qualifications

• Significant experience procuring proteins, including chicken and salmon, for food manufacturing, QSR, or retail.
• Strong degree-level qualification in supply chain or purchasing, or relevant professional credentials.
• Proven ability to negotiate high-value supplier contracts and deliver savings.
• Understanding of market-driven pricing and financial justification for decisions.
• Experience coaching or managing junior buyers and leading procurement projects.
• Familiarity with ERP applications and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies for protein, chicken, salmon and related materials.
• Lead supplier negotiations, drive cost savings, and protect margin globally.
• Collaborate with Operations, NPD, Finance and Commercial teams to align procurement goals.
• Coach and develop the Buyer, ensuring effective day-to-day category management.
• Monitor supplier risk, contractual compliance and ESG/sustainability efforts.

Skills

Protein procurement

Negotiation

Cost savings

Market pricing

Leadership

ERP knowledge

Retail food experience

Supplier relationship

Education

Degree in supply chain

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

At Wasabi, we lovingly create and serve delicious Asian food to a busy nation, and everyone who works here is dedicated to this single purpose. Quality and authenticity are the basis for our sushi, our flavourful bento dishes and our ready meals.

Whether you are joining the team in our Restaurants, our dedicated Production facility or in one of the support teams, working here means becoming part of the Wasabi family. Our Wasabi Behaviours guide us in the way we interact with our customers, our suppliers and each other.

We are Passionate

We are Adaptable

We are Responsible

We are a Team

Our state-of-the-art factory is located in Park Royal, a 10-minute walk from Park Royal tube and 15 minutes from Hangar Lane.

We produce over 80,000 ready meals a day here along with a huge number of sauces and hot food for our restaurants. With an operation of this scale, teamwork is everything!

The opportunities in our factory range from Production Operative roles, working on the line preparing our ready meals or packing them to be sent to the supermarkets, to working in the Dispatch Team. Or you could work in the Quality Assurance, Hygiene or Engineering team. No matter where you work in the factory, you will always see an unwavering dedication to quality and food safety.

We have a number of restaurants in London, 6 in major cities across the UK and 4 in New York, with ambitious plans to grow our restaurant business over the next five years.

Our Kitchen teams lovingly prepare sushi every day – some working the early shift to cook, cool and prepare our famous sushi rice. Most of the kitchen team have finished their shift by lunchtime.

The front of house team members then take over, preparing the restaurant for service and then making sure the millions of customers visiting us each year have an excellent experience.

Our support teams are there to make sure the restaurant and factory teams can focus on our customers. Whether you’re working in Marketing, Grocery, Finance, Property, IT, People or Operations, you will experience what it’s like to be a PART of the Wasabi family.

Our Support Centre is in Park Royal, with the offices being a 10-minute walk from Park Royal tube and 15 minutes from Hanger Lane.

We are committed to being a fair pay employer at Wasabi and regularly review benchmark pay data to support this.

Our benefits include access to free food at work, discounts for 100s of retailers through Perkbox, a company pension scheme and Stream, which supports financial planning and access to earnings between pay days.

Those who join the Wasabi family tend to stay, with 84% of our workforce having over 1 year’s service.

Check out what our employees are saying about working for Wasabi on Glassdoor

"Wasabi is an exciting, fast-growing business with a culture that genuinely sets it apart. The people are supportive, collaborative and passionate about what they do, creating an environment where individuals can thrive. Talent is recognised and rewarded. Strong performance is noticed, and opportunities for progression are available to those who deliver and make an impact. There is a real commitment to investing in people development, providing the support, trust and opportunities needed for individuals to grow their careers. The pace is fast and the business is ambitious, which makes it an exciting place to work. It's a company where people can make a difference, develop professionally and be part of a growth journey. Outstanding culture and people Talent is recognised and rewarded Strong investment in people development Exciting, ambitious and growing business Opportunity to make a real impact." - Support Centre Employee

Founded in 2003 by Dong Hyun Kim, his mission was simple, to make fresh and flavorsome sushi and bento available to everyone. Almost 20 years later Wasabi have 40 successful branches across London, other UK major cities and New York.

The journey continued in 2019 with the launch of Wasabi Home Bento exclusively into Sainsburys. After several years of great success there, the grocery business expanded launching into Tesco in September 2022. Wasabi has now firmly established itself as the No2 chilled ready meal brand and a driver of significant market growth. And we’re just getting started. The leadership team have set out their 5 year strategy which encompasses company growth, franchise and international expansion.

Our menu is renowned for its distinctiveness, freshness and flavour. The cold food range of sushi, pokes and salads are made fresh daily in our branch kitchens and our hot bento, noodle bowls and soups offer an indulgent and comforting alternative to our broad and democratic demographic.

As we prepare for our next phase of growth and innovation, we have an incredibly exciting opportunity for a Procurement Manager to join our Procurement Team based in Park Royal.

The Role:

The Procurement Manager leads the sourcing and commercial management of a portfolio of direct spend

categories, reporting to the Head of Procurement. This is a strategic, hands-on role: you will secure supply,

drive cost efficiency and protect margin in a complex global market, supporting our grocery retail and

Your portfolio will initially centre on our highest-spend protein categories, salmon and chicken, alongside

other fresh raw materials, commodities such as rice and oil, and seasonings. Category allocation across the

team may change as the business develops, and you will be expected to adapt and take on new categories

as required.

You will work alongside the wider Procurement team, who collectively own the COGS; supplier commercial

relationships; price negotiation; performance to contract; risk management; corporate governance and

enablement of our Environmental goals through our supply base. You will be supported by a Buyer, whom

you will lead and develop.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning that encapsulates Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance

• Develop and execute category strategies for the allocated portfolio, aligned with the organisation's growth plans and the procurement strategy set by the Head of Procurement.
• Deliver sustained cost savings and protect margin across the portfolio in a complex global market.
• Understand and manage market-driven pricing in protein and commodity categories, including index-linked, spot and forward contracts, currency exposure and seasonal supply, and support the
• Head of Procurement on commodity price risk management, including hedging where appropriate.
• Develop and execute strategies for sustainable and responsible sourcing, including animal welfare, traceability, and environmental and social impact, and ensure procurement activities comply with legal and ethical standards.
• Partner with Operations, NPD and Commercial teams to shape sourcing models, including third- party and co-manufacturing options, as the range develops.
• Take on additional or alternative categories as the team's portfolio evolves.
• Lead relationships and negotiations with key suppliers at a senior and strategic level, to secure optimum whole-life value, consistent product quality and effective delivery performance.
• Evaluate and select suppliers based on quality, cost, reliability and sustainability; negotiate contracts and build long-term relationships with key suppliers, including producers, processors and brokers.
• Ensure suppliers are registered with Sedex and have agreed and signed the Wasabi established Supply Agreement.
• Monitor supplier performance via regular, strategic business reviews and address any issues or disputes.
• Deliver cost-saving initiatives such as vendor consolidation, volume leverage and value engineering, while maintaining quality standards.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risk, including supply disruption, single-source dependency, tariff and currency exposure, quality issues and regulatory compliance, and develop contingency plans for priority categories to protect continuity of supply.

Talent Development and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead, coach and develop the Buyer, ensuring effective day-to-day category and order management.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation not only within procurement but also across different functions.
• Collaborate with other departments such as NPD, Technical/Quality, finance, operations, and marketing to align procurement activities with organisational needs.
• Support innovation and product development through effective supplier collaboration. Reporting, Performance Metrics and

Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure and report on category and supplier performance.
• Work with finance to track and validate savings delivered, and provide market analysis and reporting on commodity, currency and supply market trends and their impact on COGS.
• Present category strategy, market outlook and performance to the Head of Procurement and senior stakeholders as required.
• Where applicable, implement and use procurement technologies such as e-procurement systems, vendor management software, and data analytics to enhance efficiency and decision-making.

Our requirements:

• Significant experience procuring proteins, including chicken and salmon, within food manufacturing, QSR, FMCG or food retail.
• Strong degree-level qualification and/or relevant professional qualification in supply chain or purchasing.
• Proven negotiation of high-value categories on a global supplier base, including working with brokers and service providers.
• Track record of delivering cost savings in an inflationary environment, and of leading cost and supply projects.
• Understanding of market-driven pricing, with the analytical skills and financial acumen to build the commercial case for decisions.
• Experience of coaching or managing a buyer or junior team member.
• Working knowledge of ERP applications.
• Experience of other food categories such as fresh raw materials, rice, oil and seasonings.
• Exposure to commodity price risk management, including hedging.
• Exposure to third-party or co-manufacturing.
• Experience supplying into retail or grocery channels.
• A great working environment
• Refer A Friend Scheme
• Free Sushi or hot food (vegan options available)
• 50% discount in our Branches
• Employee Assistant Programme
• Long Service Awards
• Stream - a financial wellbeing benefit that lets you access your pay as you earn it in real time and manage savings
• Life Assurance
• Cycle To Work
• Free on-site parking
• A variety of discounts (shopping, food & drink, entertainment and health & fitness) through Perkbox
• Online GP service via Perkbox and
• 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.