Program Lead

wagamama; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Programme Lead to drive transformation initiatives across its menu innovation and value acceleration efforts. This senior role requires a charismatic leader with extensive experience in hospitality or retail, adept at navigating complex environments and building strong relationships across diverse teams. The successful candidate will oversee significant projects, ensuring alignment with strategic goals while fostering collaboration and momentum. With a competitive salary, hybrid working model, and various perks, this is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a beloved casual dining brand.

Benefits

Discretionary 20% bonus

£200 wagamama food allowance

Private healthcare

Pension contribution

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Various retail discounts

Family friendly policy

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in transformation programme leadership within hospitality.
• Proven ability to deliver in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional transformation programmes focused on menu innovation.
• Establish effective governance and reporting for programme management.

Skills

Transformation Programme Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Project Planning

Risk Management

Relationship Building

Agile Methodology

Change Management

Tools

Prince2

MSP

Job description

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. a celebration of asian food brought wagamama to life

we’re looking for a programme lead to join us on our continuous journey of true nourishment

we’re looking for an experienced and dynamic transformation programme lead to lead a highly visible and strategically important portfolio of change across menu innovation and value acceleration for a much-loved casual dining brand. this is a senior-level role requiring someone who can hit the ground running, with a proven track record in delivering complex transformation programmes in hospitality or retail environments.

the successful candidate will bring deep experience in setting up and leading large-scale, cross-functional programmes, ideally in hospitality or retail, and preferably with solid understanding of food development, menu launches, guest experience, and the critical role of enabling technology. the ideal candidate will be confident, charismatic, and naturally great at building relationships across all levels of a business. you’ll need to quickly network, integrate and influence across diverse functions — from food development and operations to technology and marketing — to drive alignment and momentum from day one. you’ll either oversee a range of projects within our ‘menu + value’ strategic programme, including food development and menu launches, or our ‘guest + brand’ programme, including service model re-engineering and developing our group proposition.

a lot of our plans are already in motion so we need someone who can quickly take the reins and demonstrate control — creating clear, detailed, and actionable programme and project plans that distill complex information into simple, focused delivery. you’ll be expected to rapidly establish robust governance, proactive reporting, and clear visibility of risks, dependencies, and key decisions.

this role demands someone who brings immediate credibility, can facilitate confidently at exec level, and drive momentum across cross-functional teams. with tight deadlines and a lean business model, you’ll need to be hands-on, pragmatic, and resourceful — someone who’s comfortable working at pace, making things happen, and pulling the right people together to get things done.

Key Accountabilities

• lead the successful delivery of a fast-paced, cross-functional transformation programme
• quickly set up and embed clear and effective programme and project governance, including milestone tracking, dependency management, and risk mitigation.
• create and own detailed programme + project plans, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and functional roadmaps.
• partner closely with a cross functional team of leaders to deliver new propositions, trials and national rollouts.
• act as a key point of leadership within the change & transformation function, reporting into senior leadership and driving cross-business engagement.
• guide other delivery managers to support day-to-day delivery, ensuring they’re set up for success.
• build strong, trusted relationships with stakeholders across the business to ensure alignment and buy-in.

key skills & experience

extensive transformation programme leadership experience in hospitality, casual dining, or retail – ideally with exposure to menu development, product launches, and pos/tech transformation.

proven ability to deliver at pace in ambiguous or fast-evolving environments, with strong programme setup and governance expertise.

• excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills – confident working across all levels of an organisation.
• a natural networker who’s charismatic, collaborative, and able to integrate quickly into a new organisation.
• hands-on and strategic – equally comfortable setting direction and diving into detail when needed.
• skilled in programme and project planning, risk and issue management, and cross-functional team leadership.
• familiarity with agile, prince2, msp or equivalent frameworks desirable.
• familiarity with change management framework, prosci, adkar or equivalent desirable.

wok's in it for you |

• a competitive annual salary
• discretionary 20% bonus opportunity per year
• hybrid working model
• £200 wagamama food allowance
• private healthcare
• pension contribution
• 25 days holiday + all bank holidays
• various discount across retail, hospitality + leisure
• family friendly policy | any expectant person or anyone adopting a child will receive 26 weeks full pay + 13 weeks half pay