Events & Activations Manager

JENKI - London

About JENKI

JENKI is a modern matcha brand, built on craft, clarity of flavour, and meaningful daily rituals.

We source directly from Japanese producers and prepare every matcha fresh to order in our bars. No shortcuts. No dilution. Just exceptional matcha, made the right way.

Five years in, we’re entering a new phase of growth. With an ambitious bar rollout, a growing e-commerce business, and expanding partnerships, our ambition is to define how matcha is experienced in the modern world - and to lead the category as it continues to grow.

The Role

We're looking for an Events and Activations Manager with strong cultural intuition, a creative point of view, and the operational rigour to match. This role sits at the centre of delivery for JENKI's events and activations, and owns four distinct aspects of that work:

  1. JENKI-owned activations and partnerships in service of JENKI's brand marketing campaigns. Covering a broad breadth of activity supporting bars, ecom and PR

  2. Local marketing activations, footfall-driving work, and partnerships at bar level, driving local presence across existing and new bars as the estate grows

  3. Commercial events from music festivals to paid for partner events which require a JENKI presence and drive revenue for the brand

  4. Brand partnerships; planning and delivery of activations and partnerships with brands we choose to collaborate with

You'll be supported by 2 Execs; the Partnerships and Community Exec supporting on JENKI-owned activations and brand partnership delivery, and the Marketing Activations Exec supporting on local marketing and commercial events delivery. You’ll hold overall accountability for both. 2026 is about building the operational foundation across these two strands; 2027 is where we start thinking much bigger about how JENKI shows up beyond our four walls; new formats, new cities, new ways of bringing the brand to life in the real world. This role will be central to shaping and owning that next chapter.


What You’ll Be Responsible For

Pillar 1: JENKI-Owned Activations

  • Own the concepting, planning, and execution of activations and partnerships that bring JENKI's brand marketing campaigns to life, working to brand direction set by the Brand Marketing Manager 

  • Manage the Partnerships and Community Exec, who supports delivery and project management on this side

  • Build a pipeline of relevant and exciting activations that cleary tie back to the wider brand objectives and are plugged into the wider marketing channels

  • Own the reporting and measurement loop for brand partnership activity, feeding learnings back to the wider team

Pillar 2: Local Marketing Delivery

  • Own the local activations plan across the scaling bar estate, building directly on the Bar Marketing Strategy's new bar opening playbook and existing estate levers

  • Manage local event budgets and delivery

  • Manage the Marketing Activations Exec, who owns local bar-level partnerships and footfall-driving work day to day

  • Own the reporting and measurement loop for local activation activity

  • Build a framework for evaluating and scaling local activations and collaborations over time

Pillar 3: Commercial Events

  • Own the planning and execution of viable commercial activations and events for JENKI covering budgets, team and on the ground delivery 

  • Build a pipeline of events that feel relevant for the brand and can deliver strong returns

  • Respond to inbound commercial requests and manage delivery of any opportunity we see as worthwhile for the brand

  • Own reporting on event performance

Pillar 4: Brand Partnerships

  • Manage the inbound brand partnership requests, and, working with the Brand Marketing Manager, identify opportunities we would like to pursue and build into the events and activations pipeline

  • Project manage any partnerships we choose to carry forward and align the wider marketing team with deliverables

  • Align opportunities as much as possible with the wider JENKI brand campaign moments

Across all pillars

  • Develop and own the overall events and activations plan, spanning new bar openings, newly-opened bars, and the existing estate, aligned to brand and marketing goals

  • Own delivery of new store opening activity specifically; the point where both Execs work together, drawing on brand partnership thinking and local, on-the-ground activation at once

  • Work cross-functionally with bar ops, finance, and external creatives, suppliers, and partners

  • Keep activity current in the marketing planning calendar, planning ahead into next quarter and the next six months rather than working reactively

  • Feed learnings from both pillars into a repeatable, evolving playbook as the team scales

Team

  • Manage and develop both Execs, coaching each to build judgement and independence within their respective pillar

Looking ahead

  • Play a leading role in shaping how JENKI's activation strategy evolves beyond 2026, including new formats and new ways of reaching people and places ahead of a physical bar opening

  • Build and lead a small on-the-ground team to deliver an expanded, more ambitious calendar of activity through 2027


What Matters at JENKI

  • Craft matters; we care deeply about quality and how things are made

  • Ritual matters; small, consistent moments shape how people feel

  • Details matter; from flavour to font choice

We’re not trend-chasing. We’re building something with depth, credibility, and long-term relevance.


What You’ll Bring

Skills & Experience

  • You've led end-to-end projects with strategic oversight, not just execution, and you're comfortable running multiple priorities and strands of delivery at once

  • Comfortable owning and managing budgets, timelines, and supplier relationships

  • A sharp cultural radar; you know what feels relevant, and what doesn't

  • Brilliant at building relationships across media, local partners, and brands

  • Strong communication skills; you write well, speak clearly, and present ideas with confidence, including pitching plans and results up to the Brand Marketing Manager

  • Organised, detail-oriented, and calm under pressure, with the ability to prioritise across multiple pillars of work simultaneously

  • A team player who's happy to roll up their sleeves but can also zoom out and think big

  • A natural brand builder; you get the nuance of what makes something feel "on-brand"

  • Comfortable being present on the ground at activations, and stepping in hands-on when needed - not just directing from a distance

  • Familiar with matcha-making practices and standards, so you can step in yourself if required, and train and hold any on-the-ground team to JENKI's standard wherever an event takes them


Inclusion

At JENKI, we believe different perspectives make brands stronger and communities richer. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. Even if you don’t meet every requirement listed, we’d still love to hear from you if this role excites you.

 

How to Apply:

Email careers@jenki.co.uk with your cover letter, CV and Portfolio of work.


Role: Events + Activations Manager
Contract: Permanent, Full Time
Department: Marketing
Reporting to: Brand Marketing Manager
Location: London Bridge
Salary: Up to £45k