Email Marketing Specialist (VA) Remote · Melbourne Hospitality Group · Project-based with ongoing retainer

About Us
YASSAS Group runs Melbourne's top-rated halal Greek restaurants — currently five venues (Southbank, Craigieburn, Docklands, Eastland, South Morang) with Mitcham opening soon. We have a growing database of past guests through OpenTable and direct bookings — potential audience worth serious email marketing love.

We need someone to build our email marketing engine from scratch, then be available on-demand for ongoing campaigns.

The Role — Read This Carefully
This role has two distinct phases, and the second phase is different from what most VAs are used to:

Phase 1 — Setup (1–2 weeks, intensive)
You'll build everything from zero:

Set up our email platform properly (Talkbox and OpenTable)
Design our template library — branded, mobile-first, reusable
Build 6–8 automated flows (welcome, post-visit, birthday, occasion, win-back, review request, VIP, functions enquiry)
Segment our guest database by venue, visit frequency, occasion type
Wire in the tech — OpenTable data sync, Meta / Google audience export
Deliver a documented playbook so we know how everything works
Phase 2 — Ongoing (intermittent, on-demand)
Once Phase 1 is done, we won't need you every day. You'll be called on from time to time for:

Monthly newsletter (1–2 sends per month)
Seasonal campaigns (Xmas, Mother's Day, Easter, Greek Easter, Valentine's, functions push)
New venue launches (Mitcham, and future venues)
New promotion or event pushes
Quarterly performance reviews and flow tune-ups
? Important: If you need stable weekly hours, this role is NOT for you. After the setup phase, engagement drops to project-based / on-demand. We'll pay fairly per project or retainer, but hours will be irregular. Please only apply if you're genuinely comfortable with this pattern.

Key Responsibilities
Creative
Write email copy that sounds like YASSAS — warm, Greek, hospitality-first (we'll share our brand voice guide)
Design branded email templates in the ESP (mobile-first, on-brand, accessible)
Adapt creative per venue, per occasion, per audience segment
Creation
Build automation flows and one-off campaigns in the chosen platform
Manage segmentation and audience logic
List hygiene — bounces, unsubscribes, re-engagement, suppression rules
Ensure compliance (Australian Spam Act, unsubscribe requirements)
Analysis
Weekly (during setup) / monthly (ongoing) reports: open rate, click rate, revenue per email, conversion to bookings
A/B testing on subject lines, send times, offers, creative
Identify what's working, what's dying, and what to try next
Who You Are
Must have
Minimum 2 years hands-on email marketing experience — running actual campaigns, not just theory
Proficient in at least one major ESP: Klaviyo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, or similar
Copywriting skills — you can write short, punchy email copy that sells
Basic design skills — you can build a good-looking email in an ESP without needing a designer for every campaign
Strong analytical mindset — understand what open rate, click rate, and revenue-per-email actually mean
Fluent English (written and spoken)
Comfortable with an on-demand engagement pattern after setup — this is the filter
Ability to work independently and self-manage
Nice to have
Prior experience with hospitality, restaurants, or event businesses
Klaviyo certification
Experience with OpenTable, Toast, Square, or similar hospitality data sources
Landing page or web design skills (as a bonus)
Comfort with automation platforms beyond ESPs (Zapier, Make, etc.)
Prior experience building email programs from scratch (as opposed to just running an existing one)
Tools You'll Use
Chosen ESP (Klaviyo / Mailchimp / ActiveCampaign — you help us pick) · OpenTable exports · Canva or similar for creative · Slack / WhatsApp for comms · Google Analytics 4 for attribution

What We Offer
Real ownership over the whole email program end to end
Direct access to the owner — decisions made fast
Fair rate for the setup phase (fixed-fee or hourly, negotiable)
Ongoing retainer or per-project rate for Phase 2 work
Long-term relationship — if the setup goes well, you're our email person for years
How Your Success Will Be Measured
Primary KPI: Revenue attributed to email (through booking conversion + return visit).

Secondary KPIs:

Open rate benchmarks against hospitality industry averages
Click-through rate on offer / promotion emails
Post-visit review request ? actual review submission rate
Automation flow performance (welcome flow conversion, win-back reactivation, etc.)
How to Apply
Send us:

Your CV
Portfolio / case studies — email programs you've built or run. Include:
Screenshots of automated flows you've designed
Sample email creative (real work, blur client names if under NDA)
Numbers where possible: open rates, revenue attribution, list growth
A one-paragraph description of the best email campaign you ever ran and why it worked
Your preferred structure:
Fixed fee for Phase 1 setup + ongoing per-project rate for Phase 2, OR
Hourly rate for both phases
A one-line confirmation you're OK with the on-demand engagement in Phase 2
Your timezone (we need overlap with Melbourne AEST/AEDT for comms during setup)
Send to: [email] with subject line: "YASSAS Email VA — [Your Name]"

Applications close:15/8/2026

Shortlisted candidates will do a paid micro-project (design 1 email + 1 subject-line variant test) before we commit to the full setup engagement.