Account Manager, FMCG - Japanese Speaking

This role is perfect for someone who thrives on building brands internationally and is passionate about driving growth in the Japanese market.

Job Respnosibilities

• Act as the primary commercial contact for all local partners within the Japanese market, ensuring seamless communication and support at every stage of the partnership.
• Lead the day-to-day execution of country-specific strategies by providing operational guidance on branding, assortment planning, distribution expansion, pricing structures, marketing activations, Away-from-Home projects, retail discussions, and negotiations.
• Develop practical tools and sales organisers to empower partner sales and key account teams, enabling them to maximise their effectiveness in the field.
• Participate actively in trade meetings and negotiations to represent the brand’s interests while fostering positive relationships with stakeholders throughout Japan.
• Meet regularly with sales and merchandising teams across Japan to provide training, share best practices, listen to feedback, address questions, and inspire continued enthusiasm for the brand.
• Spend significant time engaging directly with distributor and partners both remotely from Hong Kong and through frequent travel to Japan to build strong collaborative relationships.
• Collaborate daily with the Customer Service team in Hong Kong regarding order planning, S&OP inputs, payment follow-ups, and other operational matters critical to business success.
• Map the entire Japanese retail ecosystem—including e-commerce platforms, modern trade channels, convenience stores (CVS), traditional outlets—and develop deep market insights to inform strategic decisions.
• Define market opportunities by channel and region; set priorities; establish specific route-to-market plans; determine optimal product range architecture; and collaborate with Revenue Growth & Marketing teams on price/volume mix per channel.
• Co-create Joint Business Plans with local partners by setting clear KPIs and growth levers while sharing best practices across markets to identify new business opportunities.

Requirements:

• Extensive knowledge of the Japanese retail and distribution landscape gained through 10–15 years’ experience working within FMCG environments focused on retailers or distributors in Japan.
• Master’s degree in Economics, Sales, Marketing or related field demonstrating advanced academic grounding relevant to this role.
• Willingness to travel frequently between Hong Kong and Japan as well as occasionally within the wider region to maintain close connections with partners.
• Entrepreneurial mindset combined with a genuine passion for building international brands through collaborative efforts.
• Strong analytical skills paired with meticulous attention to detail; prior experience using Nielsen, IRI or Kantar data is highly advantageous.
• Results-oriented approach underpinned by proactive planning abilities that ensure objectives are consistently met or exceeded.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills allowing you to work dependably both independently and collaboratively across multicultural teams.
• High intercultural intelligence coupled with empathy for diverse cultures and lifestyles—essential for effective cross-border collaboration.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications (Excel & PowerPoint) is required; familiarity with SAP systems would be considered an asset.
• Experience in e-commerce operations or digital media campaigns is desirable; fluency in both English and Japanese is essential while additional regional languages are a plus.