Sales Lead Japan (in Japan)

About Staffbase

In a polarized world, we inspire people to achieve great things together. Our mission is to help organizations unlock the power of inspirational communication so they can thrive in the Narrative Age. Our award-winning communications channels – intranet, employee app and email – deliver experiences that drive engagement and inspire hearts and minds.

We’re headquartered in Chemnitz, Germany, with offices in many locations throughout the world, including New York, London, Berlin and Dresden. Our international team counts more than 750 employees from 45+ nationalities and we have a growing base of 2200+ customers that want to transform their employee experience. We are rapidly scaling, post-Series E ($115 million funding), have strong-growing revenue, and our customers love us.

We are seeking an experienced, ambitious, and entrepreneurial Sales Leader to become the first hire for Staffbase in Japan, establishing our presence and driving growth in this key market. This pivotal role will be responsible for executing our go-to-market (GTM) strategy in Japan, focusing on partner-led growth while also directly engaging with customers to win business and supporting marketing initiatives to build brand recognition.

As Staffbase’s inaugural representative in Japan, the Sales Leader will play a crucial role in building our brand as the leading employee communications company, establishing a robust partner ecosystem, and driving revenue growth. Reporting directly to the VP APJ and collaborating closely with central teams—including Partner Management, Marketing, and Customer Success—this role will shape the foundation for Staffbase's success in the region.

This position offers significant growth potential, with future plans for the role to evolve into the Country Manager, leading an extended Japan-based team as we scale our operations. This is a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of Staffbase's expansion in Japan and make a lasting impact in the market.

If you are a results-driven leader with a passion for building businesses from the ground up, we’d love to hear from you. Join us in driving success in our most dynamic region.

This role is remote (preference Tokyo based); with the perspective of working in a co-working environment as the team develops. 

What You’ll Be Doing

  • Stay current with industry trends, competitive landscape and growth opportunities to provide insights to Staffbase leadership and drive strategic decisions
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive Go-to-Market strategy for the Japanese market in tandem with APJ leadership
  • Develop a robust partner ecosystem that supports revenue growth, market penetration and customer retention
  • Develop Japan Partner Pipeline supported with direct GTM initiatives
  • Act as the first point of contact for partners, resellers, and distributors, cultivating a long-standing and trustful relationship
  • Generate and manage partner pipeline, facilitate co-marketing activities with partners and Staffbase marketing and co-sell with partners in deals
  • Support partners in being successful by running enablement and sales coaching programs and facilitate the solution of technical and commercial issues in collaboration with central Staffbase functions such as Staffbase Consulting, Customer Success and Customer Support
  • Represent Staffbase at local events, industry conferences, and meetings with key stakeholders, driving brand awareness as the leading employee communications company
  • Own revenue and growth targets for the Japanese market, monitor key (partner) performance metrics and report progress
  • Work closely with APJ leadership and central functional leaders to build out a local team and align Japan’s operations with overall business goals

What You’ll Need to Be Successful

  • 10+ years of experience in global enterprise software and/or technology companies (Start Up Experience is preferred)
  • Strong understanding of the Japanese enterprise software and/or technology landscape, working with Japanese SI’s such as NTT, Fujitsu, NEC, Nomura Research Institute (NRI)
  • Understanding of Japanese culture, and local regulatory environment
  • Strong network in the Japanese enterprise software and/or technology business community 
  • Proven leadership experience in sales, business development or partnership roles in the Japanese market - ideally, ramping up a B2B software and/or technology business or branch
  • Demonstrated success in building and managing partner ecosystems, Direct Enterprise sales and proven track record of meeting and exceeding sales targets
  • Outstanding leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, a high level of empathy and the ability to build strong business relationships
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced, international and dynamic environment, be resilient and adapt to changing business priorities
  • Fluent in Japanese and English (written and spoken)
  • Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related (MBA is a plus)
Japan
Sales