Sales Lead

Summary

Join Staffbase as their first Sales Leader in Japan, establishing their presence and driving growth in this key market. This pivotal role involves executing the go-to-market strategy, focusing on partner-led growth and direct customer engagement. You will build a robust partner ecosystem, drive revenue growth, and represent Staffbase at industry events. Reporting to the VP APJ, you'll collaborate with central teams and shape the foundation for Staffbase's success in Japan. This position offers significant growth potential, with future plans to evolve into the Country Manager. The role is remote, preferably Tokyo-based, with the possibility of working in a co-working environment.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in global enterprise software and/or technology companies
• 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

Responsibilities

• 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

Preferred Qualifications

• Start Up Experience
• MBA

Benefits

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