Country Manager, Japan

At Playlist, life's richest moments happen when people step away from screens to move, connect, explore, and play. We're building the definitive platform for intentional living, connecting people with inspiring experiences in fitness, wellness, and beyond. With popular brands like Mindbody and ClassPass, Playlist empowers businesses and individuals, making it effortless for aspirations to become actions. Join us in reshaping technology's role to foster meaningful, real-world connections. ClassPass offers thousands of fitness and wellness experiences worldwide, helping people lead active, balanced lifestyles. Our platform makes discovering and enjoying activities simple, personalized, and joyful—whether it's fitness classes, self-care sessions, a healthy lunch, or a new adventure. Join us in shaping healthier, more vibrant communities around the globe. JOB FAMILY SUMMARY: The Corporate Sales organization is focused on providing companies across the globe with access to a top tier Corporate Wellness solution through the ClassPass product. The ClassPass Corporate product allows Companies to offer employees a wellness solution that is flexible, engaging and easy to use. JOB SUMMARY: As Country Manager, Japan, you’ll be the founding leader of ClassPass Corporate in Japan. You’ll own the full sales cycle, building and leading the SDR, Account Executive and Account Management teams from the ground up, and defining our go-to-market strategy for Corporate in the Japanese market. Working within an agreed budget and headcount plan, you’ll hire and develop a high-performing team, set ambitious goals, and create the processes and culture that let the business scale. You bring deep knowledge of the Japanese HR and employee benefits landscape, you lead from the front in key customer conversations and negotiations, and you make decisions grounded in data. Above all, you know how to build a team from scratch, foster strong camaraderie, motivate and empower individuals to do their best work, and drive everyone towards a collective goal. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS: - 7+ years of experience across go-to-market functions such as sales, account management, marketing and strategy, including significant time in senior leadership or general management roles in Japan - Fluent Japanese and business-fluent English, both written and spoken - Proven experience leading teams across the full sales cycle: SDR/business development, new business sales (Account Executives) and account management - A track record of building teams from the ground up, including hiring, onboarding and developing talent against an agreed headcount plan - Experience in the Japanese HR, employee benefits or HR technology space, with an established network of HR and People decision-makers - Demonstrated enterprise sales experience with a track record of relentlessly high standards and top performance - Experience defining and executing a go-to-market strategy in Japan; market-entry, launch or start-up experience is a strong plus - Experience managing a budget and making data-driven decisions on resourcing and spend - Expert experience in CRM systems (Salesforce), including building pipeline reports and forecasts - Strong knowledge of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Notion, etc. - Outstanding presentation skills, with the ability to communicate clearly to local customers and to regional and global leadership - Right to work in Japan PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: - Define and own the go-to-market strategy for ClassPass Corporate in Japan, including target segments, ideal customer profile, pricing approach and sales motion - Build the Japan team from the ground up, hiring SDRs, Account Executives and Account Managers within the agreed budget and headcount plan - Lead the full sales cycle, from pipeline generation and new business closing through to onboarding, retention and expansion - Set targets, KPIs and operating rhythms for each team, and hold the team accountable to monthly and quarterly goals - Design scalable processes and clear handoffs between the SDR, sales and account management teams so the customer journey is seamless - Lead complex, high-value negotiations and build relationships with C-level and HR leaders at key accounts - Manage the assigned budget and track spend against plan - Forecast accurately and report on performance, successes and roadblocks to regional and global leadership - Analyze data to spot trends, direct team focus and refine the go-to-market strategy over time - Localize sales materials, messaging and training for the Japanese market, partnering with Marketing, Product and Legal as needed - Represent ClassPass at industry events, HR conferences and trade shows in Japan, including organizing and hosting stands - Act as the expert on the Japanese HR and benefits landscape, sharing insight on how ClassPass fits in with the wider business - Own the hiring, onboarding, development and performance management of all direct reports, and build a strong team culture - Collaborate with global Corporate Sales and Account Management teams to share best practices and contribute to company-wide projects WORK ENVIRONMENT AND TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: - Travel to trade shows and team events as needed - This role regularly utilizes a computer, including the use of a monitor, mouse and keyboard. - The noise level in the work environment is usually moderately quiet. SCOPE OF SUPERVISION/AUTHORITY: People Manager: Duties are performed under limited supervision. Decision making authority is broad within the scope of assignments. This position requires self-direction and continuous evaluation of priorities to ensure completion by deadlines. All decisions and consulting will reflect adherence with internal policies and state and federal law. This position plays a key role in recruiting, supervising, evaluating, mentoring and if necessary, dismissing team members. Although this role can operate successfully with little direct supervision, all operational changes particularly those relating to job function changes, raises, service level goals, and anything budget related must be agreed upon by the department Executive. The incumbent or successful candidate must meet the job requirements above in order to perform the essential functions of this position and achieve the outcomes/results indicated in this job description. The Company will make every effort to make reasonable accommodations upon request to enable qualified individuals with known disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job. Have we piqued your curiosity? Sound like the role for you? We’d love to hear from you! Even if you’re not 100% sure about potential fit, we still encourage you to apply. We’re looking for the right person, not the perfect series of checkboxes. The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We highly value diversity at our company and encourage people of all different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or other protected characteristics. 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