Senior Lead - Brand Experience, Japan

In short

On is a fast-growing global sports brand reaching millions of runners, always at the forefront of technology and innovation. As the Senior Lead – Brand Experience for Japan, you are the architect of how our brand feels, looks, and comes to life across every physical touchpoint. You will bridge the gap between global vision and local execution, defining the strategy for our Owned Retail (DTC) and key Wholesale partners (such as Alpen, atmos, and Art Sports). Your mission is to create seamless, "premium-yet-accessible" consumer journeys that drive both brand heat and commercial growth, ensuring that every customer interaction in store reflects the spirit of movement.

Your Mission

You will be responsible for developing and defining On’s brand experience within the Japan marketing strategy across Owned Retail (DTC) and trade channels/Wholesale partners to deliver significant business growth and achieve consistent, excellent brand representation.

• Drive Multi-Channel Strategy & Integration: Localize APAC and Global strategies by collaborating with various marketing functions. Create seamless consumer journeys and implement innovative trade/retail experiences and VM concepts across both Owned Retail and key Wholesale accounts (e.g., Alpen, atmos, Art Sports). You will lead high-level collaboration across a wider network of peers and leaders within Japan, APAC, and Global HQ to align complex interests and ensure consistent brand representation.
• Strategic Leadership & Problem Solving: Identify underlying market issues and root causes, making necessary trade-offs to balance premium brand standards with local commercial needs. You are comfortable taking complex decisions and are comfortable challenging the status quo or taking unconventional paths to deliver results that create meaningful impact for the team.
• Lead Trade & VM Excellence: Partner closely with key wholesale accounts to build tailored consumer journeys and execute integrated Sell-in & Sell-out plans, including Shop-in-Shops and pop-ups. You will optimize Visual Merchandising (VM) by adapting global guidelines to suit Japan’s unique retail structures, ensuring high conversion rates (CVR) while acting as a guardian of brand integrity.
• Impactful Local Execution: Reinterpret global campaigns within the Japanese cultural context to deliver impactful storytelling through window displays and activations. You will oversee all initiatives—from budget management to high-quality installation—by synthesizing the diverse perspectives of internal Sales/Retail teams, APAC Creative Studio, and external vendors.
• Data-Driven Optimization: Analyze sell-out data, customer behavior, and store feedback to evaluate the ROI of VM and marketing initiatives. You will use these insights to drive continuous optimization and provide clear direction to the organization on future investments.
• Team Leadership & Organizational Empowerment: Lead and inspire the Brand Experience team with courage and candour, communicating a clear strategic vision. You act as a pacesetter, pushing the execution of innovative ideas forward even when facing complexity. Through effective delegation and talent development, you empower team members to take ownership, fostering a scalable and agile function that balances structured excellence with entrepreneurial innovation.

Your story

• Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Professional Experience: 10–12+ years of experience in Retail Marketing, Trade Marketing, or Visual Merchandising. Proven track record in leading complex projects or initiatives with significant impact in the sports, fashion, or lifestyle industries.
• Hybrid Strategic Expertise: Deep understanding of both DTC branding and the nuances of the Japanese wholesale landscape. Ability to foresee where issues may arise and proactively develop solutions.
• Synthesizing Diverse Interests: Skilled at anticipating and incorporating the needs of various stakeholders (Sales, Retail, Global HQ) and aligning outputs to ensure a premium, consistent consumer journey.
• Courageous Leadership: Known for straightforwardness and candour. You are not afraid to tackle difficult issues, challenge the status quo, and make necessary trade-offs to drive innovation and organizational success.
• Strategic Creativity & Autonomy: An exceptional eye for aesthetics with the ability to identify underlying issues and root causes in retail environments. You balance "elevated" brand standards with the practicalities of the Japanese market.
• Project Management Excellence: Proven ability to manage a wider network of peers, agencies, and vendors, overseeing complex, simultaneous launches while maintaining structure and stability.
• Agility & Entrepreneurial Spirit: A growth mindset that thrives in a fast-paced environment. You are a pacesetter who pushes the execution of ideas forward while navigating the balance between being entrepreneurial and adhering to established routines.
• Language Proficiency: Native-level fluency in Japanese and professional-level English (essential for high-level collaboration and synthesizing perspectives across regions).
• Flexibility: Willingness to travel domestically for store visits, events, and new store openings as required by the business.