Senior Sales Director, Global Partnerships

About the company

This global sports and entertainment organisation brings together a portfolio of major live events, sports and entertainment properties, alongside international sports marketing and premium hospitality services. Its reach across markets and year-round events create a broad platform for brands seeking meaningful connections with audiences.

The organisation works across business lines and geographies, combining commercial expertise with the energy of live experiences. For a senior partnerships professional, it offers the opportunity to shape high-profile sponsorship programmes, build lasting relationships with leading brands and contribute to the growth of an established international portfolio. The role is based in Tokyo on a hybrid basis, with close collaboration across teams in Japan and global colleagues.

What the job entails

As Senior Director, Global Partnerships, you will grow sponsorship revenue in Japan by developing and selling partnership opportunities across a global portfolio of sports and entertainment properties. You will focus particularly on partnerships for major live-event properties, while identifying ways to extend the wider portfolio’s commercial potential in the Japanese market.

This is a senior, hands-on role combining new business development with the management and growth of existing client relationships. You will create tailored proposals, negotiate commercial agreements and work with internal teams to deliver partnership programmes that demonstrate value to clients. You will also collaborate with an executive director and colleagues across business lines, develop relationships with rights holders and other market stakeholders, and report on sales activity and performance. Success will depend on your ability to navigate Japan’s sponsorship landscape while building effective relationships with teams and leaders based internationally.

Key requirements

• Significant experience in sponsorship sales, business development or commercial marketing, ideally within sport, media, entertainment or events.
• A strong record of winning and growing business, meeting challenging revenue targets and closing substantial commercial partnerships.
• Established relationships with Japanese brands and a sound understanding of the local sponsorship market and the executives who influence investment.
• Fluency in written and spoken Japanese and English; native-level Japanese is preferred.
• Experience developing tailored proposals and presentations, negotiating agreements and turning brand objectives into commercially effective programmes.
• The ability to identify new opportunities, think creatively about the commercial use of a portfolio and build persuasive business cases.
• Strong judgement, problem-solving, influencing and communication skills, with the maturity to work independently and collaborate across a global, matrixed organisation.
• Experience managing a team in a mid-sized or large organisation, alongside a willingness to remain closely involved in hands-on sales activity.
• Relevant event planning or operational experience; marketing or business administration qualifications are an advantage.