Why BAT Japan
Few roles at this level let one person redesign a commercial model across three countries and then watch it run.
A market-leading annual performance bonus (subject to eligibility)
Health cover, transport support and a flexible holiday plan with additional incentives
English and Japanese language training, delivered on company time — English is development here, not a gate
A published capability framework for every role and grade — so you know precisely what the next grade requires, not just that progression exists — plus online learning and structured leadership programmes
Global Top Employer for the ninth consecutive year — certified across five regions and a record 44 countries
Tokyo, Japan · Full-time · Manager
Redesign how our products get to market across three countries — then prove the new model works before it scales.
BAT is a global multi-category consumer goods business. Our purpose is to create A Better Tomorrow, with a vision to build a smokeless world — as at 31 December 2025, 34.1m consumers used our Smokeless Products, generating 18.2% of Group revenue. Selling several categories at once through the same stores is a genuinely different problem from selling one, and most route-to-market models in this region weren't built for it. Rebuilding them is your remit.
The role
You own how we reach retailers and consumers across North Asia: the service model our trade teams run, the channels we prioritise, and the capability of the people executing it. You design, pilot, evaluate and then scale — or kill. This is a role with real authority over standards across markets, and real accountability for whether execution in stores actually improves.
What you'll own
The trade service model — how our teams cover, serve and grow each type of outlet, and how that evolves
Route-to-market and channel strategy: where the growth is, what's structurally in the way, and the plan to fix it
The performance measures for trade execution — defining them, governing them, and turning them into prioritised action rather than a dashboard
Design and evaluation of channel pilots, and the decision on whether to scale them
Retail data — the census, classification and quality standards that everything else depends on
Capability building for commercial teams across markets: identifying the real gaps and running the programmes that close them
Change management — getting three markets to adopt a new way of working, which is harder than designing it
What you'll bring
Proven work on trade operations and on designing a trade service model — not just running one someone else designed
Transformation experience: you've changed how a commercial organisation works and made it stick
Strong analytical and problem-solving ability, and comfort with Power BI
The influence to move stakeholders who don't report to you, across countries
People leadership and a genuine interest in developing others
Useful, not essential: trade activation experience
Qualifications
5+ years in trade marketing and distribution within consumer goods, plus experience in sales, route-to-market or channel development
A university degree
Native-level Japanese. Your deep knowledge of this market is the reason for the role — we provide structured English training on company time to support the regional part of it
Whoever you are and wherever you're from, you can belong here — many nationalities, ages, genders and professional backgrounds, supported by Women in Leadership and B-United, our LGBTQ+ and allies network. Our Global Returners programme supports people restarting after time away from work. Need an adjustment during the process? Just tell us.
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