Country Manager, Japan

Job description

ABOUT HIYA Hiya is making voice communication safer, smarter, and more trusted. Our AI-powered Voice Intelligence Platform analyses more than 28 billion calls each month, protecting over 550 million users worldwide from spam, fraud, and impersonation. We partner with the world’s leading telecom operators and technology companies, including Vodafone, Telenor, AT&T, Samsung, BT/EE, Rogers, MasOrange, Telefonica, Virgin Media O2, and Bell Canada, to power trusted voice experiences at scale. Backed by Balderton Capital, Hiya is growing rapidly and redefining what voice communication becomes next. ABOUT THE ROLE We are hiring a Country Manager, Japan to lead Hiya’s commercial growth and carrier partnerships in Japan. This is a strategic, high-impact role for someone who thrives in complex, multi-stakeholder environments and wants to build something meaningful in one of the world’s most sophisticated telecom markets. As Country Manager, you will be Hiya’s senior commercial leader in Japan, owning our market strategy, key customer relationships, new business development, and long-term growth. You will manage the full commercial lifecycle, from developing the market and building executive relationships through to deal negotiation, execution, and account expansion. You will work closely with regional sales leadership and teams across Product, Marketing, Legal, Customer Success, and Leadership to bring Hiya’s voice intelligence solutions to market and establish a strong, sustainable presence in Japan. This role is critical to Hiya’s continued growth in APAC. You will have significant ownership and autonomy, representing Hiya with some of Japan’s largest Mobile Network Operators, technology companies, and industry stakeholders. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Develop and execute Hiya’s commercial and go-to-market strategy for Japan - Own Hiya’s commercial performance and growth across the Japanese market - Build and maintain senior executive relationships with Japanese telecom operators and strategic partners - Identify, develop, and close new business opportunities - Lead complex commercial negotiations and long-term partnership discussions - Drive revenue growth across new and existing accounts - Build Hiya’s presence, credibility, and network within the Japanese telecom ecosystem - Represent customer and market needs internally to help shape product and go-to-market strategy - Coordinate cross-functional teams across Japan, APAC, Europe, and the US to support successful launches and partner growth - Track market dynamics, competitive activity, and regulatory and industry trends - Act as a senior representative for Hiya in Japan with customers, partners, and relevant industry stakeholders WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR - 7+ years in business development, strategic partnerships, enterprise sales, operator sales, or commercial leadership - Strong experience working with Japanese telecommunications operators or large enterprise accounts - Proven track record of closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals - Strong network and credibility within the Japanese telecom or technology ecosystem - Strong executive presence and the ability to build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders - Commercially driven, with sharp strategic thinking and strong execution capability - Comfortable operating independently in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment with significant autonomy - Deep understanding of the Japanese business environment and how to navigate complex enterprise sales processes - Must hold valid right-to-work status in Japan - Fluent or native-level Japanese and strong professional English YOU’LL LIKELY STAND OUT IF YOU HAVE - Experience with enterprise SaaS growth, customer success, customer onboarding, Experience in telecom services, mobile networks, voice, fraud, identity, or security products - Existing senior relationships within Japan’s major telecom operators - Experience working with SaaS, platform, data, or AI-driven products - Experience launching, establishing, or scaling a technology business or product in Japan - Exposure to international or multi-market commercial environments - Technical fluency and the ability to engage in solution-design conversations with product, engineering, and data teams - Experience working within a global organisation where key stakeholders and decision-makers are based outside Japan HOW WE WORK Hiya is not a passive environment. We expect people to take ownership, form opinions, and engage directly with hard problems. We work with a high degree of transparency and autonomy. Context is shared openly, and decisions are discussed, challenged, and then made. Once a call is made, we commit and move forward. You'll be expected to work through ambiguity, weigh tradeoffs, and take responsibility for results, while keeping a high bar for quality and customer trust. Every team member at Hiya is expected to live our core values: - Own it: We expect team members to take real ownership and move with purpose. Observers don’t thrive here. High trust, high bar: We serve customers and partners with a standard for quality we don’t compromise on. Learn in public: Mistakes happen. What matters is that we reflect, adapt, and share what we learned. Lead with conviction: We make calls, we back them, and we stay collaborative while doing it. Do, don’t observe: Velocity and execution are core to how we operate, across every function. HOW WE INVEST IN YOU Competitive salary and annual bonus: Structured OTE with upside tied to market performance. Remote working: This role is based in Tokyo with the flexibility to work remotely, while staying close to customers and partners across the market. Annual professional development budget: Dedicated investment in your growth and skills. Home office support: We’ll help you set up a productive working environment. International collaboration: Work closely with teams across APAC, the US, UK, and EMEA, with international and domestic travel as required. High-impact market ownership: Take a leading role in building Hiya’s presence and commercial success in one of the world’s most important telecom markets. COME WORK WITH US! We're building a team with diverse perspectives, identities, and professional experiences. We evaluate candidates through a business lens and believe that diversity and unique viewpoints make our company stronger, more dynamic, and a great place to build a career. We've been recognized by Built In, GeekWire, Comparably, G2, Forbes, and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for our culture, innovation, leadership, compensation, and more. At Hiya, we're a people-centric company focused on helping each employee grow both personally and professionally. We create a culture of support and empowerment that challenges the status quo, resulting in an energized team that's passionate about their work. You'll love working here if you're looking for an innovative challenge that's disrupting an industry. Come join us!