Director, Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorships

Job description

Our Purpose Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential. Title and Summary Director, Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorships Role Overview Director, Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorships will lead Mastercard Japan's partnership and sponsorship strategy to drive brand preference, customer engagement, and commercial growth. This role is responsible for identifying, securing, and maximizing high-value partnerships and sponsorship assets, transforming them into scalable marketing platforms that create value for consumers, customers, and strategic partners. The ideal candidate is a seasoned marketing and partnerships leader with 15+ years of experience and a proven track record of developing and executing complex partnership and sponsorship programs end-to-end. Combining strategic vision, commercial acumen, and operational excellence, this individual will drive integrated B2C, B2B, and B2B2C initiatives that deliver measurable business impact for Mastercard and its customers. Key Objectives • Build a differentiated partnership and sponsorship strategy that drives brand preference and commercial impact in Japan • Transform sponsorship and partnership assets into scalable, issuer-relevant marketing platforms • Drive measurable business outcomes through integrated B2C, B2B, and B2B2C activations • Maximize asset monetization and value creation across customer and partner ecosystems Key Responsibilities 1. Partnership & Sponsorship Strategy • Define and lead Japan’s partnership and sponsorship strategy aligned to business priorities and brand positioning • Identify and secure high-impact strategic partnerships (e.g., including but not limited to culture, entertainment, and sports platforms) that create competitive differentiation • Establish a clear asset strategy that balances brand building, customer value, and monetization 2. Asset Portfolio Management & Productization • Own the end-to-end lifecycle of sponsorship and partnership assets—from sourcing and structuring to activation and optimization • Translate assets into scalable, modular marketing solutions that can be deployed across issuer and merchant programs • Develop standardized activation frameworks to enable repeatable, high-impact execution 3. Customer (Issuer & Merchant) Engagement • Partner with issuers and merchant customers to integrate sponsorship and partnership platforms into acquisition, engagement, and usage strategies • Design co-marketing programs that deliver measurable business outcomes and strengthen customer value proposition • Act as a strategic advisor to customers on leveraging marketing assets as growth drivers 4. Integrated Consumer Activation (B2C / B2B2C) • Lead the development of differentiated consumer experiences that drive engagement, preference, and brand affinity • Ensure seamless integration into broader brand campaigns, always-on programs, and key platforms • Drive innovation in how partnerships are activated across physical, digital, and experiential channels 5. Value Creation & Monetization • Maximize commercial returns from sponsorship and partnership assets through structured monetization models • Develop and track revenue streams tied to issuer programs and partnership-driven initiatives • Continuously identify opportunities to unlock incremental value from existing and new partnerships 6. Cross-functional & External Leadership • Collaborate closely with Marketing, Services, Product, and finance teams at local, regional, and global levels to ensure alignment and scalability • Lead relationships with rights holders, strategic partners, and agencies to unlock innovation and incremental value • Ensure strong governance, measurement, and reporting across all partnership activities What We're Looking For • Minimum 15 years of experience in strategic partnerships, sponsorships, brand marketing, integrated marketing, or related fields. • Proven track record developing and leading large-scale partnership and sponsorship programs from strategy development through execution and optimization. • Experience working within leading global brands, top-tier marketing agencies, media organizations, rights holders, entertainment companies, sports organizations, or customer-facing platforms. • Deep understanding of the Japan marketing landscape, including B2C, B2B, and B2B2C marketing, with demonstrated success driving customer acquisition, engagement, and loyalty. • Strong commercial acumen with the ability to link marketing investments to measurable business outcomes, including brand preference, customer growth, revenue, and ROI. • Demonstrated success identifying, negotiating, and managing complex strategic partnerships and sponsorship agreements. • Proven ability to build scalable marketing platforms and translate sponsorship assets into commercial opportunities for customers and partners. • Strong analytical, stakeholder management, and cross-functional leadership capabilities within highly matrixed organizations. • Native-level Japanese and business-fluent English. • Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent advanced business qualification preferred. Successful Candidate Profile • Strategic thinker who identifies emerging cultural, entertainment, sports, and consumer trends and translates them into scalable partnership opportunities. • Entrepreneurial and hands-on leader with end-to-end ownership, from business case development and negotiation through activation and post-program evaluation. • Strong relationship builder capable of influencing senior executives, customers, rights holders, agency partners, and cross-functional stakeholders. • Skilled at balancing long-term brand-building objectives with short-term commercial outcomes. • Exceptional program manager who can simultaneously lead multiple high-profile initiatives with excellence and attention to detail. • Highly accountable, resilient, and comfortable operating in ambiguity and complex stakeholder environments. • Passionate about creating innovative consumer experiences that strengthen brand preference and deliver measurable business impact. Corporate Security Responsibility All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must: Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices; Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed; Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.