General Manager (Japan)

Job description

**The AI-powered OS****for beauty,** **wellness** **and self-care** **About Fresha** Fresha is the AI-powered operating system for the global beauty, wellness and self-care industry, connecting and powering everything from salons and barbers to spas, medspas, fitness studios and health practices. Trusted by millions of consumers and businesses worldwide. Fresha is used by 140,000+ businesses and 450,000+ stylists and professionals worldwide, processing over 1 billion appointments to date. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with 15 global offices located across North America, EMEA and APAC. Fresha allows consumers to discover, book and pay for beauty and wellness appointments with local businesses via its marketplace, while beauty and wellness businesses and professionals use an all-in-one platform to manage their entire operations with an intuitive business software and financial technology solutions. Fresha’s ecosystem gives merchants everything they need to run their business seamlessly by facilitating appointment bookings, point-of-sale, customer records management, marketing automation, loyalty, beauty products inventory and team management. The consumer marketplace unlocks revenue potential for partner businesses by leveraging the power of online bookings and automated marketing through mobile apps and advanced integrations with major tech brands including Instagram, Facebook and Google. **Role overview** We are hiring Fresha’s first senior leader in Japan. This is not a traditional in-country management role overseeing an existing team or operation. This is a build-from-scratch role for a senior operator who can turn market ambition into commercial reality. You will be responsible for launching Fresha in Japan from the ground up: building early traction, winning our first customers, shaping local market strategy, establishing operating foundations, and helping define what success should look like in-market before a wider team is built. In the early phase, this role is highly hands-on. A core part of your job will be direct sales execution in the early stages. You will personally open doors, generate pipeline, lead commercial conversations, negotiate, and close Fresha’s first wins in Japan. This is not a role where sales can be delegated at the outset. We are looking for a senior leader who is fully comfortable leading from the front and carrying direct revenue responsibility. You will act as Fresha’s senior representative in Japan, but success in this role will come from execution, not title. You will need to move comfortably between strategy and action, external commercial leadership and internal company building, market insight and day-to-day problem solving. For the right person, this is a unique opportunity to build something meaningful at zero to one stage, with the backing of a global business and the ambition to become a top-tier player in Japan. ### Strategy & Planning: - Develop and execute regional and country-level sales strategies to achieve sales targets, drive market share, and meet key performance objectives. - Oversee the entire sales cycle, including planning, prospecting, territory planning, sales execution, and pipeline management. - Create, refine, and standardize sales processes to improve operational efficiency, sales productivity, and customer satisfaction - Define and lead Fresha’s market entry approach for Japan, including early commercial priorities, market positioning, and growth opportunities - Translate local market insight into clear strategic recommendations for global leadership - Identify customer segments, competitive dynamics, and market barriers to inform launch decisions - Shape the short- and medium-term roadmap for building Fresha’s presence in Japan - Establish clear priorities, success metrics, and execution plans for the early phase of market entry - Help define what the Japan business should look like as it moves from launch to scale ### Business Development - Establish and nurture relationships with key stakeholders, including beauty and wellness businesses, industry associations, and influencers. - Drive customer acquisition and retention efforts through targeted sales and marketing initiatives. - Oversee partnerships and collaborations that enhance Fresha's market position and value proposition. - Personally drive Fresha’s early commercial traction in Japan through direct business development and sales execution - Build pipeline from scratch by identifying, approaching, and engaging prospective customers and partners - Lead commercial conversations, negotiate effectively, and close Fresha’s first customer wins in-market - Develop strong local relationships that build credibility and accelerate market entry - Test and refine Fresha’s value proposition based on real customer feedback and buying behaviour - Create the foundation for a scalable commercial engine before a wider local team is built ### Team Leadership - Act as Fresha’s senior leader and representative in Japan from day one - Lead by example in a hands-on, high-accountability environment where execution comes before scale - Build the case for future hiring by creating early traction and operational foundations - Partner closely with global cross-functional teams to align Japan market needs with broader business priorities - Contribute to defining the structure, capabilities, and timing of the future Japan team - Foster a high-performance culture centred on ownership, adaptability, and commercial results - Build, manage, and mentor a high-performing local team, fostering a culture of excellence and accountability. - Set clear performance objectives and provide regular feedback and development opportunities. - Ensure alignment of the team’s efforts with Fresha’s global goals and values. ### Operational Management - Oversee day-to-day operations to ensure efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. - Implement and monitor KPIs to track performance and drive continuous improvement. - Manage budgets, forecasts, and financial performance to meet targets. - Build the initial operating foundations required to establish and grow Fresha’s presence in Japan - Create practical processes, local workflows, and execution rhythms that support early market traction - Coordinate across internal stakeholders to ensure effective launch execution and local market responsiveness - Identify operational risks, gaps, and dependencies, and solve them with pace and pragmatism - Ensure day-to-day market development activity is well organised, commercially focused, and scalable over time - Help shape the local operating model as the business moves from initial launch to broader expansion ### Customer Focus - Champion the voice of the customer, ensuring their needs and feedback are central to decision-making processes. - Enhance the customer experience through innovative solutions and exceptional service delivery. - Use direct market feedback to inform positioning, product priorities, and go-to-market decisions - Establish strong trust with early customers through a high-quality, locally credible approach - Ensure Fresha’s early presence in Japan reflects the standards expected in a highly competitive market - Turn customer insight into practical action that improves adoption, retention, and long-term market fit ### What we are looking for - We’re searching for an ambitious, commercially savvy leader who thrives in a fast-growing, high-performance environment. The ideal candidate will have: - **5+ years of commercial leadership experience**, preferably in a **SaaS, online marketplace, fintech, or payments company**. - A **proven track record of driving revenue growth, scaling teams, and delivering against ambitious KPIs**. - Experience managing **sales, business development, and account management teams** in a dynamic, high-growth business. - Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret **data-driven insights** and translate them into **actionable strategies**. - A passion for **building and developing high-performing teams**, with a hands-on leadership approach. - Exceptional **stakeholder management** skills, with the ability to influence across all levels of the business. - A **strategic and entrepreneurial mindset**, with the ability to identify new opportunities and execute innovative growth strategies. - A **deep understanding of the Japanese market**, ideally with experience in the beauty, wellness, or tech sectors. - **Languages** - Fluent in English and ideally Japanese too At Fresha, we value passion and potential as much as specific skills. If you're enthusiastic and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every listed requirement. We believe in fostering growth and providing the support needed for you to excel in your role. ### Interview Process - Screen Call - Video-call with Talent Team (30 mins) - 1st Stage - Video-call with GM APAC (45 mins) - 2nd Stage - Video-call presentation with Leadership team (90 mins) - Final Stage - Video Call with C-Suite We aim to complete the entire interview process and deliver feedback within 4 weeks Every job application received is reviewed manually by our talent team. While we strive to assess applications within 7 days, the sheer volume of talented individuals expressing interest may occasionally extend this timeframe