Head of Sales, SME & Growth, Japan

Job description

ABOUT AIRWALLEX Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us. ATTRIBUTES WE VALUE We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles https://www.airwallex.com/us/operating-principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor. You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next. About the team The SME & Growth Business team at Airwallex is a passionate group of collaborators and business champions dedicated to empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to thrive in the global economy. We combine deep financial expertise with a growth mindset, working closely with our clients to understand their unique needs and develop tailored solutions that streamline cross-border payments and unlock new revenue streams. As a team, we are driven by a desire to make a positive impact and are constantly innovating to find new ways to support the success of our SME customers. What you'll do As the head of sales, you will actively contribute to the country’s sales strategy and execution - managing the Japan sales team while also building and scaling channel partnerships as a key growth engine. Your mission is to drive rapid customer acquisition, revenue growth, and market share expansion across Japan’s SME and mid-market segments. This is a high-impact leadership role where you’ll work cross-functionally with strategy, product, marketing, and operations to establish Airwallex as the default fintech platform for Japanese businesses. Responsibilities: - Actively contribute towards and execute the go-to-market strategy for Japan, including direct sales and channel-driven approaches, aligned with company-wide goals - Build, manage, and mentor the Japan sales team, ensuring strong execution, continuous improvement, and career development - Design and scale a robust channel partner program in Japan - identifying, onboarding, and enabling partners (e.g., e-commerce/digital agencies, incorporation agents, accountants etc.) to generate high-quality referrals and drive growth - Act as a thought leader and Airwallex brand ambassador, building strategic relationships with key ecosystem players including start-up investors, accelerators, and other relevant communities - Partner with marketing teams to launch high-impact campaigns and co-marketing activities with both direct and channel leads - Provide strategic market feedback to product and operations teams to shape offerings and ensure strong local product-market fit in Japan - Report on sales performance, pipeline, and partner impact, with a focus on data-driven decision making and accountability Who you are We're looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. The preferred qualifications are great to have, but are not mandatory. Minimum qualifications: - Proven experience leading high-performing sales teams, with a strong track record of delivering growth and managing full-cycle sales teams in Japan, preferably in a tech/startup environment - Demonstrated ability to contribute towards and execute strategic go-to-market plans and work cross-functionally across strategy, marketing, product, and operations teams - Proven experience in developing and scaling channel/indirect sales programs in the Japanese market - Deep understanding of the Japanese SME and startup landscape, including cultural nuance, decision-making structures, and competitive dynamics - Passion for sales and a hands-on, ownership mindset - you’re ready to prospect, pitch, follow up, and close deals end-to-end - Ability to navigate competing priorities in a fast-paced environment, with a strong accountability for outcomes - Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills - comfortable representing the company with clients, partners, and external stakeholders, as well as being a trusted leader within the Japan sales team - Native-level fluency in Japanese with business-level proficiency in English (spoken and written) to lead local teams and communicate with global stakeholders Preferred qualifications: - Experience working in a fast-growing fintech, SaaS, or payments company - Track record of launching or expanding a business into a new market or vertical AIRWALLEXについて Airwallexは、グローバル企業向けの統合型決済・金融プラットフォームです。独自開発のインフラとソフトウェアを基盤に、世界250,000社以上の企業（Brex、Rippling、Navan、Qantas、SHEINなど）に対し、ビジネスアカウント、決済、支出管理、資金管理、さらにはEmbedded Financeまでを一元的に提供しています。 2015年にオーストラリア・メルボルンで創業したAirwallexは、現在世界27拠点に2,300名以上のメンバーを擁し、企業価値は110億米ドルを超えています。Visa、Mastercard、Sequoia Capital、Salesforce Venturesなど世界有数の投資家の支援を受けながら、次世代のグローバル金融インフラを構築しています。 チームについて AirwallexのSME & Growth Businessチームは、中小企業（SME）がグローバル市場で成長するための支援を行う営業組織です。金融領域における深い専門知識と成長志向を組み合わせ、お客様の課題を理解しながら、クロスボーダー決済の効率化や新たな収益機会の創出を支援しています。 Airwallexは世界でも急成長を続けるFinTech企業の一つであり、日本市場は現在まさに立ち上げ・拡大フェーズにあります。本ポジションでは、日本事業の成長をリードしながら、市場戦略の構築や組織づくりにも携わることができる非常に魅力的な機会です。 ポジション概要 営業部長として、日本市場におけるAirwallexの成長を牽引していただきます。 営業チームのマネジメント及び、チャネルパートナー戦略の構築、市場開拓、事業戦略の実行まで幅広く担当いただきます。APACおよびグローバルチームと連携しながら、日本市場におけるAirwallexの成長戦略を形作る重要なポジションです。 主な業務内容 - 日本市場向けGo-to-Market戦略の立案および実行 - 日本営業チームの採用、育成、マネジメント - SME・ミッドマーケット領域における売上拡大と新規顧客獲得 - チャネルパートナー戦略の構築および拡大 - 会計事務所、EC関連企業、スタートアップ支援企業などとのパートナーシップ構築 - スタートアップ、投資家、アクセラレーターなどエコシステムとの関係構築 - マーケティングチームと連携した需要創出施策や共同マーケティング施策の推進 - プロダクト・オペレーションチームへの市場フィードバック提供 - 売上予測、パイプライン管理、KPIモニタリングおよび経営レポーティング 応募資格 必須要件 - SaaS、FinTech、決済、IT業界などでの営業マネジメント経験 - 高い営業実績とチーム成果創出の実績 - 日本市場向けGo-to-Market戦略の実行経験 - 経営層や社内外ステークホルダーとの折衝経験 - パートナー営業・アライアンス構築経験歓迎 - 日本のSME・スタートアップ市場への深い理解 - 高いオーナーシップと起業家精神をお持ちの方 - 優れたコミュニケーション能力およびリーダーシップ - データドリブンな意思決定能力 - ネイティブレベルの日本語力およびビジネスレベルの英語力 歓迎要件 - FinTech、SaaS、決済業界での経験 - 新規市場立ち上げや事業拡大経験 - スタートアップ、VC、会計事務所、EC業界などでのネットワーク - グローバル企業での勤務経験 - APACや海外チームとの協業経験 APPLICANT SAFETY POLICY: FRAUD AND THIRD-PARTY RECRUITERS To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com http://airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com http://careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page. Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.