Sales Director, Agency Sales

SmartNews is a leading global information and news discovery company dedicated to delivering quality information to the people who need it. Thanks to our unique machine-learning technology and relationships with more than 3,000 global publisher partners, we provide news that matters to millions of users.

Founded in 2012 in Tokyo, SmartNews also has offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York and Singapore. If you are someone who shares our vision and feels passionately about our mission, we encourage you to apply!
About the role
The Agency Sales Director role at SmartNews is pivotal in driving the growth of our ads business by boosting revenue from top agencies like Dentsu and Hakuhodo. The successful candidate will develop and execute business growth strategies in collaboration with sales operations, marketing, product, engineering, and other key stakeholders. Additionally, they will build and expand the FAS group by hiring, managing, and developing a high-performing team. Establishing strong relationships with top agencies to solidify SmartNews' presence in the Japanese advertising industry is crucial. The role also involves creating scalable sales mechanisms to accommodate the increasing number of advertisers and working closely with Ad Products and other departments to enhance our offerings based on customer feedback.

• Grow the SmartNews ads business sales by driving the revenue from Dentsu and Hakuhodo.
• Develop and own the business growth strategies and its execution in partnership with key stakeholders such as sales operations, marketing, products, engineering, etc. 
• Build and grow the FAS group, hire the best,  manage and develop the team. 
• Develop strong relationships with top 2 agencies to build a robust foundation of SmartNews ad business in Japan advertisement industries. 
• Develop mechanisms to scale the sales activities along with the number of advertisers growth. 
• Collaborating with Ad Products and other key departments to enhance our products via customer feedback-sharing and other customer-related activities

• 10 years or more of sales experience in the digital ads related agencies or industry.
• Proven track record of delivering result
• Experience of C-level engagement with major advertisers in Japan.  
• 5 years or more of experience in managing large sales teams (10 or more members; multiple teams simultaneously)
• 5 year or more of experience in hiring and talent development
• Native-level Japanese, Business-level English
• Ability to carry out new customer acquisition and manage relationships with both new and existing customers

Working Condition

• Office Location: Tokyo

• Annual health check covered by the company 
• Visa sponsorship and overseas relocation support available for eligible candidates