Senior Specialist - Influencer Marketing, Japan

This role owns and drives the creator and opinion leader ecosystem in Japan. It develops and executes strategic influencer marketing initiatives that bridge sports, fashion and lifestyle, amplifying On's brand story, product launches and community moments across Japan. The role sits within the Brand Communications team and builds authentic short- to long-term partnerships, from tactical campaign activations to multi-year commitments.

• Serve as the single point of contact and owner for all creator and opinion leader (KOL/COL) topics in Japan.
• Build and cultivate authentic partnerships across different communities, especially running, fashion and lifestyle.
• Strategically direct agency partners to manage day-to-day communications and execution for inline culture seeding and special project seeding.
• Own seeding results and ROI in a horizontal, always-on approach designed to consistently reach new communities and establish local cultural credibility.
• Collaborate tightly with Senior Specialists in PR and Social Media to ensure unified storytelling, synchronised campaign execution, and maximum reach across channels.
• Partner with Campaign Leads to integrate seeding, gifting, and UGC into key campaigns and special project launches.
• Coordinate with Retail and Event & Community teams to activate talents around physical community events, run clubs, and in-store retail activations.
• Lay the foundational framework for On Japan's Ambassador programme, establishing structures for onboarding, engagement, content deliverables, and community advocacy across various verticals.
• Track, evaluate, and present performance metrics across earned and paid creator touchpoints to constantly calibrate and optimise impact.

• 4–6 years of progressive experience in influencer marketing or creator relations, in-house or from the agency side in Japan.
• Proven success in either sports, fashion or lifestyle category.
• Demonstrated ability to work highly cross-functionally with various teams inside and outside the department.
• Proven track record in managing agency relationships, briefs, and execution while holding agencies accountable for tangible results.
• Established, real-world network of talents and talent agencies in Japan, backed by a deep understanding of Japanese running culture and/or the fashion-lifestyle landscape.
• Network built on active, face-to-face socialising and community presence, with a consistent on-the-ground presence and authentic, real-life connections that transcend digital messaging to become lasting, trusted connections for the company.
• Native-level fluency in Japanese (written and spoken).
• Strong business-level proficiency in English for seamless collaboration with local, regional, and global teams.