Sr. Manager, Business Development

AppLovin is seeking a Sr. Manager, Business Development to establish and scale its eCommerce business in Japan. This leader will define market strategy, secure strategic advertiser relationships, and drive revenue growth. The role involves operating at both executive and hands-on levels, combining strategic judgment with deep performance marketing expertise. The successful candidate will work closely with advertisers, regional leadership, and global product teams to ensure adoption, performance, and long-term growth in the Japanese market.

Must Have

• Own end-to-end strategy and revenue growth for AppLovin’s eCommerce business in Japan.
• Define and execute the local go-to-market strategy.
• Build and expand a portfolio of strategic eCommerce partnerships.
• Serve as a trusted executive-level advisor to top advertisers.
• Lead complex commercial discussions.
• Oversee campaign performance at a strategic level.
• Translate local market insights into clear recommendations that influence global product strategy.
• Partner closely with global Sales, Product, and Data Science leadership.
• Represent AppLovin as a senior leader in the local ecosystem.
• Act as a mentor and cultural leader.
• 7+ years of experience in performance marketing, digital advertising, or business development.
• Proven experience owning market-level or regional revenue.
• Deep understanding of performance marketing KPIs, attribution models, incrementality, and customer lifecycle measurement.
• Extensive experience working with DTC brands, platforms, or agencies in the Japan market.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and advise C-level stakeholders.
• Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to translate complex data into strategic direction and business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to operate autonomously in ambiguous environments and make high-impact decisions.
• Excellent communication skills in both Japanese and English.

Good to Have

• Established network within the Japan eCommerce and digital advertising ecosystem.
• Hands-on experience with major advertising platforms such as Meta, Google, TikTok, and related analytics tools.
• Experience with full-funnel media strategy, CRO, incrementality testing, and long-term growth modeling.
• Strong understanding of mobile advertising and app-driven user acquisition.
• Experience influencing or contributing to product development or platform roadmap decisions.
• Strong academic background (BA/BS or equivalent).
• Comfort with data, automation, and emerging ad technologies.

About AppLovin

AppLovin makes technologies that help businesses of every size connect to their ideal customers. The company provides end-to-end software and AI solutions for businesses to reach, monetize and grow their global audiences. For more information about AppLovin, visit: www.applovin.com.

To deliver on this mission, our global team is composed of team members with life experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives that mirror our developers and customers around the world. At AppLovin, we are intentional about the team and culture we are building, seeking candidates who are outstanding in their own right and also demonstrate their support of others.

Fortune recognizes AppLovin as one of the Best Workplaces in the Bay Area, and the company has been a Certified Great Place to Work for the last four years (2021-2024). Check out the rest of our awards HERE.

About AppLovin’s eCommerce Team

AppLovin is the market leader in performance advertising for mobile games. In 2024, we expanded into the ecommerce space, enabling brands to reach 150M+ U.S. daily active users in a variety of mobile games—scale that rivals the largest social platforms. In Q4, we reached a $1 billion annual run rate in gross advertiser spend in the ecommerce category alone.

Learn more about our fast-growing ecommerce beta: https://ecomm.applovin.com/

AppLovin's global team is composed of team members with life experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives that mirror our customers around the world. We are intentional about the team and culture we are building, seeking candidates who are outstanding in their own right and also demonstrate their support of others.

About the Role

We are hiring our first BD Leader in Japan to help establish and scale AppLovin’s eCommerce business in the market. This is a rare opportunity to enter at an early stage and play a critical role in revenue growth, strategic partnerships, and go-to-market execution.

You will define market strategy, secure and grow strategic advertiser relationships, and serve as the voice of Japan within global eCommerce organization. This role requires a leader who can operate at both the executive and hands-on levels, combining strategic judgment with deep performance marketing expertise.

In this highly visible, client-facing role, you will work closely with eCommerce advertisers, regional leadership, and global product teams to drive adoption, performance, and long-term growth.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end strategy and revenue growth for AppLovin’s eCommerce business in Japan.
• Define and execute the local go-to-market strategy, including market entry, advertiser segmentation, and growth priorities.
• Build and expand a portfolio of strategic eCommerce partnerships, engaging directly with CMOs, founders, and senior marketing leaders.
• Serve as a trusted executive-level advisor to top advertisers, guiding long-term growth strategy and performance optimization.
• Lead complex commercial discussions, including long-term partnerships, scaling plans, and strategic investments.
• Oversee campaign performance at a strategic level, ensuring teams and partners are optimizing toward ROAS, LTV, and growth objectives.
• Translate local market insights into clear recommendations that influence global product strategy, roadmap prioritization, and commercial models.
• Partner closely with global Sales, Product, and Data Science leadership to evolve AppLovin’s eCommerce offering.
• Represent AppLovin as a senior leader in the local ecosystem, including at industry events, conferences, and executive forums.
• Act as a mentor and cultural leader, setting the standard for how AppLovin operates in the market as the team scales.

Basic Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in performance marketing, digital advertising, or business development, with a strong track record of driving revenue growth.
• Proven experience owning market-level or regional revenue and building businesses from an early or scaling stage.
• Deep understanding of performance marketing KPIs, attribution models, incrementality, and customer lifecycle measurement.
• Extensive experience working with DTC brands, platforms, or agencies, ideally within the Japan market.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and advise C-level stakeholders.
• Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to translate complex data into strategic direction and business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to operate autonomously in ambiguous environments and make high-impact decisions.
• Excellent communication skills in both Japanese and English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Established network within the Japan eCommerce and digital advertising ecosystem.
• Hands-on experience with major advertising platforms such as Meta, Google, TikTok, and related analytics tools.
• Experience with full-funnel media strategy, CRO, incrementality testing, and long-term growth modeling.
• Strong understanding of mobile advertising and app-driven user acquisition.
• Experience influencing or contributing to product development or platform roadmap decisions.
• Strong academic background (BA/BS or equivalent).
• Comfort with data, automation, and emerging ad technologies.