Senior Director, Integrated Marketing Japan

About the Role

The Senior Director, Integrated Marketing Japan will lead marketing strategy and execution for WBD’s businesses (ex-Theatrical) within Japan. This includes leveraging iconic IPs such as HBO, Harry Potter, DC Comics, and Warner Bros. movies to captivate and engage audiences across streaming, networks, franchise, content licensing, home entertainment, games, and consumer products while closely collaborating with Theatrical and Tour & Retail divisions.

The role focuses on developing country-specific marketing plans that inject our brands into culture, driving relevance and resonance with core audiences. Balancing short- and long-term priorities, our primary goal is to grow our direct-to-consumer Max brand while continuing to support our valuable legacy businesses.

We require an inspirational leader who can rally a team to deliver results that help achieve with local business objectives while aligning with broader regional and global strategies. This position reports to the Country General Manager and has a dotted-line relationship with the regional Senior Vice President of Marketing for strategic input and regional resource support.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement innovative, country-specific marketing plans across all marketing functions (social, media planning & buying, advertising, content marketing, franchise & marketing partnerships, publicity, direct marketing, production and operations) reflecting local audience preferences and business goals

• Drive marketing excellence across our legacy businesses while building capabilities for growing Max over the long term. Focus on defining the value proposition, identifying target audiences, channel strategy and driving acquisition, retention, engagement and brand love for Max

• Set an ambitious standard for creativity and execution, leveraging iconic IP to craft groundbreaking, culturally defining campaigns that resonate deeply with local audiences and set new benchmarks for innovation and impact

• Partner with the regional SVP of Marketing, regional functional leaders and global teams to enhance the quality and impact of marketing efforts. Advocate for local priorities and ensure regional and global teams provide optimal support and resources that drive business objectives

• Work closely with content, product, sales, and operational teams to align marketing strategies with business goals. Foster strong internal partnerships that streamline execution and maximize the impact of marketing initiatives

• Forge and maintain strong partnerships with external stakeholders, including TV networks, distributors, telcos, and key players in the Japan entertainment ecosystem, such as IP holders and publishers. Leverage these relationships to amplify business opportunities and enhance our value proposition

• Define and monitor marketing KPIs: acquisition, retention, and engagement - as well as brand awareness, affinity, equity and fandom. Leverage consumer insights and audience targeting to optimize strategies, balancing creativity with commercial effectiveness

• Seek and implement stakeholder feedback to maximize success, while remaining fully accountable for outcomes. Make bold, decisive choices that optimize results across business units, navigating budgets and team size with agility and flexibility

• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of the competitive landscape, emerging industry trends, and evolving marketing techniques. Use this knowledge to identify opportunities, refine audience targeting strategies and ensure WBD remains at the forefront of marketing innovation and audience engagement

• Cultivate Max as a culturally iconic and beloved brand, fostering deep connections with audiences. Leverage digital, social, experiential, partnerships, and earned media to create immersive campaigns that inspire fandom, loyalty and cultural relevance

• Recruit, develop, and inspire a world-class marketing team capable of excelling across diverse business areas

• Foster a collaborative, creative, and results-oriented culture where talent thrives and bold ideas flourish

Your Experience:

• You have experience leading marketing campaigns that drive growth and impact for established businesses while launching or scaling new initiatives, ideally in streaming, media, or entertainment

• You know how to combine creativity with results, delivering campaigns that resonate with audiences while meeting measurable business goals

• You have built strong external partnerships before—working with TV networks, distributors, telcos, or other entertainment ecosystem players to maximize opportunities and reach

• You are skilled at leveraging consumer insights, audience data, and marketing trends to sharpen strategies and optimize performance

• You’re a team builder and leader—someone who inspires people to do their best work, fosters collaboration, and brings energy and clarity to complex situations

• You thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments, balancing short-term priorities with long-term goals while staying agile and focused

Knowledge/Skills:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Strong analytical skills & attention to detail

• Fluency in spoken and written Japanese and English

• Ability to use a structured approach to understand, analyze, and solve complex problems/issues

• Ability to develop working partnerships with senior executives across the business

• Excellent interpersonal & diplomatic skills

• Positive self-starter and work well in fast-paced operations

• Graduate with considerable marketing experience; the following experiences are preferable:

• Extensive working knowledge of DTC business, preferably SVOD

• Proven success in dealing with business executives at all levels

• Experience of operating within a matrix management and report line structure