About The Role

As Aptos’ plans to make a push in Japan, we are searching for a Japan Lead to guide our expansion strategy, close deals & partnerships, and manage partners to bring web3 and blockchain technologies to Japanese enterprises.

As the Japan Lead, you will head an office of 5-10 FTEs and own the P&L (mainly driven by a game, led by an experienced director). You will be required to support the team while being responsible for identifying strategic partners and develop strong relationships to go deep with them. This means building internal business cases, negotiating complex deals, and working cross-functionally with key internal global stakeholders to further our mission. This role is based in Tokyo, in order to build strong rapport on the ground. You will work very closely with the Global Head of BD & Partnerships, the Institutional Strategy team and the APAC ecosystem team.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Own the country P&L, lead an office of 5-10 local FTEs by supporting them in their initiatives and developing a clear GTM plan for the company
• Research and identify companies and institutions in Japan that are interested in integrating blockchain and web3 services into new products, features, and services, and choose the best partners for Aptos
• Develop and close significant partnership opportunities that will advance our mission
• Provide strategic insights to product and engineering teams, delivering critical business perspectives and launching initiatives that impact the market.
• Collaborate with other markets to develop a comprehensive set of partners necessary for our projects

What We’re Looking For:

• 9+ years of experience in enterprise partnerships, BD, or similar roles at high-growth technology companies; or 5+ years at an MBB/IBD or equivalent
• Experience working with commercial agreements, including creating and negotiating agreements beyond standard sales contracts
• Experience working with both internal and external stakeholders, and managing them to achieve results
• Strong market knowledge of the blockchain & Web3 industry in Japan is strongly preferred; experience working directly in a blockchain & Web3 company is a plus but not mandatory
• A strong network with industry leaders in multiple industries (e.g., banking, asset management, big tech, media, social networks, conglomerates)
• An independent thinker with very strong problem solving skills, capable of designing creative deal structures if required
• Excellent Japanese and English written and oral communication skills, as this role requires frequent communication with team members and commercial partners.