Brand Manager – American Whiskey
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Employment Type
Full-time
Reporting Line
Marketing Manager, Whiskey & Rum
Overview
A global premium spirits company is seeking a Brand Manager to lead the growth and strategic development of its American Whiskey portfolio in Japan.
This role is responsible for driving full-funnel brand building initiatives across premium whiskey brands, including portfolio strategy, ATL campaigns, digital marketing, PR, innovation, and consumer activations. The position requires strong strategic thinking, high-level execution capabilities, and close collaboration with regional and global stakeholders to ensure brand consistency while adapting strategies for the Japan market.
The successful candidate will oversee multi-tiered portfolio management spanning recruitment products through premium and super-premium segments while leading integrated 360° marketing initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead annual planning and long-term portfolio strategy for the American Whiskey business
• Define portfolio roles, consumer pathways, and occasion mapping across product tiers
• Establish brand positioning, communication priorities, and distinctive brand identity frameworks
• Monitor category trends, consumer behavior, and competitor activity to guide strategic decisions
• Develop and execute integrated 360° marketing campaigns across ATL, digital, social media, PR, and experiential activations
• Lead agency management across creative, media, PR, localization, production, and campaign evaluation
• Ensure local executions align with global brand frameworks and visual identity standards
• Drive consumer engagement through events, sponsorships, collaborations, and sampling initiatives
• Lead innovation and renovation projects including packaging updates, new product development, and limited editions
• Coordinate launch readiness including forecasting, inventory planning, supply coordination, and phased investment management
• Conduct post-launch analysis and recommend optimization initiatives
• Collaborate closely with global and regional teams on brand strategy, communication planning, and innovation alignment
• Provide local market insights to support regional and global strategic planning
• Partner with Sales and Customer Marketing teams to align brand priorities with commercial objectives
• Collaborate with Finance, Supply Chain, and Legal teams on planning, pricing, compliance, and operational execution
• Ensure compliance with brand guidelines, local regulations, and packaging accuracy standards
Required Qualifications
• 4–8 years of Brand Management experience within FMCG, beverage, lifestyle, or luxury industries
• Proven experience leading ATL campaigns and integrated 360° brand programs
• Strong strategic planning and portfolio management capabilities
• Experience managing creative, media, and PR agencies
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to convert insights into actionable strategies
• Excellent cross-functional communication and stakeholder management abilities
• Experience managing multiple brands or sub-brands simultaneously
• Native-level Japanese communication skills
• Business-level English communication skills
Preferred Background
• Experience within premium beverage, alcohol, luxury, or lifestyle categories
• Strong understanding of premiumization and consumer trade-up strategies
• Experience managing integrated campaigns across online and offline channels
• Experience working within multinational and matrix organizations
Core Competencies
• Strong brand storytelling and communication abilities
• Strategic thinking combined with execution excellence
• Consumer-centric marketing mindset
• Strong project management and prioritization skills
• Data-driven decision-making capability
• High attention to detail across brand execution and compliance
• Ability to collaborate effectively across global, regional, and local stakeholders
Key Success Metrics
• Net sales growth and market share performance
• Brand awareness and brand health improvement
• Campaign effectiveness and ROI performance
• Premium mix and trade-up growth across portfolio tiers
• Innovation launch execution quality and forecast accuracy
• Consistency and quality of brand activation across all touchpoints
Work Environment
• International and highly collaborative marketing organization
• Close partnership with APAC and global brand teams
• Exposure to premium consumer branding and innovation initiatives
• Dynamic environment with strong emphasis on creativity, strategy, and commercial impact