International Business Development Manager, Japan

Position

International Business Development Manager, Asia Pacific Region

Leatherman is the world leader in the design and manufacturer of innovative, high quality, compact, multi-purpose tools. We employ over 500 team members at our corporate headquarters located in Portland, Oregon, USA. Please visit our website at:  www.leatherman.com

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Business Development Manager with a strong focus on the Asian market.  This position will be based in Asia and is expected to travel 50% of the time. Prefer candidates who live in Japan, open to South Korea and Singapore.

Position Summary

Develop and implement international distribution strategies. Manage International Distribution Partners to ensure retail distribution and annual revenue objectives are met.  Collaborate with product and marketing teams to support market needs.  Strategically lead and coordinate retail initiatives line up to Leatherman’s global ecommerce initiatives.

Essential Functions

• Strong Marketing knowledge to construct brand KPI’s are realistic and measurable for short term and long-term benefits.
• Work cooperatively with channel partners to establish sales and marketing goals for territory and key accounts.
• Identify short and long term opportunities for sales expansion in assigned territories and accounts – develop sales plans and execute.
• Assess performance of current channel partners and develop and execute improvement and expansion plans – areas of responsibility include channel penetration; pricing, trade show attendance; adherence to brand message; marketing effectiveness analysis; warranty service; sales effectiveness; creditworthiness; customer service; organizational strength.
• Identify and call on key accounts / distributors to build positive relationships and ensure customer sales, service and marketing performance meet Leatherman’s expectations.
• Support and advocate needs of channel partners within Leatherman.
• Attend international and regional trade shows; responsible for developing and implementing strategies for maximizing show success and assist in coordinating trade show arrangements.
• Keep abreast of social, cultural and government issues that impact Leatherman’s business in assigned territories.
• Research target sales segments and channels in assigned territories and develop recommendations for actions to the organization based on this information.
• Act as a resource for interpreting and communicating Asian / international market issues and requirements with Leatherman.
• Assist in gathering VOC, VOCP on product prototypes and international market input on other topics.
• Create and manage budgets, forecasts and financial reports related to APAC region. Ensure cost-effective sales operations.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, including regional knife laws and trade policies in the APAC markets of operation.

Education and Experience

• BA or MBA in International Business, Marketing, or related field preferred.
• 8 years progressively responsible experience in international sales and or marketing preferred.
• Multi-lingual is required and cultural fluency in an Asian context.
• Proven experience building and maintaining strong customer relationships preferred.
• Excellent skills in interpersonal relationships, communication, and teamwork.
• Possess strong written and oral communication skills.
• Work independently and possess a high level of self-motivation and initiative.
• Effectively prioritize and follow through on assignments and projects.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in a personal home or similar setting. Employees will occasionally be exposed to a production environment. 

Job requires travel Internationally primarily by air and car with lodging in hotels.  Trips may have a duration of up to two weeks and call for travel over the weekends.

All employees are expected to adhere to Company safety policies and wear personal protective equipment when exposed to work areas or performing tasks where it is required.

Core Values

We thrill our consumers with quality, products and service; We care about each other’s well-being; We share ideas, challenge each other and do the right thing; We respect each other, show humility and grow from our failures; We foster the development of individuals to reach their greatest potential. 

Mission

We create innovative products that prepare people for the expected and unexpected and result in real tales of triumph.

Vision

Our vision is to be the global multipurpose brand of choice.