# Director, Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorships **Company**: Mastercard **Location**: Tokyo, Japan **Experience**: senior **Job type**: full-time **Category**: Marketing **Industry**: Finance **Apply**: https://mastercard.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/CorporateCareers/job/Tokyo-Japan/Director--Strategic-Partnerships---Sponsorships_R-288168?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply **Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_78b00107-63a ## Description Mastercard is seeking a Director, Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorships to lead the partnership and sponsorship strategy in Japan. The successful candidate will have 15+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, sponsorships, brand marketing, or related fields. Key Objectives: - Build a differentiated partnership and sponsorship strategy that drives brand preference and commercial impact in Japan - Transform sponsorship and partnership assets into scalable, issuer-relevant marketing platforms - Drive measurable business outcomes through integrated B2C, B2B, and B2B2C activations - Maximize asset monetization and value creation across customer and partner ecosystems Key Responsibilities: - Partnership & Sponsorship Strategy - Define and lead Japan’s partnership and sponsorship strategy aligned to business priorities and brand positioning - Identify and secure high-impact strategic partnerships that create competitive differentiation - Establish a clear asset strategy that balances brand building, customer value, and monetization - Asset Portfolio Management & Productization - Own the end-to-end lifecycle of sponsorship and partnership assets,from sourcing and structuring to activation and optimization - Translate assets into scalable, modular marketing solutions that can be deployed across issuer and merchant programs - Develop standardized activation frameworks to enable repeatable, high-impact execution - Customer (Issuer & Merchant) Engagement - Partner with issuers and merchant customers to integrate sponsorship and partnership platforms into acquisition, engagement, and usage strategies - Design co-marketing programs that deliver measurable business outcomes and strengthen customer value proposition - Act as a strategic advisor to customers on leveraging marketing assets as growth drivers - Integrated Consumer Activation (B2C / B2B2C) - Lead the development of differentiated consumer experiences that drive engagement, preference, and brand affinity - Ensure seamless integration into broader brand campaigns, always-on programs, and key platforms - Drive innovation in how partnerships are activated across physical, digital, and experiential channels - Value Creation & Monetization - Maximize commercial returns from sponsorship and partnership assets through structured monetization models - Develop and track revenue streams tied to issuer programs and partnership-driven initiatives - Continuously identify opportunities to unlock incremental value from existing and new partnerships - Cross-functional & External Leadership - Collaborate closely with Marketing, Services, Product, and finance teams at local, regional, and global levels to ensure alignment and scalability - Lead relationships with rights holders, strategic partners, and agencies to unlock innovation and incremental value - Ensure strong governance, measurement, and reporting across all partnership activities What We're Looking For: - Minimum 15 years of experience in strategic partnerships, sponsorships, brand marketing, integrated marketing, or related fields. - Proven track record developing and leading large-scale partnership and sponsorship programs from strategy development through execution and optimization. - Experience working within leading global brands, top-tier marketing agencies, media organizations, rights holders, entertainment companies, sports organizations, or customer-facing platforms. - Deep understanding of the Japan marketing landscape, including B2C, B2B, and B2B2C marketing, with demonstrated success driving customer acquisition, engagement, and loyalty. - Strong commercial acumen with the ability to link marketing investments to measurable business outcomes, including brand preference, customer growth, revenue, and ROI. - Demonstrated success identifying, negotiating, and managing complex strategic partnerships and sponsorship agreements. - Proven ability to build scalable marketing platforms and translate sponsorship assets into commercial opportunities for customers and partners. - Strong analytical, stakeholder management, and cross-functional leadership capabilities within highly matrixed organizations. - Native-level Japanese and business-fluent English. - Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent advanced business qualification preferred. ## Skills ### Required - strategic partnerships - sponsorships - brand marketing - integrated marketing - Japanese - English ### Nice to have - MBA - advanced business qualification --- Source: [Apply at mastercard.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com](https://mastercard.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/CorporateCareers/job/Tokyo-Japan/Director--Strategic-Partnerships---Sponsorships_R-288168?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)