Bilingual Japanese & English Commercial Planning Manager
We are recruiting a Bilingual Japanese and English professional for a Tokyo based company in the regulated goods sector looking for a Commercial Planning Manager to join their Japan Commercial Team. This role offers growth potential, collaboration across departments, and a work-life balance with two remote workdays a week.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead planning for new product lines, such as devices and vapors.
- Create and refine sales forecasts and work with teams to align on demand plans.
- Track sales vs. forecasts, analyze gaps, and adjust strategies.
- Encourage teamwork among marketing, category management, and finance.
- Present business insights and data to support decisions.
- Improve commercial processes for better efficiency.
- Lead projects to optimize business outcomes.
- Set and track KPIs for commercial teams.
- Review sales data regularly, focusing on point of sale and shipping info.
Ideal Candidate Profile:
- At least 5 years in demand forecasting or sales planning, ideally in multinational FMCG companies.
- Minimum 2 years managing teams or leading cross-functional groups.
- Skilled in Excel and PowerPoint; knowledge of Microsoft Access and PowerBI is a plus.
- Strong English communication skills; Japanese is a bonus.
- Excellent analytical skills, detail-oriented, and able to work independently.
- Bachelor's degree required.
- Experience with big data analysis tools like Python or R is preferred.
- Familiarity with POS data analysis is a plus.