Director – Japan System Performance & Bottler Excellence

Job Description Summary:

Job Description Summary:

The Director, Japan System Performance & Bottler Excellence plays a critical Franchise Leadership role in accelerating sustainable growth across the Japan Coca-Cola System.

This position serves as a strategic business partner to bottling partners and collaborates closely with franchise leadership, commercial leaders, and cross-functional teams to unlock future growth opportunities, strengthen system performance, and enhance execution excellence across the Japan franchise system.

Beyond performance management and business planning, this role helps shape the long-term Growth Journey of the Japan Coca-Cola System by identifying growth opportunities, scaling best practices from Global High-Performing Bottlers, and accelerating Commercial Capability development across bottling partners.

The position provides a unique opportunity to gain end-to-end exposure to franchise leadership, commercial strategy, customer operations, revenue growth, business planning, performance management, and system governance, making it an ideal development role for future General Management and Franchise Leadership positions.

Scope of Responsibility: 

• Markets: Japan

• Channels: All Channels

• Coverage:  Bottler Franchise Leadership, Bottling Partner Business Partnership, Business Performance Reviews, Annual Business Planning (ABP), Business Performance Acceleration, Commercial Capability Development, Business Planning & Execution Support, Performance Governance, Best Practice Deployment, Commercial Analytics & Insights, Franchise Growth Strategy

• Stakeholders: Bottling Partners, Bottler Leadership Teams, OU Commercial & Channel Leaders, OU Functional Leaders, Franchise Leadership Team, Global Customer & Commercial Teams, Global High-Performing Bottler Networks

Key Responsibilities:

• Bottling Partner Business Partnership Leadership: Serve as the primary strategic business partner for key bottling partners in Japan and maintain strong working relationships with bottler leadership teams. Provide ongoing business support to bottlers by identifying opportunities, addressing challenges, and facilitating alignment with system priorities. Act as a trusted advisor to bottler leadership by providing insights, recommendations, and support on key business decisions and growth initiatives. Drive stronger collaboration between bottlers and OU functions to accelerate execution and maximize business performance.

• Franchise Leadership & Bottling Partner Partnership: Serve as the primary strategic business partner to key bottling partners within the Japan Coca-Cola System. Build strong relationships with bottler leadership teams and support the development of shared growth strategies that advance both bottler and system objectives. Act as a trusted advisor to bottler leadership and Franchise Leadership Teams by providing strategic recommendations, business insights, and growth opportunities that strengthen franchise performance and long-term system value creation. Facilitate stronger collaboration between bottlers and the OU to elevate franchise leadership effectiveness and accelerate sustainable growth.

• Business Performance Reviews & Franchise Governance: Lead performance governance routines and business reviews across bottling partners to ensure clear accountability, disciplined execution, and strong alignment with system priorities. Monitor business performance trends, identify risks and opportunities early, and provide actionable recommendations to improve business outcomes. Develop integrated business reviews and executive recommendations that support franchise leadership decision-making and drive stronger system performance.

• Annual Business Planning Leadership: Lead Annual Business Planning (ABP) and strategic business planning processes with bottling partners. Support bottlers in translating system growth ambitions into executable plans with measurable business outcomes. Drive disciplined execution follow-up throughout the year and facilitate timely interventions to accelerate delivery against commitments.

• Franchise Growth & Business Performance Acceleration: Identify and unlock growth opportunities across the Japan franchise system through business analytics, marketplace insights, and performance trend analysis. Partner with bottlers to accelerate execution excellence, improve commercial effectiveness, and drive sustainable business growth. Facilitate the transfer and deployment of proven best practices across bottlers, leveraging learnings from Global High-Performing Bottlers to raise performance standards across Japan. Support the development of scalable growth platforms that strengthen future system competitiveness and growth.

• Commercial Capability Development: Partner with Commercial, Channel, and Franchise leaders to strengthen Commercial Capability across the Japan Coca-Cola System. Identify capability gaps and growth opportunities and support the design and deployment of capability-building initiatives that improve execution quality and business performance. Help develop future-ready commercial capabilities by bringing global best practices, innovative operating models, and growth frameworks into the Japan system. Support bottler organizations in accelerating their commercial maturity and growth journey.

• Executive Business Reviews & Strategic Alignment: Coordinate Executive Business Reviews and strategic discussions between OU leadership and bottler leadership teams. Provide visibility into business performance, growth opportunities, resource allocation priorities, and strategic initiatives to support Executive decision-making. Drive strong alignment between bottler priorities, franchise objectives, and long-term system growth ambitions.

Qualifications & Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Operations Management, or related field; Master’s preferred. 

• 10+ years’ experience in operations planning, commercial management, marketing or franchise leadership within FMCG or beverage industry. 

• Understanding of franchise-model economics, retail/customer operations and financials, and the Coca-Cola system.

• Proven track record facilitating multistakeholder planning processes and aligning strategic initiatives across complex partner networks.

• Strong in strategy development and thought leadership 

• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously. 

• Experience leading cross-functional teams and building consensus among diverse stakeholders with strong influencing leadership.  

• Native in Japanese, business fluency in English. 

Preferred Experience

• Experience in Commercial Capability development, Sales, Marketing, Revenue Growth Management, Customer Leadership, Franchise Leadership, or General Management

• Demonstrated ability to influence business performance across complex partner ecosystems

• Strong business acumen with the potential to assume broader General Management responsibilities in the future

Skills:

Brand Management, Category Management, Communication, Competitor Analysis, Digital Marketing, Finance Strategy, Financial Forecasting, Integrated Marketing, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Leadership, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategies, Media Planning, Microsoft Office, People Management, Pricing Management, Product Roadmapping, Promotional Strategies, Sales Analysis, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Teamwork, User Experience Analysis

Location(s):

Japan

City/Cities:

Tokyo

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

November 30, 2026

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.