Purpose and Scope:

The Growth Marketing Director for Disney’s streaming services (Disney+) in Japan is a strategic leader responsible for driving subscriber acquisition, retention, and churn reduction. This role oversees both Performance Marketing (Acquisition) and Lifecycle Marketing (Loyalty & Retention) teams, ensuring a cohesive, data-driven approach to growing and engaging the subscriber base while maximizing long-term customer value. This leader will:

• Own the delivery of paid retail subscription targets, and works in close collaboration with US partners.
• Own the delivery of retail subscription and revenue targets in collaboration with the Integrated Marketing team.
• Develop innovative strategies to scale new customer acquisition and reconnect campaigns.
• Partner closely with the Finance team on revenue generation, subscriber management, and lifecycle churn optimization.
• Working with Integrated Marketing to deliver a full-funnel view of the consumer journey.
• Foster a culture of experimentation to drive innovation and continuously optimize growth strategies.
   

The ideal candidate is an exceptional leader who combines strategic thinking, data-driven decision-making, and creativity to captivate audiences, inspire optimism, and innovate with courage while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and inclusion.

Areas of Responsibility:

Strategic Leadership

• Lead and oversee Performance Marketing and Lifecycle & Loyalty Marketing in Japan.
• Own the delivery of paid retail subscription targets and works in close collaboration with US partners.
• Own the delivery of retail subscription and revenue targets, working closely with the Integrated Marketing (Brand & Content Marketing) team to align efforts.
• Partner with Finance on revenue generation and subscriber churn analysis, ensuring alignment with broader financial goals.
• Partner with the Analytics team to track progress against the annual plan.
• Work closely with the Partnerships team to optimize collaboration between partner marketing and wholesale efforts, integrating these flows into a seamless consumer journey.
• Foster a culture of experimentation, encouraging the team to test innovative ideas that drive growth and efficiency.

Lead the Performance Marketing team to:

• Develop and implement cross-channel strategies to maximize ROI, scale customer acquisition, and drive reconnect campaigns with measurable KPIs.
• Develop strong collaborative relationships with US partners and stakeholders
• Leverage robust data insights to refine and enhance performance marketing strategies.
• Manage budgets strategically, identifying opportunities to test and scale new marketing channels.
• Champion a framework for measuring the impact of performance campaigns.

Lead the Lifecycle Marketing to:

• Oversee subscriber retention and engagement initiatives, achieving measurable results in churn reduction, monetization, and win-back campaigns.
• Lead the development and execution of automated workflows, editorial campaigns, and personalized communication strategies to nurture customer relationships.
• Collaborate with the Analytics team to establish a framework for measuring lifecycle campaigns' impact, iterating on strategies based on actionable insights.

Loyalty

• Enhance customer loyalty and maximize lifetime value through loyalty initiatives, and subscriber perks.
• Drive the Loyalty team to deliver the perk program, aligning with business KPIs and fostering deeper subscriber connections.

Professional Qualifications and Experience:

• 10–15 years of proven experience in a relevant growth marketing or digital marketing leadership role.
• Demonstrated success in leading and managing high-performing teams in Japan.
• Experience working within a global matrix organization, effectively navigating and aligning local and global priorities.

Key Skills

• Strategic Visionary: Ability to think strategically, leveraging data and insights to guide decision-making and planning.
• Creative Problem-Solver: Combines creativity with analytical rigor to develop innovative strategies.
• Stakeholder Management: Strong skills in building relationships and influencing across diverse teams and functions.
• Exceptional Communication: Strong presentation skills and storytelling abilities to captivate audiences and inspire action.
• Team Builder: Proven ability to motivate, manage, and develop teams to achieve shared goals.
• Results-Oriented: Focused on delivering measurable business outcomes with agility and efficiency.
• Change Champion: Inspires creativity and innovation, adapting to and driving change in dynamic environments.
• Bilingual: Professional Level of both Japanese & English

What it takes to lead in this role:

Captivate the audience

• Tell compelling stories that resonate with both internal and external stakeholders.

Inspire optimism

• Motivate and develop the team while fostering collaboration and a shared sense of purpose.

Innovate with courage

• Embrace bold, forward-thinking strategies while respecting the company’s legacy and values.

Act with integrity & inclusion

• Commit to doing the right thing, ensuring an inclusive and ethical approach to all initiatives.