Business Development Manager
Square
Since we opened our doors in 2009, the world of commerce has evolved immensely, and so has Square. After enabling anyone to take payments and never miss a sale, we saw sellers stymied by disparate, outmoded products and tools that wouldn't work together.
So we expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions – to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, offer buy now, pay later functionality, book appointments, engage loyal buyers, and hire and pay staff. Across it all, we've embedded financial services tools at the point of sale, so merchants can access a business loan and manage their cash flow in one place. Afterpay furthers our goal to provide omnichannel tools that unlock meaningful value and growth, enabling sellers to capture the next generation shopper, increase order sizes, and compete at a larger scale.
Today, we are a partner to sellers of all sizes – large, enterprise-scale businesses with complex operations, sellers just starting, as well as merchants who began selling with Square and have grown larger over time. As our sellers grow, so do our solutions. There is a massive opportunity in front of us. We're building a significant, meaningful, and lasting business, and we are helping sellers worldwide do the same.
The Role
We are looking for a Business Development Manager to join the Square Japan Partnerships team. Our team's mission is to create an ecosystem that connects partners and sellers, and enables both to build a business on Square. You'll represent Square's brand in Japan and help establish local partnerships, engaging and negotiating deals across channel partners, integrated product partners, developers, agencies, and technology companies of all sizes. You will involve partnership sourcing, prospecting, negotiation, and working with cross-functional internal partners to scale up partner acquisition and bring new partners to our ecosystem. You will report to the Partnerships Lead, Japan in Tokyo.
Square Japan partners include channel partners (organizations and agencies across banking and financial services, telecommunications and other partner types) and platform partners using Square API integrated third-party products (accounting and tax, form builders, booking and scheduling, items and inventory, delivery and orders, marketing and analytics, eCommerce, point of sale). Passionate about delivering meaningful financial services to small businesses, you will be motivated by the successful outcomes of customers, partners, and other teams.
You will be part of a growing team that needs your business development best-practices and experience. You will need to be well-versed on all the different possible ways new and growing channels/platforms can partner with Square, including both technical and business feasibility.
You Will
- Develop the Partnerships program in Japan, aligning with local and global strategic goals.
- Identify, sign and grow Japan-based channel partners that refer new sellers to Square, and product partners who complement our ecosystem of products.
- Develop partner plans to achieve mutual growth across new partners and partner-attached sellers.
- Become a Square product expert and our partnership strategy - articulate the value of our platform and ecosystem to external and internal stakeholders.
- Collaborate with Product, Account Management, Support, and Sales teams to identify and engage potential Partners to enhance our product functionality and distribution.
- Work closely with Japan-based and global go-to-market functions such as Sales, Account Management, Customer Success and Marketing to ensure the success of Square's Japanese Sellers and achievement of partnership goals.
- Represent the voice of the Japan Partnerships program across Square globally, contributing insights and feedback from the local market.
- Own the full partner life-cycle from sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, and onboarding to financial forecasting, joint go-to-market initiatives, and long-term success management.
- Build and nurture deep relationships with Square teams and external partners to drive strategic alignment and sustained growth with partners.
You Have
- 7+ years of experience in strategic business development, partner management, and/or sales.
- Experience in closing channel partners and working with partner sales teams to generate new seller leads.
- Experience closing deals ranging from tactical, mid-size opportunities, to strategic and complex partners in Japan.
- Comfort engaging in detailed technology-based conversations with partners across multiple industry verticals.
- Background in building partnership strategies at a long-established, or high-growth technology or product-driven company in Japan.
- Ability to engage senior executives and influence stakeholders across organizations.
- Project management skills with a track record of setting clear milestones and delivering results.
- Experience managing high volume with fast execution velocity.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) in Japanese and business (verbal and written) English.
Nice to Have
- Experience working with Japanese banking, financial services, telecommunications, and/or distribution industries.
- Familiarity working with cross functional teams (e.g. Sales, Account Management, Partner Engineering, Product, Partner Development) to support partner integrations and referrals.
- Understanding of API integration maintenance (e.g. troubleshooting bugs, upgrading to new APIs if available).
We're working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, based solely on the core competencies required of the role at hand, and without regard to any legally protected class. We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we're doing to build an inclusive workplace? Check out our Inclusion & Diversity page
Every benefit we offer is designed with one goal: empowering you to do the best work of your career while building the life you want. Remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans, and modern family planning are just some of our offering. Check out our other benefits at Block.
Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people. Square makes commerce and financial services accessible to sellers. Cash App is the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Afterpay is transforming the way customers manage their spending over time. TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs. Bitkey is a simple self-custody wallet built for bitcoin. Proto is a suite of bitcoin mining products and services. Together, we’re helping build a financial system that is open to everyone.