Commercial Planning & Operations Lead

About the Position

Commercial Planning & Operations Lead

Full-time

Customer Service

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

エントリー・応募

Commercial Planning & Operations Lead, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, Customer Service, Chemicals

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About the Position

Position Summary:

The Commercial Planning & Operations Lead for Automotive and Industry takes on a strategic, highly visible leadership role to accelerate business growth. The primary core of this position (60–70%) focuses on commercial planning, internal business analysis, and leading strategic commercial projects. Collaborating closely with the Head of Automotive & Industry and key business leaders, this role identifies top-line growth and margin improvement opportunities, drives forecast accuracy, and spearheads projects such as sales expansion programs, industry events, and internal business realignment.

The remaining 30–40% involves managing commercial operations, which includes leading a highly professional team of 7 Customer Service Representatives (with an eye toward future team expansion). Rather than managing transactional call center operations, this role focuses on empowering high-performing specialists, driving an open and customer-first culture, and removing operational bottlenecks between sales, customer service, and logistics.

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Responsibilities

• Commercial Planning, Business Analysis & Project Leadership (60–70%): Analyze internal sales, profitability, and operational metrics to identify business opportunities and improve top-line and Net Billing Sales (NBS). Work closely with the Head of Automotive & Industry, Product Managers, Sales Leadership, and cross-functional teams (Operations, I&S, Finance) to lead commercial projects, including sales promotion strategies, trade show executions, and process realignments.
• Commercial Operations & Hands-on Process Optimization: Bridge the gap between sales and order fulfillment workflows. Take a hands-on approach to streamline the order-to-cash process, resolve operational bottlenecks, visit domestic sites, and accompany sales teams on customer visits to translate frontline needs into business improvements.
• People Leadership & Cultural Transformation (30–40%): Lead, mentor, and inspire a core team of 7 professional customer service specialists. Foster an agile, transparent, and customer-centric culture while supporting team members through organizational evolution.
• Customer Experience & Compliance Oversight: Ensure high operational standards and customer satisfaction across domestic and export accounts, maintaining full adherence to corporate policies and regulatory compliance.

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Requirements

• Proven track record in commercial planning, business data analysis, sales operations, or commercial project leadership within industrial or B2B environments.
• Strong ability to analyze internal business and financial data and convert insights into concrete, revenue-generating commercial initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience in driving cross-functional collaboration and leading hands-on process/operational improvements.
• Strong leadership capability to mentor a professional team, drive cultural change, and foster a collaborative environment.
• Proactive mindset with the mobility to travel to domestic sites and participate in customer visits.
• Preferred: Familiarity with order-to-cash workflows, B2B logistics, and ERP systems such as SAP.
• Fluency in Japanese and English (both written and verbal) is highly desirable.

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We Offer

• Competitive salary based on skills, education, and experience.
• Opportunity to work in a globally leading specialty chemicals company.
• Role in driving the transformation of the construction and transportation industries toward greater environmental compatibility.

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About the Company

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a globally leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protection in the building sector and industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 103 countries around the world, produces in over 400 factories, and develops innovative technologies for customers worldwide. In doing so, it plays a crucial role in enabling the transformation of the construction and transportation industries toward greater environmental compatibility. Approximately 33,000 employees generated CHF 11.20 billion in sales in 2025.