Senior Director, Merchandising Strategy
2 days ago• Tokyo, Japan
Lead the end-to-end merchandising strategy for Japan Vending, evolving AI-driven assortment optimization, strengthening category strategy, and improving demand forecast accuracy to drive NSR, variety, and operational efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
1. Assortment Optimization & AI Algorithm Evolution
- Further evolve the AI assortment algorithm to optimize the balance between variety rate, consumer relevance, and complexity cost.
- Integrate demand drivers (location type, seasonality, machine performance, consumer preference patterns) to enhance model accuracy.
- Strengthen demand forecasting capabilities by incorporating advanced analytics, real-time performance data, and machine learning.
2. Category Strategy & Portfolio Development
- Design and execute end-to-end category strategy across CCTM, coffee, tea, and water categories.
- Start from consumer insights ('consumer-back') to define target portfolio, coverage, assortment depth, and role of each category.
- Develop long-term category growth plans and innovation roadmap aligned with Vending strategy.
3. Merchandising Excellence
- Define merchandising principles and guidelines to achieve optimal product availability, consumer choice, and operational feasibility.
- Partner with Commercial, Operations, RGM, Equipment/Technology, Supply Chain, and bottlers to ensure seamless execution.
4. Performance Management & Insight Generation
Want more jobs like this?
Get jobs in Tokyo, Japan delivered to your inbox every week.
- Build dashboards and tracking mechanisms to monitor SKU performance, category trends, and assortment efficiency.
- Identify underperforming SKUs and recommend rationalization, simplification, or portfolio refresh actions.
- Lead weekly and monthly routines to drive performance transparency and decision making.
5. Stakeholder Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Provide thought leadership on category and merchandising strategy to OU and global stakeholders.
- Collaborate with Data Science to refine algorithms and demand forecasting.
- Manage bottler relationships to ensure aligned execution and continuous improvement.
Qualifications
- 10-15+ years in merchandising, category management, revenue management, or related analytics-driven roles.
- Experience in FMCG, retail, vending, or e-commerce preferred.
- Strong analytical capability with experience in advanced analytics, AI/ML-powered tools, or demand forecasting.
- Proven leadership in cross-functional environments and influencing without authority.
- Business-level English and native-level Japanese preferred.
Location(s):
Japan
City/Cities:
Tokyo
Travel Required:
00% - 25%
Relocation Provided:
No
Job Posting End Date:
March 25, 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.
Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:30
Annual Incentive reference value is a market-based competitive value for your role. It falls in the middle of the range for your role, indicating performance at target.
Client-provided location(s): Tokyo, Japan
Job ID: cocacola-151433508
Employment Type: OTHER
Posted: 2026-03-16T18:43:23
Perks and Benefits
Health and Wellness
- Health Insurance
- Health Reimbursement Account
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Short-Term Disability
- Long-Term Disability
- On-Site Gym
- Life Insurance
- FSA
- HSA
Parental Benefits
- Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
- Adoption Leave
Work Flexibility
- Hybrid Work Opportunities
Office Life and Perks
- Commuter Benefits Program
- Happy Hours
- On-Site Cafeteria
- Holiday Events
Vacation and Time Off
- Paid Vacation
- Paid Holidays
- Volunteer Time Off
- Personal/Sick Days
Financial and Retirement
- 401(K) With Company Matching
- Pension
- Performance Bonus
- Financial Counseling
- Stock Purchase Program
Professional Development
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Mentor Program
- Access to Online Courses
- Internship Program
- Leadership Training Program
- Professional Coaching
Diversity and Inclusion
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program
- Employee Resource Groups (ERG)