Head of Retail, Uber Direct, Japan

About the Role

Uber Direct is looking for a strong commercial and strategic leader to own and scale the Retail vertical in Japan. As Head of Retail, you will be responsible for defining category strategy, driving sustainable revenue growth, and ensuring strong unit economics across the portfolio.

You will own Retail OKRs end-to-end from merchant acquisition and expansion, to P&L performance, to long-term category strategy. Working closely with Operations, Product, Sales, and Global teams, you will translate merchant needs into scalable commercial models while balancing growth, reliability, and cost.

This role calls for a highly analytical, merchant-obsessed leader who can operate fluidly between strategy and execution. You will be expected to make sharp trade-offs, influence senior stakeholders, and mobilize cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.

Your Impact in Role:

Retail strategy & ownership

1. Own the overall Retail vertical strategy for Uber Direct Japan, including grocery, convenience, pharmacy, and retail categories
2. Define category priorities, growth targets, and success metrics aligned with Uber Direct's broader business goals
3. Act as the senior commercial owner for Retail, accountable for performance, roadmap, and results
4. Develop deep relationships with senior merchant stakeholders to become a long-term strategic partner

P&L and business performance

1. Own Retail vertical revenue, contribution margin, and profitability
2. Translate merchant and category strategies into clear financial plans, forecasts, and investment decisions
3. Identify and execute levers to improve unit economics in partnership with Ops and Finance

Cross-functional execution

1. Partner closely with Operations to ensure retail use cases are operationally scalable, reliable, and cost-efficient
2. Collaborate with Product and Global teams to shape retail-specific product capabilities and influence roadmap priorities
3. Work with Sales, Account Management, and Support teams to ensure a consistent and high-quality merchant experience

Global advocacy & local leadership

1. Share Japan retail learnings with global teams while advocating for Japan-specific market needs and constraints
2. Apply global best practices thoughtfully within the local market context

The Experience You'll Bring:

1. Japanese native, business proficiency in English is a MUST have
2. 8+ years of professional experience in commercial roles such as strategy, business development, category management, consulting, or general management (experience in retail, e-commerce, or logistics strongly preferred)
3. Strategic problem-solver with the ability to simplify complex situations and translate insights into clear action plans
4. Strong merchant empathy and business judgment, with a deep understanding of retailer economics and operational constraints

---- Preferred Qualifications ----

1. Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to link commercial decisions to P&L outcomes (Google Sheets / Excel proficiency required; SQL/Tableau a plus)
2. Proven leadership and cross-functional influence, including experience driving alignment across Ops, Product, and Sales teams

Uber's mission is to reimagine the way the world moves for the better. Here, bold ideas create real-world impact, challenges drive growth, and speed fuelds progress. What moves us, moves the world - let's move it forward, together.

Offices continue to be central to collaboration and Uber's cultural identity. Unless formally approved to work fully remotely, Uber expects employees to spend at least half of their work time in their assigned office. For certain roles, such as those based at green-light hubs, employees are expected to be in-office for 100% of their time. Please speak with your recruiter to better understand in-office expectations for this role.

*Accommodations may be available based on religious and/or medical conditions, or as required by applicable law. To request an accommodation, please reach out to accommodations@uber.com.

Client-provided location(s): Tokyo, Japan

Job ID: Uber-153014

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Posted: 2026-01-14T00:26:32