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About the role...
We're looking for a Head of Merchandising, Japan to grow Duolingo's online store in Japan and build it into a meaningful part of how fans experience our brand. This role is a backfill for the previous head of merch and will focus primarily on the Duolingo Store, while also helping shape pop-ups and potential retail store opportunities. You'll lead merchandising and ecommerce for Japan, with a high bar for quality, localization, and brand fit, while helping Duolingo show up in the real world in ways that feel uniquely delightful and culturally resonant.
Japan is one of Duolingo's most important brand and IP markets, and this role has a real opportunity to build something from the ground up, with the potential for successful playbooks, formats, and learnings from Japan to inform how we scale merchandising globally over time.
This role reports to the Director of Country Marketing, Japan & Korea.
🧠 You will...
- Own the P&L and day-to-day operations of Duolingo's online store in Japan, including demand forecasting, inventory planning, assortment planning, site performance, supply chain, and fulfillment, with a high bar for efficiency and quality
- Own the store as a startup within Japan's marketing org, growing it with an eye toward revenue, ROI, and commercial performance across traffic, conversion, AOV, repeat purchase, and sell-through
- Lead product planning, design direction, and production, from concept through launch, in partnership with Brand, Design, Social, and Operations
- Identify, select, and manage external partners (vendors, manufacturers, agencies) and own those stakeholder relationships end-to-end
- Build the Duolingo Store into an efficient, on-brand marketing channel that deepens fan engagement through product drops, storytelling, and localized execution
- Develop and execute pop-up experiences and help explore future retail store opportunities that bring Duolingo to life in Japan
- Build and test merchandising concepts, product drops, and launch formats in Japan first, developing repeatable systems and playbooks so that what works can be adopted by other markets as we scale our consumer products business globally
- Work closely with the broader marketing team to connect store moments with campaigns, community buzz, and brand storytelling
✅ You have...
- 10+ years in e-commerce, merchandising, or consumer products leadership for a consumer-facing brand
- Experience building a merchandising or e-commerce function from 0 to 1, with hands-on ownership of a P&L and platforms such as Shopify
- An ability to think outside the box on merchandising and branding, balancing commercial performance with strong brand fit
- Experience leading cross-functional work across creative, marketing, operations, and external partners, with excellent execution skills in fast-moving environments
- Business-level English and Japanese, with strong communication skills across local and global teams
⭐ Exceptional candidates will have...
- Experience launching or operating pop-ups, experiential retail, or store-based brand activations
- Experience scaling a merchandising or ecommerce function internationally, especially with localized assortments or market-specific launches
- Familiarity with fandom-driven, character-led, or lifestyle brands where products help consumers express identity and affinity
- Strong instincts for what makes physical products feel uniquely Duolingo: high quality, distinctive, and culturally resonant
- An entrepreneurial mindset and comfort owning a business end-to-end, with an eye toward turning a Japan success story into a broader, potentially global, merchandising mode
The offered salary is dependent upon several factors, including work experience, skills, and internal peer comparisons. The posted range is subject to change in the future. For this role, base salary is supplemented by equity compensation. We encourage you to talk with your recruiter for more information related to compensation for this role!
Salary Range: ¥17,178,000—¥25,767,100 JPY
Benefits: Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here.
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Accommodations: We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact accommodations@duolingo.com.
Equal Employment Opportunity: Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
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