RTS

Senior Director, Publisher Partnerships – Business Development

RTS

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: Japan

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Salary

💰 ¥18,000,000 - ¥22,500,000 per year

Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Publisher Partnerships & Relationship Management
  • Operate as the primary point of contact for RTS’s key publishing partners, primarily in Japan but also globally where required
  • Maintain and strengthen relationships with senior‑level partners across Japan and the rest of the world.
  • Lead key initiatives and collaborations with RTS’s publisher partners full cycle: from ideation through to implementation
  • Coordinate with internal teams to ensure publisher partner needs are understood and met across events, content, licensing and long‑term programs.
  • Lead regional and global publisher related deals; often resulting in the development and negotiation of complex multi‑year agreements.
  • Core Business Development & Strategy
  • Serve as RTS’ primary business development leader in Japan, managing and expanding relationships with game publishers, platforms, rights holders government entities and more
  • Identify new commercial opportunities and pitch RTS services, global products like Evo, and media capabilities to prospective partners.
  • Support licensing expansions, collaborative content, and other value‑add programs for RTS, Evo and the wider fighting game community.
  • Seek out, develop and build strategic partnerships designed to cross-promote and co-market Evo with culturally relevant brands, celebrities and icons
  • Drive and develop new business opportunities on behalf of RTS and Evo’s live event business in Japan
  • Represent RTS at industry events, publisher meetings, esports conferences, and relevant cultural gatherings.
  • Develop market insights specific to Japan and translate them into actionable strategies for RTS’s global leadership team.
  • Cross‑Functional Operations
  • Work closely with legal, product, event operations and commerce teams to structure and deliver deals.
  • Support RTS’s brand partnerships team and local partners to support sponsorship pitches and localized partner opportunities.
  • Support coordination of Evo Japan and Tokyo‑based initiatives, ensuring smooth execution of partner deliverables.

Requirements

  • Must be legally authorized to work in Japan
  • 15+ years experience in video-game and/or entertainment businesses development or management roles
  • Experience leading and managing teams, preferably in global organizations
  • Full professional fluency in Japanese and English, both written and verbal.
  • Strong understanding of Japan’s gaming ecosystem, publisher dynamics and competitive landscape
  • Ability to work independently in a remote first environment, and travel for meetings and events (domestic + international)
  • Comfortable working flexible hours as needed to support meetings with partners and colleagues in the USA & Europe
  • Master’s degree and/or MBA preferred (or similar advanced degree)
  • Direct experience working with or for Japanese game publishers (Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega, Square Enix, SNK etc)
  • Experience navigating cross‑cultural dynamics effectively across global stakeholders and teams
  • Experience working with or for large scale events, gaming activations or live service products.
Benefits
  • Fully remote working arrangement
  • Full enrollment in Japanese social and labor insurance programs (health, pension, employment, and workers’ compensation)
  • Annual paid leave provided in accordance with Japanese labor law
  • Observance of Japanese national holidays and year-end/New Year holiday period
  • Annual employer-sponsored health check-up
  • Company philosophy : We believe strongly in work/life balance - you’ve got to feel your best to work your best. We offer a generous PTO program, and in addition to observing the standard holidays, we’ve extended many of them into extra-long weekends.
  • We are a remote-first company, so as long as you can do the specifics of your job, we don’t mind where you do it.

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard skills
business developmentrelationship managementnegotiationmarket insightslicensingstrategic partnershipsevent operationscontent developmentproject managementteam leadership
Soft skills
communicationcross-cultural dynamicsindependent workflexibilitycollaborationstrategic thinkingproblem-solvingadaptabilityleadershipnegotiation
Certifications
Master’s degreeMBA