Back to jobs
New

Head of Japan

Japan

Aptos is a people-first blockchain on a mission to help billions of people achieve universal and fair access to decentralized assets in a safe and scalable way.

Founded by some of the original creators and maintainers that researched, designed, and built the Diem blockchain to serve this purpose, we have dedicated several years toward this mission. We believe the open-source Diem technology we have developed is an important foundation of a safe and scalable web3 world where everyone has more equitable opportunities to grow and access financial assets with lower fees and fewer intermediaries.  

Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") encompasses our mission and ethos for why we build.

About The Role

As Aptos’ plans to make a push in Japan, we are searching for a Japan Lead to guide our expansion strategy, close deals & partnerships, and manage partners to bring web3 and blockchain technologies to Japanese enterprises.

As the Japan Lead, you will head an office of 5-10 FTEs and own the P&L (mainly driven by a game, led by an experienced director). You will be required to support the team while being responsible for identifying strategic partners and develop strong relationships to go deep with them. This means building internal business cases, negotiating complex deals, and working cross-functionally with key internal global stakeholders to further our mission. This role is based in Tokyo, in order to build strong rapport on the ground. You will work very closely with the Global Head of BD & Partnerships, the Institutional Strategy team and the APAC ecosystem team.

What You'll Be Doing:

  • Own the country P&L, lead an office of 5-10 local FTEs by supporting them in their initiatives and developing a clear GTM plan for the company
  • Research and identify companies and institutions in Japan that are interested in integrating blockchain and web3 services into new products, features, and services, and choose the best partners for Aptos
  • Develop and close significant partnership opportunities that will advance our mission
  • Provide strategic insights to product and engineering teams, delivering critical business perspectives and launching initiatives that impact the market.
  • Collaborate with other markets to develop a comprehensive set of partners necessary for our projects

What We’re Looking For:

  • 9+ years of experience in enterprise partnerships, BD, or similar roles at high-growth technology companies; or 5+ years at an MBB/IBD or equivalent
  • Experience working with commercial agreements, including creating and negotiating agreements beyond standard sales contracts
  • Experience working with both internal and external stakeholders, and managing them to achieve results
  • Strong market knowledge of the blockchain & Web3 industry in Japan is strongly preferred; experience working directly in a blockchain & Web3 company is a plus but not mandatory
  • A strong network with industry leaders in multiple industries (e.g., banking, asset management, big tech, media, social networks, conglomerates)
  • An independent thinker with very strong problem solving skills, capable of designing creative deal structures if required
  • Excellent Japanese and English written and oral communication skills, as this role requires frequent communication with team members and commercial partners.

 

Our Benefits

  • 100% insurance premium coverage for medical, dental, and vision for you and your dependents (US Employees)
  • Equipment of your choice
  • Flexible vacation time, 11 holidays, and floating company days off 
  • Competitive Salary
  • Equity (RSUs) (US employees)
  • Protocol Token Grants
  • 401k matching (US Employees)
  • Fun and inclusive in-person and digital events

Aptos is committed to diversity in the workplace, and we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not hire on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal law. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need.

We are committed to providing a safe and secure hiring process for all applicants. Unfortunately, there are individuals who may attempt to impersonate Aptos or our employees for fraudulent purposes.
To protect yourself, please be aware of the following:
  • We will never ask you for payment of any kind during the application or onboarding process, including fees for background checks, training, or equipment.
  • We will always communicate with you using our official company email domain.
  • We will never request your personal financial information, such as your social security number or bank account details, during the initial application stages or via email or a video/voice call when onboarding.
If you encounter any suspicious activity or requests that seem out of the ordinary, please do not hesitate to report it to us at security@aptoslabs.com.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Aptos’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.