Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated Strategic Partnerships Director to join our team in Japan. Reporting directly to the Head of Japan, with a dotted-line relationship to the International Head of Strategy, this is an external-facing role focused on advancing Japan’s growth objectives by driving strategic partnerships and identifying new opportunities.

To be successful in this role, you will need a combination of strong business development skills, commercial and financial acumen, and the ability to work effectively within a global, matrixed organization. You will operate at the intersection of strategy and execution — building trusted relationships with senior external stakeholders while translating market insight into actionable growth recommendations.

Key Responsibilities

In this opportunity as a Strategic Partnerships Director, you will:

Strategic External Partnerships

Build and manage a strategic partnership pipeline in Japan aligned to the country’s growth priorities.

Identify, screen, and engage potential partners, targets, and acquisition candidates.

Partner with the strategy, proposition, and product teams globally, to assess the capabilities and strategic fit of prospective partners and targets.

Support end-to-end deal execution, from initial engagement through negotiation and agreement.

Develop and maintain a strong network across key market players in the Japanese ecosystem.

Leverage legal content and technology partnerships to enhance the value we deliver to customers.

Download global strategy, initiatives, acquisitions, and partnership activities to understand TR’s inorganic growth strategy and apply them to local partnership strategies as necessary

Engage with government stakeholders, industry associations, and regulators as required.

Assist the Head of Japan in preparation of any globally led strategic initiatives such as annual organic investment preparations and large corporate level meetings

Strategic Market Analysis

Provide deep market insight and a clear point of view on key strategic areas for Japan.

Conduct competitive assessments to inform partnership and growth decisions.

Develop clear, data-driven recommendations to capture priority growth opportunities.

Required Qualifications

You’re a fit for the role of Strategic Partnerships Director if you have the following required qualifications:

5–10 years of experience in corporate development, strategic partnerships, business development, open innovation, or management consulting, preferably within a large multinational organization.

Demonstrated ability to prioritize high-impact opportunities and influence cross-functional stakeholders to drive execution.

Business-level fluency in both Japanese and English — spoken, listening, and written.

A strong understanding of the Japanese business ecosystem.

Proven ability to engage and build credibility with C-level executives.

Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills.

High level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Preferred Qualifications

A strong network and experience in the technology sector, with a focus on AI, Legal/Compliance technology and/or Enterprise technology (ERP, Tax, Trade/Supply Chain).

Experience working within a global, matrixed organization.

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What’s in it For You?

Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2-3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
Flexibility & Work-Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work-life balance.
Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and deliver real-world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills-first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled future.
Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
Culture: Globally recognized, award-winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work-life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro-bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
Making a Real-World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.

About Us

Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news.

We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.

As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. More information on requesting an accommodation here.

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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on thomsonreuters.com.

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Director, Japan Strategic Partnerships