Sales Manager

The Opportunity:

Japan is a relationship-driven market where local presence and regional coverage are critical to building a strong sales pipeline. Today, Flexport's commercial coverage outside Tokyo is limited, leaving significant new business opportunities in the Kansai region untapped. As we insource our Japan operations and scale our in-country team, we are hiring Account Executives based in Osaka to lead Flexport's commercial expansion across Kansai.

In this role, you will own new business development across Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and the broader Kansai region — building Flexport's pipeline, winning new logos, and acting as the trusted local face of Flexport for clients in the region. You will also play a hybrid AM/AE role for newly acquired FOB accounts in Kansai, supporting both acquisition and early-stage account growth. This is a high-autonomy role with a clear path to future sales leadership in Japan.

You will:

• Develop new business opportunities across the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and surrounding areas) and expand Flexport's regional coverage in Japan.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of small to mid-sized opportunities, driving customer acquisition through outbound prospecting, referrals, and partner networks.
• Manage day-to-day communication with customers and prospects, serving as their primary local Flexport point of contact.
• Convert opportunities into recurring and scalable business across Ocean (FCL/LCL) and Air.
• Support senior sales colleagues on strategic account development and execution where Kansai-based decision-making or operations are involved.
• Build long-term customer relationships and strengthen Flexport's local market presence in Kansai through industry events, customer visits, and regional networks.
• Support FOB accounts for newly acquired customers in the Kansai region in a hybrid AM/AE capacity, ensuring smooth onboarding and early-stage account stability.
• Demonstrate strong potential to grow into a future sales leader in Japan, with progressive ownership over more strategic accounts and team contribution.
• Collaborate closely with the Tokyo-based commercial leadership, the Japan General Manager, and the newly insourced Tokyo Ocean and Air operations teams.

You should have:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• 5+ years of experience in B2B sales, business development, or account management — ideally in freight forwarding, logistics, supply chain, or 3PL services.
• Demonstrated track record of winning new business in Japan, ideally with key accounts in the Kansai region (proven experience with brands such as ASICS, Epson, Keyence, or similar is a strong plus).
• Established familiarity with Kansai-based shippers across manufacturing, consumer goods, electronics, automotive, chemicals, or industrial sectors.
• Native or business-level Japanese (verbal and written) and conversational to professional English.
• Working knowledge of Ocean (FCL/LCL) and Air freight, with the ability to articulate clear value to logistics and procurement decision-makers.
• Self-starter mindset — able to operate effectively as a remote member of the Japan team while collaborating closely with Tokyo and APAC counterparts.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and customer relationship skills.
• High integrity, customer-first orientation, and alignment with Flexport's values.

Nice to have:

• Experience selling technology-enabled or digital freight platforms.
• Familiarity with Japan–China, Japan–Southeast Asia, Japan–US, and Japan–EU trade flows.
• Prior experience as part of a country launch, new office build-out, or insourcing initiative.