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Category Manager - New Categories

Tokyo, Japan

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Contract Type Permanent
Career Level Experienced Professional
Functions Marketing
Salary Range Competitive salary
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Why Marketing? Overview

Why Marketing?

We are impactful storytellers who push boundaries and find innovative ways to connect and interact with our customers. We sell our brands in more than 150 markets worldwide, many of which are strictly regulated. At the same time, the rise of Smokeless Products means we're operating in a rapidly shifting landscape and its these factors that present the type of challenges we thrive on. We use emerging technologies and complex data to drive innovation. From brand and strategy through e-commerce to trade marketing.

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Why BAT?

At BAT, we’re committed to more than just jobs, we’re dedicated to purposeful careers - It's one of the many reasons we have been named as a Global Top Employer for the eighth consecutive year.

We believe that Leadership shouldn’t be confined to titles. It’s a mindset and through our leading Learning and Development programmes, you’ll continuously develop your skills and experience. With our unwavering support, you’ll work in cross functional teams connecting with industry leaders and expanding your professional network.

Join us at BAT, where purpose meets possibility, and your career story unfolds.

A Better Tomorrow

Building a Smokeless World is no small feat—it’s fueled by the collective efforts of talented individuals, each bringing their unique perspective. This is the most innovative chapter in BAT’s history, and you can help shape it.

Strategy and Purpose Brand and Innovation

Category Manager - New Categories

Why BAT Japan
Most brand managers wait years for regional scope and a budget of their own. Here both come with the job.

  • A market-leading annual performance bonus (subject to eligibility)

  • Health cover, transport support and a flexible holiday plan with additional incentives

  • English and Japanese language training, delivered on company time

  • A published capability framework for every role and grade — so you know precisely what the next grade requires, not just that progression exists — plus online learning and structured leadership programmes

  • Global Top Employer for the ninth consecutive year — certified across five regions and a record 44 countries

Tokyo, Japan · Full-time · Manager · Scope: Japan, Korea and Taiwan

Build a brand in a category that didn't exist a decade ago, in the region that decides how it develops.

BAT is a global multi-category consumer goods business. Our purpose is to create A Better Tomorrow™, with a vision to build a smokeless world: as at 31 December 2025, 34.1m consumers used our Smokeless Products, generating 18.2% of Group revenue, and our ambition is 50m Smokeless consumers by 2030. North Asia is one of the most advanced smokeless markets anywhere — which means the marketing playbook here is being written rather than borrowed.

The role
You lead brand strategy and delivery for our new categories across Japan, Korea and Taiwan: what we stand for, who we're for, what we launch, how it's priced and packaged, and how it's communicated. You hold your own budget and you're accountable for the results — including the post-launch review that says whether the plan was right.

What you'll own

  • Brand strategy on a one-to-four-year horizon — positioning, audience, innovation pipeline and the full marketing mix

  • Adapting global brand direction for three very different markets without losing what makes the brand coherent

  • The communications strategy, grounded in consumer insight, competitor behaviour and where the technology is going

  • Creative, media, design and innovation agencies — briefing them, steering them, and evaluating them honestly

  • Your full-year budget: allocating it, defending it, and releasing or requesting funds as the plan changes

  • Approval of trademarks, product claims and campaign elements through Legal, R&D and Insights, on time

  • Brand integrity in market — spotting where execution has drifted from strategy and correcting it

  • Working relationships with the consumer experience and deployment teams who turn your strategy into what a consumer sees

What you'll bring

  • Ownership of a brand or category — including the commercial numbers, not just the campaign

  • Strength in communications and digital marketing, which this category depends on more than most

  • Confidence with pricing and profitability, and the judgement to argue for a position

  • Useful, not essential: brand building in a new or disrupted category

Qualifications

  • 5+ years in brand marketing at an international consumer goods company or a consumer-facing business with real pace

  • A university degree

  • Native-level Japanese and business English. Korean is a bonus, not a requirement

Whoever you are and wherever you're from, you can belong here — many nationalities, ages, genders and professional backgrounds, supported by Women in Leadership and B-United, our LGBTQ+ and allies network. Our Global Returners programme supports people restarting after time away from work. Need an adjustment during the process? Just tell us.

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Values

At BAT, our values show us the way to bring our purpose to life. Serving as our compass, they navigate every aspect of our path towards A Better Tomorrow™ defining how we innovate, grow, and achieve success while setting high standards for individual achievement and collective progress. Rooted in integrity and collaboration, they empower us as pioneers of change in a world that never stands still ensuring we shape BAT's legacy with confidence and purpose.

Colorful circular design with the text 'WE ARE REYNOLDS' in the center
  • Truly inclusive
  • Do the right thing
  • Love for our consumer
  • Passion to win
  • Empowered through trust
  • Stronger together
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Take Control of Your Future with BAT

At BAT, we’re committed to more than just jobs, we’re dedicated to purposeful careers.

We believe that everyone has a place in our organization. Whether you are seeking mentorship, diversifying your experience through international assignments or embracing innovative work methods, we’re here to propel your career aspirations and unleash your full potential.

We believe in you.
Join us at BAT, where purpose meets possibility, and your career story unfolds.

Employee Image

“A fast pace and an international environment are what I love about working here. You get the chance to rotate within functions - and I've brought my passion for sustainability to Omni-Channel Deployment where I deliver a seamless consumer experience by ensuring unified deployments across all touchpoints, including E&E, Retail, and Digital platforms.”

Stephanie Toor
Activation Manager, Denmark

Benefits

At our core, we understand your best work happens when you feel fully supported. Our meticulously
designed reward and benefits package are shaped to acknowledge your contributions and to magnify
your impact. As you grow, so do we.

Social Wellbeing

Wellbeing is better when it’s shared. Benefits that foster a sense of community and connection among employees. The more time we make to give back and share what it means to live well with the communities around us, the closer we’ll be to them. We encourage positive social interactions inside and outside BAT, enhance collaboration, and create a supportive work environment where employees feel valued and connected.

Emotional Wellbeing

Balancing work and life to help you recharge and stay resilient. Benefits and initiatives that are designed to bolster our employees' mental health. At BAT we're fostering a culture of to help our employees to better manage life’s pressures and build resilience, no matter what life throws your way.

Physical Wellbeing

Good health is the cornerstone that allows everything else in our lives to align. Benefits that support our employees' physical health, expand coverage where needed it and promote healthy lifestyles, reducing stress and boosting overall energy and productivity.

Financial Wellbeing

Peace of mind is priceless, but it shouldn’t cost the earth. Benefits and initiatives designed to assist you in achieving financial stability and security, empowering you to make well informed financial decisions, alleviate financial stress, and enhance your short and long-term prospects.

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