Category Associate, Japan

Whatnot Whatnot · Consumer · Tokyo, Japan · New Markets

This role focuses on growing seller communities for Whatnot's launch in Japan. Responsibilities include becoming a category expert, seller outreach and onboarding, relationship management, spearheading marketing initiatives, and using data analytics (SQL) to derive insights and enhance process efficiency. The ideal candidate has 3+ years of experience in sales/account management, is comfortable with ambiguity, has business acumen, and speaks fluent English and native Japanese.

What you'd actually do

  1. Become the go-to expert on your category, including seller/buyer dynamics, community channels, influencers, and product nuances
  2. Source and reach out to sellers to convince them to join and grow their business on Whatnot.
  3. Partner with new sellers and strategic partners to build big businesses on Whatnot
  4. Spearhead diverse seller marketing initiatives, such as organizing offline events, influencer partnerships
  5. Use basic data analytics skills (SQL) to derive insights from projects and enhance process efficiency

Skills

Required

  • 3+ years of experience working in sales and/or account management function, specifically working with top business partners, streamers, and/or creators
  • business acumen
  • deeply analytical
  • comfortable understanding and manipulating data to gain and take action on business insights
  • comfortable navigating ambiguity
  • strong inclination to dive deep, problem-solve, and adapt quickly in evolving environments
  • fluent English
  • native Japanese
  • deep understanding of Japan cultural and community dynamics

Nice to have

  • Be a Whatnot seller or entrepreneur yourself
  • Experience at a high-growth startup, marketplace, or creator-focused platform
  • An existing network of sellers, creators, and influencers within a Whatnot product category.
  • Proficiency in SQL
  • Passion for creator communities and/or expertise in existing Whatnot product categories (e.g. vintage clothing, collectibles).
  • Experience buying and selling in online marketplaces.

What the JD emphasized

  • fluent English and native Japanese