Senior Specialist, Brand Creative Operations, Japan

WHO YOULL WORK WITH

This role will report directly to the Senior Manager Brand Planning & Operations. The cross-functional Marketing team includes Brand Creative Brand Management Energy Marketing Integrated Media Integrated Retail Marketing and Digital Marketing. This role also maintains strong partnerships with Sports Marketing Communications Finance and Legal. The individual collaborates closely with the Senior Manager Brand Planning & Operations for guidance and development and works as one team with Senior Specialist Brand Planning & Operations to drive operational excellence. Additionally the role engages with the Brand Planning & Operations and Brand Creative Network across Global and Asia-Pacific Latin America (APLA) geography.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Were looking for a highly organized strategic and dynamic Senior Brand Creative Operations professional to join our Tokyo-based Marketing team. This role is pivotal in enabling bold culturally resonant creative work that aligns with Nikes global brand standards while celebrating the unique spirit of Japanese sport and culture. Success in this role requires a deep understanding of creative processes and production workflows along with the ability to lead teams through change. A passion for sport relentless curiosity about consumers and a strong grasp of Nikes brand standards are essential.

• Minimum 3 5 years of experience in creative operations studio management or production leadership.
• Bachelors degree in Marketing Communications Design or a closely related field.
• Expertise in creative workflows production processes and resource planning.
• Ability to drive innovation and implement new ways of working.
• Proven collaboration skills across internal and external partnerships with managing complex projects under tight timelines and budgets.
• Demonstrated genuine passion for sport youth culture and innovation.
• Strong leadership and people management capabilities including adaptability empathy resilience and assertiveness.
• Proficiency in Excel and/or Airtable preferred.
• Willingness to travel up to 510% of the time spent working each year.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills (in both English and Japanese) tailored to various levels of seniority.

WHAT YOULL WORK ON

As a part of the Brand Planning & Operations Team you will lead the daily operations of creative workstreams focusing on resource planning workflow optimization and process management to enable high-quality on-brand creative output.

• Drive proactive resource planning to balance workload forecast capacity and optimize team efficiency.
• Monitor project health timelines and resource allocation to ensure on-time delivery and stakeholder alignment. Partner with the Senior Manager Brand Creative to prioritize work flag bottlenecks and adjust timelines based on team bandwidth.
• Manage a vetted pool of creative agencies and provide recommendations on contracts talent casting and budget adherence.
• Develop and implement a standardized process for all creative intake process aligned with Global and APLA geography to ensure process connectivity across the network.
• Manage the full production workflow for territory creative projects ensuing smooth progression from intake to final delivery. Coordinate internal review rounds and consolidate feedback to minimize delays and rework.
• Lead Creative Review sessions to uphold Nike Brand Standards and legal compliance documenting decisions and follow ups.
• Continuously improve tools and processes including the Japan Marketing Homebase by gathering team feedback and iterating as needed.