Title:                                  Channel Services Director, Japan

Functional Liaison:      Related Channel Services staff around the World

Located:                            Tokyo, Japan

General Summary:

Efficiently implement and manage all channel services and operations in Japan ensuring high quality and service such that all needs of channel partners (both company-owned and 3^rd party sites) are met. Channel services include technical support, test administration and channel support.

Responsibilities and tasks:

Management:

·         Direct a group of managers who are responsible for providing daily channel services to 3^rd party channel partners and company-owned testing centres.

·         Develop and carry out business strategies to promote growth, quality and cost efficiency of channels and channel services throughout Japan.

·         Work with Asia Pacific and US management to establish an annual business plan for channel services in Japan and execute that plan by managing related resources in that region.

·         Develop and manage production of detailed quantitative reports, models and analysis that express situations or potential outcomes of changes to capacity, volume etc.

·         Ensure the welfare, development, training and remuneration of all reports is managed in a timely and professional manner.

·         Report as directed on the Japan’s activities.  Bring to the attention of management any issues that may impact ability to meet objectives suggesting alternative courses of action.

Operations:

·         Manage test center operations for both corporate and 3^rd party test centers.  Develop business relationships tied to measurable and quantifiable service levels in order to provide a high level of candidate satisfaction, security and cost efficiency.   relationship management with 3^rd party channel sites and company-owned testing sites.

·         Lead, develop and recommend to management quality assurance standards of reliable service delivery for Japan. Ensure that the standards are communicated and consistently achieved.

·         Working with the Business Relationship Managers, and in communication with management, plan and manage the rollout of new technology tools and processes at the testing sites.

·         Ensure cost effective and efficient channel services by recommending measures for:

·         Utilizing current telecommunications and IS technology to service testing sites.

·         Integrating new technologies and processes that will enhance the testing experience at the channel sites

·         Maximizing test centre resources across Japan.

Budgeting and Finance:

·         Manage Japan channel services’ budget. Regular and frequent communication of financial status with appropriate individuals is expected.

·         In conjunction with Finance, ensure all relevant staff/departmental operations are within allocated budgets for expenses.  Report and remedy variances.  Work with local Finance to manage, control and report inventory.

·         Consider and recommend manners in which to leverage budget to optimize market gains and operating income

Strategic Planning:

·         Recommend strategies that involve local recruiting and staffing, employee retention, training and development.

·         Manage the local operations of channel services including setting up communication and operational processes in direct support of the business growth strategies.

·         Work extensively in Excel to express business/operations problems in quantitative terms. 

Communication:

·         Utilize the corporate communication resources to communicate information to the relevant parties (both external and internal).  Communicate what is working and what needs to be improved as well as recommend how to improve the operation.

·         Support direct reports to share experiences and provide mutual back-up, the objective being to develop “best practices” which can be shared by all regions worldwide to enhance effectiveness and image of Prometric’s operations.

·         Communicate corporate policies and procedures to all channel services related staff and partners.  Ensure that staff and partners comply with all corporate policies, procedures and practices.  Consider and recommend new policies and procedures or recommend changes to existing policies and procedures and their implementation.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.

Education and Experience

At least 5 years in a management role in a fast-growth international environment (preferably a multinational organisation) with extensive exposure to business in an international setting.  Regional work experience is an added advantage.

At least 3 years experience in managing either channel and/or customer service operations.

Demonstrable experience in developing Excel based models and simulations of “what if” scenarios that simulate change to channel attributes.   A high level of confidence in statistics and mathematics is desirable. 

Has demonstrated strong interpersonal and relationship building skills with both internal and external customers.

Language Skills

Must be near fluent in English and Japanese both reading and writing.  Must be comfortable in conference call and meeting settings where it is expected that participants will aggressively promote or defend positions, express themselves with passion and accuracy and debate with vigor.

Must be able to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.

Personal Qualifications

The incumbent must display a professional attitude with a strong business acumen. He/She must be a mature, reliable individual with high personal integrity. He/She must be extremely service-oriented, a positive and engaging personality, able to anticipate problems and solutions, understand cultural differences and encourage teamwork. He/She must be able to understand and work well in a matrix organization.

The incumbent must possess a high aptitude to analyze and improve work flow and processes. He/She must have a drive to enforce high standards of service.

The incumbent must be computer literate and possess a sound, working knowledge of advanced I.T. applications and processes as well as telecommunications applications and technology.

The incumbent must be able to work independently and be a team player at the same time. He/She must be willing to travel domestically in Japan regularly and occasionally to the US or Asia.  Similarly, the incumbent must be available at non-traditional working hours in order to participate in regular long-distance conference calls across relevant time zones.