Specialist Strategic Sports Marketing (Bilingual Japanese/English)

Job Description

Job Description

The Bilingual Japanese/English Strategic Sports Marketing Specialist plays a pivotal role in advancing Daikin North America (DNA)’s mission to elevate brand recognition among consumers through high-impact sports marketing initiatives, most notably the management of the long-term naming rights partnership for the Houston Astros’ baseball stadium. This critical position requires building, maintaining and growing strategic relationships with key stakeholders, overseeing and improving DNA’s brand visibility, and implementing comprehensive communication strategies, including marketing campaigns and PR activations.

Fluency in Japanese is preferred, as the Specialist will collaborate closely with Daikin Industries, Limited (DIL)’s corporate communications team, Japanese PR agencies, and Japanese-speaking executives. This multifaceted role blends expertise in marketing, event planning, and public relations to strengthen the organization’s presence within the community and ensure the success of DNA’s strategic marketing efforts.

Position Responsibilities may include:

• Develop and manage strategic relationships with public relations firms to develop Daikin’s brand awareness creating and distributing positive messaging to the media, building relationships, and strategically engaging with audiences.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (marketing, sales, design) to align PR activities with business objectives.

• Plan and execute marketing events, such as brand activations at games, tournaments, and fan engagement opportunities.

• Communicate in Japanese with DIL’s corporate communication team, Japanese PR agencies and Japanese-speaking executives.

• Utilize all forms of media to build, maintain and manage Daikin’s brand visibility.

• Build relationships with vendors, media outlets, and influencers to expand activation opportunities.

• Oversee logistics for PR activations, ensuring alignment with brand standards and objectives.

• Represent the organization at industry events, networking functions, and media briefings.

• Act as a brand ambassador to ensure consistent and positive representation of the organization.

• Track and analyze the performance of marketing and PR campaigns, providing actionable insights.

• Prepare post-event and campaign reports, highlighting ROI and areas for improvement.

• Provide regular reports and insights to stakeholders for strategy optimization.

• Provide recommendations for future campaigns based on data insights.

• Stay informed about industry trends, consumer behavior, and competitor activities.

• Perform other tasks as assigned

Nature & Scope:

• Applies practical knowledge of job area typically obtained through advanced education and work experience

• Encouraged to seek continuous improvements

• Performs a range of mainly straightforward assignments

• Works independently with general supervision

• Problems faced are difficult but not typically complex

Knowledge & Skills:

• Japanese-English Bilingual, STRONGLY preferred

• Understanding of marketing strategies (digital, traditional, social media).

• Knowledge of branding, content creation, and campaign planning.

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to manage relationships with diverse stakeholders.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Proficiency in PR tools and analytics platforms.

• Excellent organizational and multitasking skills.

• Ability to work under tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Experience:

• 2+ years’ experience in sports marketing, entertainment marketing, or PR marketing with sports teams

Education/Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Communications, required

Sports Marketing, preferred

Bilingual Japanese/English**

People Management: No

Physical Requirements / Work Environment: Must be able to perform essential responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodations.

Reports To: Director, Sponsorship

Qualified Applicants must be legally authorized for employment in the United States. Qualified applicants will not require employer sponsored work authorization now or in the future for employment in the United States.

The Company provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of a person’s race, color, religion (including religious dress or grooming practices), creed, national origin (including language use restrictions), citizenship, uniform service member or veteran status, ancestry, disability, physical or mental disability (including HIV/AIDS), medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, request for protected leave, marital status, sex, pregnancy, age (over 40), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law. The Company will comply with all federal and state regulations and statutes pertaining to individuals with disabilities.