Senior Director, Corporate Communications

The Senior Director, Corporate Communications is responsible for leading, advancing, and safeguarding The Coca-Cola Company’s corporate reputation in Japan through integrated corporate communications, sustainability communications, community engagement, and comprehensive incident and crisis management. 

Based in Japan, this role serves as the most senior communications leader for the market, acting as a trusted advisor to Japan leadership and a strategic partner to bottlers, as well as global and Operating Unit (OU) teams. The role balances proactive, forward-looking communications that strengthen local relevance and social impact with robust issue and crisis preparedness and response, ensuring long-term trust and credibility in one of the company’s most complex and influential markets. 

This position owns the development and stewardship of Japan’s corporate narrative, ensures alignment with global corporate and sustainability priorities, and provides leadership on IMCR and BCP readiness and execution. 

Key Responsibilities 

Corporate Reputation & Strategic Communications Leadership 

• Set the strategic direction for corporate communications in Japan, building and protecting corporate reputation through clear and credible narratives that support the company’s Social License to Win in the market 

• Serve as a trusted advisor to Japan leadership, providing counsel on reputational risk, external positioning, and stakeholder expectations 

• Lead continuous monitoring of the external environment and deliver timely, actionable insights to the management team, clearly articulating implications for the OU’s business, including risks and opportunities. Monitoring areas encompass, but are not limited to: media and social discourse, competitor and industry developments, geopolitical and societal sentiment, regulatory and policy trends, as well as sustainability-related matters. 

Localness & Local Relevance 

• Lead and advance Localness communications that reinforce Coca-Cola’s identity as a company deeply rooted in Japan, strengthening relevance, trust, and credibility in the local market 

• Shape and amplify narratives that demonstrate Coca-Cola’s contributions to Japanese society, including economic impact, job creation, Japan-developed products, and sustainability initiatives 

• Partner closely with Coke Trademark (TM) and Marketing teams, as well as bottlers, to align corporate and brand storytelling around Localness themes and lead integrated communications initiatives 

Sustainability & Water Communications 

• Develop and drive the sustainability communications strategy for Japan, with a clear focus on water stewardship 

• Lead water-related communications in close collaboration with the I LOHAS brand, bottlers, and relevant internal teams to amplify impact and local relevance 

• Ensure all sustainability communications are executed in strict alignment with global sustainability communications guidelines and standards 

IMCR, BCP & Issue Management 

• Serve as the IMCR coordinator during incidents and crises, working closely with Legal, Technical, and other relevant teams to align communications, coordinate responses, and manage overall information flow 

• Ensure timely and accurate escalation of critical information to OULT and global teams 

• Coordinate the development and regular updates of Business Continuity Plans (BCP) across functions, ensuring plans remain current 

• Ensure compliance with the company’s Responsible Marketing Policy, in close partnership with Legal and Marketing teams 

Media, Bottler & Stakeholder Relations 

• Maintain senior-level relationships with key national media and external stakeholders in Japan 

• Serve as the primary communications partner to bottlers, ensuring alignment on corporate, sustainability, and issue-related communications 

Qualifications & Requirements 

• 15+ years of experience in corporate communications, public relations, issue/crisis management, or sustainability communications, including senior leadership responsibility  

• Proven experience advising senior executives and managing corporate reputation in complex environments 

• Strong understanding of the Japanese media landscape, stakeholder ecosystem, and societal context 

• Bachelor’s degree or higher; communications, journalism, public relations, or related fields preferred 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Japanese and English 

• Strong judgment, executive presence, and ability to operate effectively under pressure