Director, Sales Development, Japan

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong>Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human<br><br></strong>Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.<br><br>This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.</p></div><p class="p1">Based in Tokyo, we are seeking a Director to lead our high-growth Japan Sales Development team.&nbsp;As the leader of Sales Development, you will be responsible for owning the management of overall inbound&nbsp;business development and outbound prospecting pipeline strategy and execution. You will lead &amp;&nbsp;motivate a team of highly driven SDRs and implement efficient processes &amp; tools that optimize for scale&nbsp;in a fast-paced innovative and collaborative environment. This role reports to the Senior Director, Sales&nbsp;Development (APJ).</p> <p class="p1">This is a high visibility role that is responsible for hiring, on-boarding, and coaching a group of high&nbsp;performing sales professionals while collaborating with many other departments within our Go To&nbsp;Market Function (Marketing, Operations and Sales etc.). You will own Japan xDR Go to Market strategy,&nbsp;with a goal of improving the existing teams productivity, efficiency and outbound quality to build and&nbsp;progress pipeline to revenue.</p> <p class="p1">At Okta, our mission is to maintain a people-first, diverse, and inclusive culture. You will be responsible&nbsp;for building the Japan xDR team culture with a focus on coaching and mentoring. You will need to be an&nbsp;expert in prospecting and account planning strategies with a high growth company and must be able to&nbsp;educate others effectively in these areas. You will also focus on enabling continued growth of their reps&nbsp;in preparation for their progression here at Okta. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and are eager&nbsp;to take ownership over a large revenue generating piece of the business, we want to hear from you!</p> <p class="p1"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Core Responsibilities</span></p> <p><strong>Strategic Leadership &amp; Business Impact</strong></p> <ul> <li>Own the end-to-end strategy for Sales Development across Japan, setting the sales&nbsp;vision, operating model, and key performance metrics that fuel regional growth.</li> <li>Establish operational rigor and a culture of high performance across the SDR&nbsp;organization, ensuring the team is aligned to the go-to-market strategy and consistently<br>produces high-quality pipeline.</li> <li>Translate market trends, customer insights, and competitive intelligence into targeted&nbsp;prospecting strategies that elevate pipeline performance across segments.</li> <li>Drive cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Channel, and RevOps to&nbsp;ensure alignment on account coverage, persona focus, inbound/outbound prioritization,<br>and the SDR → AE handoff model.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Outbound Excellence &amp; Leading by Example</strong></p> <ul> <li>Develop and lead the execution of a robust outbound strategy that systematically&nbsp;generates high-quality new business pipeline.</li> <li>Model exceptional outbound behaviors by actively participating in call blitzes,&nbsp;demonstrating best-in-class outreach techniques, objection handling, and call&nbsp;preparation.</li> <li>Set and reinforce high standards for outbound quality, personalization, and&nbsp;consistency—ensuring the team understands what “great” looks like.</li> <li>Leverage tools, AI, intent data, and industry insights to create advanced outbound plays,&nbsp;win-back motions, event-triggered outreach, and persona-based engagement strategies.</li> <li>Inspect outbound performance regularly, identifying root causes of gaps and driving&nbsp;rapid corrective actions across the team.</li> <li>&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Operational Excellence &amp; Execution Discipline</strong></p> <ul> <li>Ensure tools, systems, and processes (e.g., Outreach, CRM, data enrichment, AI tools)&nbsp;are optimized to support efficient prospecting and high conversion outcomes.</li> <li>Conduc