Strategic Partnerships Manager

About Agoda

At Agoda, we bridge the world through travel. Our story began in 2005, when two lifelong friends and entrepreneurs, driven by their passion for travel, launched Agoda to make it easier for everyone to explore the world.  

Today, we are part of Booking Holdings [NASDAQ: BKNG], with a diverse team of over 7,000 people from 90 countries, working together in offices around the globe. Every day, we connect people to destinations and experiences, with our great deals across our millions of hotels and holiday properties, flights, and experiences worldwide.

No two days are the same at Agoda. Data and technology are at the heart of our culture, fueling our curiosity and innovation. If you’re ready to begin your best journey and help build travel for the world, join us.

Get to Know Our Team

The Strategic Partnerships team is responsible for identifying, building, and scaling high-impact partnerships that expand Agoda’s reach, improve customer acquisition, and create long-term business value.

For Japan, Financial Institution (FI) partnerships represent a strategic growth channel. This role will focus on developing and managing relationships with banks, card issuers, digital wallets, and other financial ecosystem partners to drive customer engagement, commercial growth, and win-win partnership outcomes.

You will work cross-functionally with teams across Commercial, Marketing, Product, Finance, Legal, Analytics, and Operations to bring partnership opportunities from idea to execution and optimization.

 

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships to lead Agoda’s Japan FI partnership strategy and execution.

In this role, you will be responsible for identifying new partnership opportunities, managing key strategic accounts, negotiating commercial agreements, and driving performance across Agoda’s financial institution partnerships in Japan. You will help shape Agoda’s local partnership roadmap, unlock joint business opportunities, and ensure excellent execution of campaigns and initiatives with partners.

The ideal candidate brings strong business development and partnership experience, sharp commercial judgment, analytical rigor, and the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders. This role requires someone who is highly strategic but also willing to work hands-on to deliver measurable outcomes.

Why This Role Matters

This role is critical to Agoda’s growth in Japan. Financial institution partnerships are a highly strategic channel that can unlock scalable customer demand, deepen brand presence, and create differentiated value for travelers and partners alike.

As Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships, you will play a central role in shaping Agoda’s FI ecosystem in Japan and delivering high-impact partnerships that drive sustainable business growth.

What You’ll Do

Partnership Strategy & Business Development

• Define and drive Agoda’s FI partnership strategy for Japan, aligned with market priorities and business growth objectives
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize new partnership opportunities with banks, credit card issuers, payment platforms, loyalty programs, and other financial ecosystem players
• Build compelling partnership value propositions and business cases to secure internal alignment and partner buy-in
• Lead commercial discussions, negotiations, and contract execution with prospective and existing FI partners

Account Management & Growth

• Own and grow a portfolio of key FI partners in Japan, ensuring strong relationship management and long-term strategic alignment
• Develop joint business plans with partners to drive customer acquisition, transaction growth, brand visibility, and partnership profitability
• Monitor partner performance and proactively identify growth levers, optimization opportunities, and operational improvements
• Ensure timely execution of campaigns, product integrations, and partner initiatives

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders across Marketing, Product, Analytics, Finance, Legal, and Operations to launch and scale partnership initiatives
• Translate partner needs into clear internal requirements and drive execution across multiple teams
• Influence decision-making through strong communication, stakeholder management, and data-backed recommendations
• Support process improvements, reporting frameworks, and operating models to improve scalability and partner experience

Analytics & Optimization

• Analyze partnership performance, customer behavior, campaign effectiveness, and commercial outcomes to generate actionable insights
• Use data to identify trends, optimize investment decisions, and improve partnership ROI
• Build business cases for new initiatives and present recommendations to senior stakeholders
• Track key success metrics and maintain clear visibility on pipeline, performance, and impact

 

What You’ll Need to Succeed

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, account management, consulting, or a related commercial role
• Strong experience managing external partners and driving commercial outcomes in a fast-paced, data-driven environment
• Experience working with or within financial institutions, payment companies, loyalty ecosystems, or digital consumer platforms is highly preferred
• Experience in e-commerce, travel, fintech, payments, or internet platforms is a strong plus
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional initiatives from concept through execution

Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to structure win-win partnerships and negotiate effectively
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to convert data into clear business insights and actions
• Strong project management capabilities with high attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, including experience influencing senior internal and external stakeholders
• Self-starter with a bias for action and ability to operate independently in an ambiguous environment
• Comfortable working hands-on while also thinking strategically

Technical / Functional

• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills; experience with SQL, Tableau, or data visualization tools is a plus
• Ability to develop business cases, commercial models, and performance reporting frameworks
• Familiarity with campaign execution, co-marketing partnerships, loyalty mechanics, or payment-related partnership models is beneficial

Language

• Fluency in English and Japanese is required

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Discover more about working at Agoda

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Equal Opportunity Employer 

At Agoda, we pride ourselves on being a company represented by people of all different backgrounds and orientations. We prioritize attracting diverse talent and cultivating an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration and innovation. Employment at Agoda is based solely on a person’s merit and qualifications. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity regardless of sex, age, race, color, national origin, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, citizenship, veteran or military status, and other legally protected characteristics.

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Disclaimer

We do not accept any terms or conditions, nor do we recognize any agency’s representation of a candidate, from unsolicited third-party or agency submissions. If we receive unsolicited or speculative CVs, we reserve the right to contact and hire the candidate directly without any obligation to pay a recruitment fee.