Outsourced Art Account Manager – Japan

Company Description

■About Keywords Studios

Keywords Studios is a global provider of creative and technical services to the video games industry, with over 13,000 professionals across 70+ studios in 25+ countries. We operate through three core Service Lines that support clients across the entire game lifecycle:

• Create — game development, art production, and audio

• Globalize — audio & text localization, localization testing, functional testing

• Engage — marketing, LiveOps, community, and user acquisition

In Japan, Keywords Studios delivers its full range of services across Create, Globalize, and Engage, supporting leading publishers, developers, agencies, and IP owners through both local and global teams. Our presence includes the Tokyo-based development studio Wizcorp, as well as established localization, QA, player support, and marketing capabilities that serve some of the biggest and most influential companies in the Japanese games and entertainment industry. As Japan remains one of the world’s most strategically important and culturally defining markets for interactive entertainment, we are strengthening our local sales team to ensure that we can capture work on the best global IP’s from Japanese partners.

Job Description

Applicants must be currently residing in Japan and possess valid authorization to work in Japan.

 

We are looking for an Account Manager to create long-term, trusting relationships with our Japanese Clients. The Account Manager’s role is to answer client queries and identify, qualify, and secure new business opportunities among existing clients, driving revenue growth for Keywords Art Studios. The candidate should have an excellent understanding of Japanese & English but also a deep understanding of the Japanese games industry and Japanese business etiquette. In this role, you will be able to talk credibly about art services with the client and work with internal stakeholders to improve the entire client experience. You are expected to be a champion of the company as well as the client; selling the vision and goals and skills of both parties to each other, and striving to ensure both parties grow & succeed together. You are also expected to nurture and expand the client business as well as identify and pro-actively manage potential risks with the relationship. 

 

■Roles and Responsibilities

• Effectively manages the relationship between existing Japanese clients and Keywords Art Studios.

• Serve as the link of communication between the clients and internal teams to effectively translate complex client creative feedback or artistic direction into clear, actionable briefs and instructions for the global Art Production teams.

• Acts as the “face” of Keywords Art Studios to Japanese Clients and is client’s primary representative and contact point for Keywords Art Studios 

• As an account manager, you are expected to be a champion of the company as well as the client; selling the vision, goals and the skills of both parties to each other, and striving to ensure both parties succeed.

• Proactively seek opportunities to up-sell and cross-sell Keywords Art Studios' full range of services (e.g., Concept Art, 3D Modeling, Animation, UI/UX) to current clients.

• Build and maintain strong, long-lasting customer relationships with both current and new clients, across various levels of the client organization.

• Actively listens to the Client in order to clearly understand their requirements, and uses skillful investigation and questioning in order to uncover the Client’s latent needs.

• Works with LKeywords Art Studios PMs in India, China, US and other locations to ensure that the Production Team has a full understanding of the client’s requirements, so that they are well positioned to deliver a positive, happy and satisfying experience to the Client in order to not only secure regular business from them, but also in order to grow the account and procure new or additional business.

• Help to bridge any cultural issues that may crop up between the Client and the Keywords Art Studio’s Production teams. 

• Works with the Production Team, Key Stakeholders and Internal and External Experts in order to solve Client’s / project problems.

• Meets with Clients regularly – in person or virtually – in order to keep them updated about the project status, and any potential challenges that the Production Team might be facing. 

• Captures Client’s plans, feedback and concerns and conveys them to the team. Uses such occasions to also gather client feedback and concerns.

• Secures feedback and testimonials from the Client at the conclusion of the project.

• Builds the Keywords brand by actively participating in marketing and brand building channels/exercises

• Work closely with Japanese leadership team and executives at Keyword’s Art Studios to create strategies to expand and increase work both from current clients and new clients; In short – actively support Keyword’s Japanese growth strategy for its Art Studios and overall growth targets. 

• Maintain accurate records of client interactions, opportunities, sales activities, and forecasts using the company's CRM system (e.g., Salesforce).

Qualifications

• Fluent Japanese and high degree of English language proficiency 

• Prior experience in the video gaming industry is a very strong advantage

• Proven account management or other relevant experience, preferably minimum 3-5 years, in a business to business service environment in Japan

• Deep understanding Japanese business culture and expectations Japanese clients regarding communication, quality, and delivery schedules

• Demonstrated ability to communicate, present and influence credibly and effectively at all levels of an organization

• Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation skills

• Self-motivated and able to thrive in a results-driven environment

• Natural relationship builder with integrity, reliability and maturity

• A deep knowledge of art production and the tools and pipelines required to deliver projects (Maya, Blender, Unity/Unreal and asset creation workflows).

• Proven ability to manage multiple account projects at a time while paying strict attention to detail and maintaining consistent communication quality

Additional Information

■What We Offer

• Opportunity to represent a highly reputed global leader in game art services.

• Competitive compensation package with performance-based incentives.

• Chance to work with some of the biggest and most exciting game developers in Japan.

• A collaborative, growth-oriented global culture.

 

Role Information: EN

Studio: Keywords Studios

Location: Asia Pacific, Japan, Tokyo

Area of Work: Business Development

Service: Create

Employment Type: Full Time, Permanent

Working Pattern: Hybrid

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY

Keywords Studios is strongly committed to protecting your personal information. By sending your CV/Resume, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and consent to your data being managed and retained in accordance with our data privacy and retention policy https://www.keywordsstudios.com/en/applicant-privacy-notice/.