Senior Manager, Corporate Communications

Job Description Summary:

At The Coca‑Cola Company, our purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. In Japan—a market known for innovation, precision, and deep cultural roots—we are committed to shaping lasting relationships built on trust, transparency, and storytelling that connects our global heritage with local relevance. As we continue strengthening our corporate reputation and sustainability presence, we are seeking a Senior Manager, Corporate Communications to play a pivotal role in communicating Coca‑Cola’s vision and impact across one of its most strategic markets.

Based in Tokyo, this position reports directly to the Senior Director, Corporate Communications and partners closely with cross‑functional teams to manage external relations, drive local storytelling, and support incident and crisis preparedness. The ideal candidate is a strategic communicator with strong hands‑on experience in media engagement, corporate reputation management, and crisis readiness within Japan’s distinctive media environment. This role blends strategic depth with operational agility, helping advance Coca‑Cola’s corporate narrative of sustainability, innovation, and local contribution.

What You’ll Do for Us

• Media Relations & External Communications
  • Lead all aspects of media relations and external communications for Japan, cultivating strong relationships with national, business, and trade media.
  • Manage media inquiries, interviews, press briefings, and spokesperson coordination to ensure timely, accurate, and credible engagement.
  • Contribute to the development of and execute external media strategies informed by corporate reputation scores, social discourse, and market sentiment.
  • Monitor media coverage proactively, providing insights and recommendations to the Senior Director, VP PACS, and Japan Leadership Team.

• Localness & Local Relevance
  • Partner closely with the Senior Director  to execute communications that reinforce Coca‑Cola’s identity as a company deeply embedded in Japan’s communities and culture.
  • Translate agreed corporate reputation and “License to Win” priorities into media narratives that showcase Coca‑Cola’s contribution to Japanese society, including economic value, job creation, innovation, and sustainability.
  • Coordinate with Trademark, Marketing, and bottling partners to align corporate and brand storytelling into an integrated, market‑wide communications approach.

• Sustainability & Water Communications
  • Support sustainability‑related media engagement and storytelling focused on Coca‑Cola’s water stewardship and environmental achievements.
  • Collaborate with the I LOHAS brand, bottlers, and internal sustainability teams to develop press materials, briefings, and media opportunities that emphasize local relevance.
  • Execute sustainability and purpose‑driven messaging through multi‑channel communications, ensuring clarity, credibility, and consistency.

• Incident Management & Crisis Response (IMCR), Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
  • Serve as Deputy Incident Management Lead (IML) for Japan, supporting the lead in ensuring readiness and communication response across functions during events or incidents/crises.
  • Coordinate the development, testing, and continuous improvement of the company’s BCP framework under the direction of the OU IMCR Program Manager and relevant functional leadership.
  • Support the activation of communication structures during disruptions or emergencies, ensuring responsible coordination and clear messaging.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or related discipline.
• Experience: Minimum 8 years of corporate communications, public relations, media relations, and/or issue/crisis management experience within Japan.
• Proven hands‑on experience engaging with national and business media and understanding Japan’s complex stakeholder and cultural context.
• Deep awareness of Japan’s evolving media environment, digital news ecosystem, and online discourse trends.
• Experience supporting crisis response and business continuity activities, ideally within a multinational or matrixed organization.
• Strategic thinker who embraces constructive challenge and brings fresh perspectives to corporate storytelling and stakeholder engagement.
• Skilled in balancing long‑term reputation management with dynamic day‑to‑day execution.
• Collaborative partner capable of operating effectively across internal functions, bottlers, and external stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both Japanese and English.
• Strong situational judgment, cultural fluency, and solution‑oriented mindset.

What We’ll Do for You

• Provide a unique opportunity to strengthen Coca‑Cola’s corporate reputation in one of its most innovative global markets.
• Offer collaboration with global PACS professionals and exposure to cutting‑edge communications practices and analytics.
• Enable professional growth through participation in high‑impact sustainability and purpose‑driven storytelling programs.
• Empower you to shape local narratives that demonstrate Coca‑Cola’s commitment to Japanese society, business resilience, and environmental stewardship.

Skills:

Location(s):

Japan

City/Cities:

Tokyo

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

December 31, 2026

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.