---
title: 'General Manager, Japan at Runway'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/general-manager-japan-runway-japan-0k2v9g25j7gd'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# General Manager, Japan at Runway

- **Company:** Runway
- **Location:** Japan
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-04-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/runway-ml/5d5a91ae-b091-425c-96b5-2d4a88d0c796/application

**Skills:** Enterprise Software Sales, Media Technology, AI Startups, Go-to-Market Strategy, Japanese Business Etiquette, English Fluency, Japanese Market Knowledge, Existing Network in Japanese Media Companies, Existing Network in Advertising Agencies, Existing Network in Tech Conglomerates

> Lead commercial expansion and go-to-market strategy for Runway's AI world model in Japan. Define enterprise partnerships, localize product strategy, and build a high-performing local team to drive adoption across media, entertainment, and technology sectors.

## Job description

We are building AI to simulate the world through merging art and science.

We believe that world models are at the frontier of progress in artificial intelligence. Language models alone won’t solve the world’s hardest problems – robotics, disease, scientific discovery. Real progress requires models that experience the world and learn from their mistakes, the same way that humans do. And this kind of trial and error can be massively accelerated when done in simulation, rather than in the real world.

World models offer the most clear path to general-purpose simulation, changing how stories are told, how scientific progress is made and how the next frontiers of humanity are reached.

Our team consists of creative, open minded, caring and ambitious people who are determined to change the world. We aspire to continuously build impossible things and our ability to do so relies on building an incredible team. If you are driven to do the same, we'd love to hear from you.

We are seeking a visionary and high-impact General Manager for Japan to lead our commercial expansion. This is a foundational role. You will be responsible for defining our go-to-market strategy in Japan, establishing enterprise partnerships and customer relationships and driving the adoption of Runway’s creator platform across the region.

Note: For candidates based in Tokyo, this role may expand into the Country Manager, overseeing local operations and serving as the primary representative of Runway in Japan.

## WHAT YOU'LL DO

- Lead commercial efforts by designing the go-to-market strategy for Japan, focusing on high-value enterprise accounts in media, entertainment, advertising, brands and technology sectors
- Identify enterprise and distribution partnerships, cultivating relationships with C-suite executives at Japan’s largest firms, navigating the unique nuances of Japanese business culture and long-term relationship building
- Localize product and marketing strategy to the Japan market, working closely with Product, Creative, and Marketing teams to ensure Runway’s offerings and messaging are deeply resonant with Japanese customer base
- Serve as the subject matter expert on the Japanese and broader Asia competitive landscape, regulatory environment and emerging AI trends
- Build the Japan office by recruiting, leading and mentoring a local team of enterprise account executives, and growth and deployment leads
- Represent Runway at major industry events, conferences, and in the media to establish us as the leading AI partner for Japanese creators and enterprises

## WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

- 10+ years of experience in enterprise software, media technology or high-growth AI startups, with a proven leadership track record of building and cultivating high performance teams
- Native fluency in Japanese, with professional fluency in English. You must be able to bridge the communication gap between our US teams and local stakeholders
- An existing network of relationships within major Japanese media companies, advertising agencies or major tech conglomerates
- Deep understanding of Japanese business etiquette and the ability to navigate complex organizational hierarchies
- Comfortable with the ambiguity of an early-stage international expansion for a category-defining product, thinking in first principles to both close deals on the ground and build processes for scale

Runway strives to recruit and retain exceptional talent from diverse backgrounds while ensuring pay equity for our team. Our salary ranges are based on competitive market rates for our size, stage and industry, and salary is just one part of the overall compensation package we provide.

There are many factors that go into salary determinations, including relevant experience, skill level and qualifications assessed during the interview process, and maintaining internal equity with peers on the team. The range shared below is a general expectation for the function as posted, but we are also open to considering candidates who may be more or less experienced than outlined in the job description. In this case, we will communicate any updates in the expected salary range.

Lastly, the provided range is the expected salary for candidates in the U.S. Outside of those regions, there may be a change in the range, which again, will be communicated to candidates.

## WORKING AT RUNWAY

Great things come from great teams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwmj4ato2kw&ab_channel=Runway We’d love to hear from you.

We’re committed to creating a space where our employees can bring their full selves to work and have equal opportunity to succeed. So regardless of race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, origin, ability, age, veteran status, if joining this mission speaks to you, we encourage you to apply.

More about Runway

- Universal World Simulator https://runwayml.com/world-simulator.html
- GWM-1 https://runwayml.com/research/introducing-runway-gwm-1
- Gen-4.5 https://runwayml.com/research/introducing-runway-gen-4.5
- General World Models https://runwayml.com/research/introducing-general-world-models
- Robotics SDK https://runwayml.com/research/introducing-runway-gwm-1#robotics-section
- Conversational Real-time Agents https://runwayml.com/research/introducing-runway-gwm-1#avatars-section
- Runway Studios https://runwayml.com/studios

We're excited to be recognized as a best place to work:

Crain's https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/best-places-work-2023 | InHerSight https://www.inhersight.com/companies/best/city/new-york-city-ny | BuiltIn NYC https://builtin.com/awards/new-york-city/2024/best-places-to-work | INC https://www.inc.com/best-workplaces/2024

## About Runway

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Runway builds artificial intelligence to simulate the world, focusing on general world models for video generation, robotics, and interactive experiences.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Corporate Minority funding stage; total raised $859.5M)
- **Headquarters**: New York, New York, United States (79 Walker Street, Floor 5)
- **Founded**: 2018
- **Founders**: Not publicly listed on provided sources (widely reported as Cristóbal Valenzuela, Anastasis Germanidis, and Alejandro Matamala)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Artificial Intelligence, Video Generation, World Simulation, Robotics
- **Target customers**: B2B – media & entertainment, film production, architecture, robotics research; also creative professionals and enterprises
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Building AI to simulate the world through merging art and science." – Runway believes world models are the path to general-purpose simulation, enabling progress in robotics, disease research, and scientific discovery.

## Products & Services
- **[Gen-4.5](https://runwayml.com/)**: World's top-rated video generation model – cinematic, highly realistic outputs with precise creative control (SaaS / API).
- **[GWM-1](https://runwayml.com/)**: State-of-the-art General World Model for real-time simulation. Three variants:
  - **GWM Worlds**: Interactive, explorable environments.
  - **GWM Avatars**: Real-time conversational video agents (API) – customizable appearance, voice, personality, knowledge, and actions.
  - **GWM Robotics**: Learned world models for robotic manipulation and physical interaction simulation.
- **Runway Studios**: Production arm exploring AI integration in film (announced partnership with Lionsgate).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding raised – $859.5M (as of latest Corporate Minority round)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: NVIDIA (strategic partnership on Vera Rubin architecture), Lionsgate (film production partnership), General Atlantic, Felicis, Fidelity Investments, and 36+ others.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Partnership with NVIDIA to accelerate video and world models.
  - Partnership with Lionsgate to explore AI in film production.
  - Gen-4.5 recognized as top-rated video model.
  - Launch of GWM-1 (three variants) expanding into robotics and conversational AI.
  - Used by leading organizations across industries (e.g., architecture firm KPF).

## Competitive Advantages
- **General World Models (GWM-1)**: Unlike pure language models, Runway builds models that understand, perceive, generate, and act in the world – a clear moat for simulation and robotics.
- **Real-time interactivity**: GWM Worlds and Avatars enable real-time, controllable simulation and conversation, differentiating from static video generation.
- **Full-stack AI platform**: From video generation (Gen-4.5) to world simulation (GWM-1) to production studios, Runway covers the entire creative-to-simulation pipeline.
- **Strong research culture**: Long-term research effort to build AI systems that understand visual world dynamics.

## Strategic Focus
- Continue advancing General World Models for universal simulation.
- Expand partnerships in entertainment (Lionsgate), robotics (NVIDIA), and architecture (KPF).
- Grow the platform’s adoption across industries requiring simulation, creative content, and autonomous agents.
- Scale the team globally (offices in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, London, Tel Aviv, Tokyo) with remote flexibility.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: "Creative, open minded, caring and ambitious people determined to change the world." Merges art and science – ideal for researchers, engineers, artists, and designers.
- **Remote/Hybrid**: Global remote team; offices in 6 cities. Employees outside 10-mile commuting distance can expense co-working, internet, phone, and lunches (up to $250/month); within commuting distance get $50/month phone reimbursement.
- **Benefits**:
  - 100% medical, dental, vision coverage for US employees and dependents (plus mental health and One Medical membership).
  - Unlimited PTO (recommended min 15 days) + paid sabbatical at 3, 5, and 7 years.
  - 16 weeks fully paid parental leave (all parents) with gradual return-to-work plan.
  - 3% 401k match (US employees).
  - $600 annual wellness stipend; $600 annual learning stipend; $500 tech setup stipend.
  - Annual travel budget for in-person collaboration, conferences, and company events.
  - Quarterly community donation program.
- **Recognition**: Best Places to Work NYC (2022–2024), Inc. Best Workplaces (2023), Built In Inclusive Workplace (2022, 2023), Crain’s Best Companies Group.

## Sources
1. [runwayml.com](https://runwayml.com/)
2. [Runway Careers](https://runwayml.com/careers)
3. [Runway About](https://runwayml.com/about)
4. [CB Insights – Runway Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/runwayml)
5. [Greenhouse Job Board](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/runwayml)

## Other roles at Runway

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- [GTM Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/gtm-engineer-runway-new-york-jdkk0tqwv9tq) — New York, NY
- [AI Engagement Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-engagement-manager-runway-new-york-32ey04cnrtfw) — New York, NY
- [Designer, Growth Marketing](https://feeny.ai/job/designer-growth-marketing-runway-remote-0adaz4fxnnxf)
- [Senior IT Engineer - London](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-it-engineer-london-runway-remote-snx60a3nt0d6)
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- [Lifecycle Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/lifecycle-marketing-manager-runway-remote-xm9r5g2akcqa)
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