Title: Solution Specialists, Nature Portfolio

Location: Tokyo, Japan

About Springer Nature

Springer Nature is one of the leading publishers of research in the world. We publish the largest number of journals and books and are a pioneer in open research. Through our leading brands, trusted for more than 180 years, we provide technology-enabled products, platforms and services that help researchers to uncover new ideas and share their discoveries, health professionals to stay at the forefront of medical science, and educators to advance learning. We are proud to be part of progress, working together with the communities we serve to share knowledge and bring greater understanding to the world. For more information, please visit about.springernature.com and @SpringerNature.

About the Role

Springer Nature’s Solution Specialists team is looking for a Nature Solution Specialist, to help drive sales revenue for the Nature Journal Portfolio in Japan.  As a brand leader in the STM space, the Nature Journal portfolio contains some of the most highly respected scientific journals in the industry. 

The main goal is to achieve our growth ambition by winning new business and supporting large renewals. It is not a direct sales roles. The Solution Specialist will support the Japanese Sales team to generate opportunities and new sales by demonstrating the value of Nature journals to our customers, overcoming potential objections and providing compelling proposals that lead to a purchase decision.

The Solution Specialist Nature is part of the global Solution Specialists team to ensure the creation and implementation of best practice and new sales tools, knowledge sharing and competence development.

Role Responsibilities:

• Acquire and apply a thorough understanding of the Nature Portfolio journals, including what subject area each journal is relevant for and how to best position each title
• Create target lists of new sales prospects, utilizing knowledge of Nature titles and their applicability for key academic and government institutions
• Work with sales reps to develop a strategic approach and sales tactics for specific customers, driving sales growth by identifying content gaps and upsell opportunities based on specific research focus for specific targets
• Support selling Nature journals by preparing and presenting comprehensive customer assessments and journal recommendations to different customer stakeholders
• Utilize existing business and pricing models to provide the most suitable option(s) to local sales and customers, plus create comparisons of the options (e.g. cost, break-even, ROI) and provide advice
• Coordinate with the sales reps to produce sales/business reports and ensure the region maintains a healthy sales pipeline for Nature Journals that is up to date and accurate
• Support the VP of Institutional Sales for Japan, Southeast Asia and Oceania to produce pipeline and sales reports  as pertains to the Nature Journals in Japan.
• Understand the resources like marketing collateral, SN Insights, and dashboards that have been developed to assist the sales process and support their implementation and use across the teams
• Contribute to the knowledge sharing of the Solution Specialists team and support team members

Experience, Skills and Qualifications:  

(minimum level of knowledge/education/experience needed to perform job)

• Candidates should have a Bachelor of Science or similar degree, Master is a plus
• Established prior experience as a product expert or sales rep, ideally for science content products.
• A strong understanding and previous experience in the Scientific, Technical, and Medical (STM) publishing market and knowledge of journals.
• Prior experience working in a research related department in an academic or government institution.
• Ability to thrive in a complex work environment
• Self-motivated and willing to continuously improve client relationship management through pursuit of customer-service excellence.
• Analytical skills, converting information from various data sources into convincing customer assessments, product recommendations and sales forecasts
• Very good presentation skills. Must possess experience presenting to customers,  local sales team & management.
• Sales skills like objection handling, asking qualifying questions and mapping customer requirements and research profile with product capabilities
• Proven ability to understand and effectively communicate with multiple functional groups.
• Ability to effectively react in dynamic situations.
• Personable and detail-oriented with strong communication (written and oral), organizational and time management skills.
• Self-directed and motivated with an entrepreneurial spirit.
• Experience utilizing CRM systems to track account activity and territory progress
• Ability to travel as needed within Japan (10-50% of work time) and occasionally outside Japan
• Business level English

What can you expect in your role?

• Working for a global, innovative publisher
• Ongoing investment in the Nature journals
• Professional onboarding and training program
• Extensive online resources to assist with your self-development
• Result-driven and cooperative environment
• Excellent team support and coaching on the job

Springer Nature is an Equal Opportunity Employer that complies with the laws and regulations set forth in the following poster: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OFCCP/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights.pdf

At Springer Nature, we value the diversity of our teams and work to build an inclusive culture, where people are treated fairly and can bring their differences to work and thrive. We empower our colleagues and value their diverse perspectives as we strive to attract, nurture and develop the very best talent.

Springer Nature was awarded Diversity Team of the Year at the 2022 British Diversity Awards. Find out more about our DEI work HERE.

If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation.

For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit our career page HERE.

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