Senior Manager, Project Implementation & Operations (Japan)

Job Title: Senior Manager, Project Implementation & Operations – Japan

Location: Greater Tokyo Area, Japan

Department: Japan Operations

Reports To: Head of Japan

Target Compensation: JPY 10,000,000 – 15,000,000 base, commensurate with experience

Position Summary

Apkudo is hiring one of the first members of its Japan team, to build and lead a differentiated operations capability in Japan from the ground up. This is a senior, high-trust role for someone who has already run complex, high-value programs end to end and can operate with minimal oversight while we stand up a new market.

The role combines two connected responsibilities. As Project Implementation lead, you will partner with Account Managers to shape the scope of each engagement and then own execution as project manager – building the plan, marshaling internal and customer-facing teams, and delivering on time, on budget, and to the required standard. As Operations owner, once a program is live, you take full ownership of it – analyzing performance, engaging stakeholders up to executive level, leading Kaizen efforts against SLA targets, and acting as the senior face of Apkudo to the customer.

Apkudo's product and technology are constantly evolving, and this role is where that evolution meets the real world: you are the person who takes what we build and makes it work, at scale, for real customers in Japan – part of how we push the industry forward. You will operate with significant autonomy: setting the operational agenda for your accounts, spotting risk before it becomes a customer issue, and representing Japan operations in cross-regional discussions with Apkudo leadership.

Working Style & Travel

Working hours and locations are flexible, reflecting the autonomy of this role. Because Apkudo's internal stakeholders span multiple time zones, some internal meetings will fall outside standard Japan business hours. The role is based in the Greater Tokyo area and requires regular travel to customer and partner sites within Japan, plus occasional international travel for leadership alignment; candidates should be comfortable with a variable, at times demanding, schedule.

Skills & Qualifications

Must-Have

• Business-level fluency in both Japanese and English (written and spoken), sufficient to lead executive-level customer discussions and internal cross-border collaboration in either language.

• Bachelor's degree or above, in any field (advanced degree a plus).

• 8+ years of progressive experience across operations management, program/project delivery, or technical account management, with a track record of owning results independently at a senior level.

• Able to commute to Apkudo's and customers' sites in the Greater Tokyo area.

• Available for regular domestic travel (and international travel as needed).

Preferred Experience

• Senior operations management experience: owning day-to-day operations against SLAs/KPIs for high-value accounts, ideally including experience presenting performance and strategy to customer executives.

• Customer relationship experience at a senior level: acting as the trusted senior point of contact for external customers, including owning executive business reviews, handling escalations, and delivering difficult updates with credibility.

• Engineering or technical work experience: sufficient to engage credibly with technical teams and understand device, hardware, or systems-related operational issues.

• Proven project/program management experience – defining scope, building project plans, and driving cross-functional execution to a deadline and budget, including for large or complex engagements.

• Experience with continuous improvement / Kaizen methodology, or a demonstrated track record of diagnosing performance gaps and closing them at scale.

• Experience in mobile/connected devices, consumer electronics, or reverse logistics is a strong plus.

• Strong analytical skills, and the judgment to turn performance analysis into a clear improvement direction – plus the credibility to lead that direction through to results, persuading internal teams and customer stakeholders along the way.

Responsibilities

Project Implementation Lead

• Own delivery of new customer implementation projects from scoping through go-live, including for Apkudo's most strategic and highest-value Japan accounts.

• Partner with Account Managers at a strategic level to shape the scope of work for each engagement, then execute as project manager – building the project plan, coordinating internal and customer-facing teams, and managing timeline, budget, risks, and issues.

• Serve as the senior operational point of contact during implementation, ensuring a smooth handover into steady-state operations once the project is delivered.

• Identify and escalate program risk early, and represent Japan implementation status in cross-regional and leadership reviews.

Operations Owner

• Once a project is live, take full ownership of managing the product/program on-site to sustain and grow the results it delivers.

• Run rigorous analysis of operational performance and engage customers and internal stakeholders, up to executive level, to apply best practice.

• Lead Kaizen efforts to achieve and exceed SLA targets, then design and apply improvement plans against identified gaps.

• Work with internal teams to resolve day-to-day operational issues, unblocking cross-functional dependencies without formal authority where needed.

• Act as the senior face to the customer for operations management topics, including leading executive business reviews and status updates.

• Set the operational agenda and priorities for owned accounts, and act as a mentor/reference point for more junior operations staff as the Japan team grows.

Employment Terms (Japan) — required disclosure items

The items below are standard disclosures required for job postings and offers in Japan under the Employment Security Act (職業安定法) and related labor law. Bracketed items need HR/Legal confirmation before external posting.

雇用形態 / Employment type

Full-time, permanent employee (正社員)

契約期間 / Contract term

No fixed term (期間の定めなし) 

試用期間 / Probation period

3 months 

就業場所 / Place of work

Greater Tokyo area (customer sites, partner sites, and remote/home) [confirm any home-office policy]

就業時間 / Working hours

discretionary labor system

休憩・休日 / Breaks & holidays

2 days off/week, public holidays, year-end/New Year, paid annual leave

賃金 / Wages

JPY 10,000,000 – 15,000,000 base (annual), paid monthly 

昇給・賞与 / Raises & bonus

Pay raise once a year

加入保険 / Social insurance

[Health insurance, employee pension, employment insurance, workers' accident compensation insurance – confirm enrollment terms]

受動喫煙対策 / Workplace smoking policy

No Smoking

募集企業名 / Hiring entity

[Remote.com]

About Apkudo

Apkudo builds technology and automation that helps companies manage the full lifecycle of connected devices – from deployment through end-of-life recovery and resale.