Location: Tokyo, Japan
Work Style: Hybrid
Salary: Up to JPY 16 million (including annual incentive)

Overview

A global automotive technology supplier is seeking an experienced Team Manager to lead a team of Software Project Leads responsible for complex automotive software development programs.

This position combines people management, software delivery oversight, and resource planning across multiple customer programs. The successful candidate will manage and develop a team of approximately 5–10 Software Project Leads, ensuring that software projects meet agreed schedules, budgets, and quality requirements.

Working closely with engineering, program management, and international development teams, the Team Manager will support project execution, resolve delivery challenges, and improve software project management practices across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & People Management

• Lead, coach, and develop the team of Software Project Leads

• Manage team performance, goal setting, professional development, and resource allocation

• Support recruitment, onboarding, and long-term team development

• Provide guidance to Software Project Leads on project execution, customer issues, and escalations

Software Delivery & Resource Management

• Oversee software delivery across multiple automotive development programs, ensuring schedule, budget, and quality objectives are met

• Review project plans, milestones, resource requirements, risks, and recovery strategies

• Monitor software development progress, including requirements, integration, verification, and release readiness

• Manage resource planning, team capacity, and priorities across competing customer programs

• Support Software Project Leads during critical project phases while maintaining their accountability for individual project delivery

Customer Collaboration & Process Improvement

• Act as a management-level escalation point for project delivery, customer, and resource issues

• Coordinate with engineering, program management, quality, and global development teams

• Provide senior management with updates on project progress, risks, and recovery plans

• Support Automotive SPICE compliance and continuous improvement of software project management processes

• Contribute to RFQ activities, resource assessments, and project cost management

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related technical field

• Extensive experience managing automotive software development projects or programs, including end-to-end delivery responsibility

• Experience leading, coaching, or developing software project management professionals

• Strong understanding of embedded software development, including requirements, development, integration, verification, and release processes

• Experience managing complex projects involving multiple engineering teams and international development organizations

• Strong knowledge of project planning, resource management, risk management, and escalation processes

• Knowledge of Agile methodologies and Automotive SPICE

• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills

• Fluent Japanese (JLPT N1 level) and business-level English

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (up to 25%)

Nice to Have

• Previous line-management experience leading Software Project Leads, Project Managers, or Program Managers

• Experience with automotive electronics or embedded software systems

• Experience working in Automotive SPICE Level 3 development environments

• PMP or equivalent project management certification

• Experience improving project management processes and organizational capabilities

Why This Role?

This position offers experienced automotive software project leaders the opportunity to move beyond managing individual projects and take responsibility for a team of Software Project Leads, while remaining closely involved in complex automotive software development.