Location: Yokohama, Japan
Salary: 8.5 million JPY
Overview
This role is for a Program Manager responsible for leading automotive product development programs for Japanese customers within a global automotive supplier environment.
You will act as the central point of coordination across engineering, commercial, manufacturing, quality, and customer teams, ensuring programs are delivered on time, within budget, and in line with customer expectations.
This is a highly cross-functional leadership role requiring strong project management discipline, stakeholder communication, and the ability to drive progress in a complex international environment.
Responsibilities
- Lead assigned automotive development programs from launch through delivery
- Manage overall program timing, milestones, deliverables, and status tracking
- Drive regular cross-functional program meetings and ensure proactive issue resolution
- Coordinate closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, finance, and commercial teams
- Act as the key point of contact for assigned customers and internal stakeholders
- Track program risks and drive mitigation activities
- Ensure alignment between program execution and customer development timelines
- Support budget tracking and overall program financial performance
- Escalate risks, delays, or deviations with proposed solutions
- Support quotation activities and program planning for new business opportunities
- Maintain accurate project documentation and reporting within internal systems
- Drive adherence to internal program management processes and quality expectations
- Support root cause analysis and corrective actions when project issues arise
- Build strong working relationships with both customers and internal global teams
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience in the automotive industry
- Experience in program management, project management, or customer-facing automotive development roles
- Experience leading cross-functional automotive development programs
- Strong understanding of automotive product development processes
- Experience managing schedules, deliverables, risks, and customer expectations
- Ability to coordinate across multiple teams and drive execution
- Business-level English and fluent Japanese
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to work effectively in a multinational environment
- University degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field
Preferred Experience
- Experience at a Tier 1 automotive supplier
- Experience working with Japanese OEM customers
- Experience leading international or multinational project teams
- Strong understanding of automotive commercial, product, and manufacturing processes
- Experience with structured internal program management systems and reporting tools
- Experience supporting quotation or business award activities
Why This Role
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys leading complex automotive programs while working across multiple teams and regions.
You will be at the center of customer-facing program execution, helping drive development activities from concept through delivery while working in a global and highly collaborative environment.
