Job Description: Engineering Manager, Platform Services (Fluent Japanese & English Required)

Overview

We are seeking an Engineering Manager, Platform Services to maximize the productivity of development teams and drive growth by delivering robust platform services. You will lead multicultural, multinational development teams building foundational technologies that enable rapid business expansion.

• Location: Tokyo, Japan (Hybrid; extensive relocation support available)
• Employment Type: Full-time (3-month probationary period)
• Salary: ¥10M–¥14M annual (Stock option program available)

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Mission

Drive the development, deployment, and scaling of foundational platform services and infrastructure for a rapidly growing suite of applications in the manufacturing sector, supporting global expansion and innovation. Emphasize maximizing team output, technical excellence, reliability, and organizational growth.

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Responsibilities

• Set & Manage Team Goals: Align team objectives with product vision and business strategy.
• Develop Team Members: Hold 1-on-1s, provide performance feedback, and foster career growth.
• Drive Recruitment & Branding: Lead hiring efforts and enhance the engineering brand externally.
• Organizational Design: Plan and implement team structures suited for a scaling business.
• Information Sharing: Establish and oversee efficient communication in a bilingual (Japanese/English) environment.
• Technical & People Leadership:
  • Collaborate with Product Managers and other Engineering Managers
  • Design, build, and operate robust platform services and developer tools
  • Develop and execute technical strategies (technology selection, ROI optimization, infrastructure cost management)
  • Plan, develop, and manage foundational services (file platforms, workflow engines, etc.)
• Support Global, Diverse Teams: Recruit, lead, and grow global teams; help build a multicultural, world-class R&D organization.

Depending on experience and preference, you may initially manage one or multiple teams, or start hands-on before fully transitioning to management.

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What You'll Gain

• Business Impact: Directly accelerate growth by improving developer experience and reliability across many products.
• Technical Challenge: Build modern, scalable infrastructure using cutting-edge practices (e.g., Platform Engineering, SRE, FinOps) in a rapidly expanding global business.
• Professional Growth: Collaborate with experienced CTOs, VPoEs, and leaders from top tech companies.
• Global Scope: Work with multicultural teams, expand infrastructure across multiple regions, and tackle unique internationalization challenges.
• Career Flexibility: Opportunities to specialize, broaden your domain, or grow into larger organizational leadership.

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Requirements

• Leadership: Proven management experience in an engineering org developing internal products with measurable business impact.
• People Management: Experience recruiting, developing, and evaluating engineers; organizational design experience.
• Technical Aptitude: Experience designing, building, and operating backend, platform, or cloud infrastructure.
• Languages:
  • Fluent Japanese (business–level; daily work and meetings)
  • Business-level English

Nice to Have

• Experience with:
  • Large-scale file upload/download systems
  • Execution platforms for batch processing
  • Designing and operating high-traffic/HA web services and application platforms on Kubernetes
  • Public cloud architecture (AWS, GCP, Azure)
  • Driving platform engineering initiatives and developer experience improvements
  • Managing teams of multinational members or fast-scaling orgs

Mindset

• Driven by the mission to "Unleash the potential of manufacturing"
• Proactive, takes ownership of essential challenges
• Positive, constructive communicator in fast-changing, uncertain situations
• Approaches teamwork with respect and contextual understanding

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Tech Stack / Development Environment

• Frontend: TypeScript, React, Next.js
• Backend: Rust (axum), TypeScript, Node.js (Express, Fastify, NestJS)
• Machine Learning: Rust, Python, OpenCV, PyTorch, TorchServe, Elasticsearch, Vertex AI
• Infrastructure: Google Cloud, Kubernetes Engine, Anthos Service Mesh, Istio, Cloudflare, Argo Workflows
• DevOps: GitHub, GitHub Actions, ArgoCD, Kustomize, Helm, Terraform, Datadog, MixPanel, Sentry
• Data: CloudSQL (PostgreSQL), AlloyDB, BigQuery, dbt, trocco
• API: GraphQL, REST, gRPC
• Authentication: Auth0
• Tools: GitHub Copilot, Figma, Storybook, Slack, Discord, JIRA, Miro, Confluence

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Work Environment

• Location: Tokyo (relocation support available)
• Hybrid Policy: Office attendance encouraged once a week; in-person meetings 1-2 times per quarter
• Working Hours: Flextime, core hours 11:00–16:00 (1-hour break)
• Paid Leave:
  • Annual paid leave (after 6 months), 3 days special paid leave on joining, 3 days summer (Jul–Dec), 6 days New Year, 5-day refresh (every 5 years), nursing/caregiving leave, bereavement/celebratory leave

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Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: Estimated ¥10M–¥14M/year, reviewed biannually
• Stock options
• Development resources:
  • Server cost allowance (up to ¥10,000/month for engineers)
  • Book purchase reimbursement
  • External training support
• Team Support:
  • Club activity/teaming offsite/meal allowances
• Family Support:
  • Marriage gift (¥50,000), childbirth gift (¥100,000), relocation support, childcare allowance (¥15,000/month per dependent)
• Other:
  • Transportation stipend
  • Social insurance (employment, health, pension)
  • Company–provided PC
  • Medical checkups
  • Company-wide recognition program

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Selection Process

1. Document screening
2. Coding test (Online; see details here)
3. HR interview (for those without Japanese/English language certificates, to confirm proficiency)
4. 1st Interview (Engineering Manager: track record, impact)
5. HR Talk (Non-evaluative: conditions/questions)
6. 2nd Interview (VP Engineering/Manager: work on pre-assigned task, conducted in Japanese)
7. Final Interview (CTO)
8. Offer Interview

Note: The process may include additional interviews or casual meetings by request or as needed. Typical turnaround is ~1 month.

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Additional Info

• Team comprises international members across Asia, Europe, North America; some teams are English-first, most meetings are bilingual.
• Internal communication: mainly English; cross-team communication: Japanese & English (high Japanese proficiency not mandatory).
• Initial roles and teams are discussed and proposed based on your skills and preferences.
• Strong culture of tackling industry–wide, transformative technical challenges with a supportive, motivated team.

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