Senior Project Manager

  • Tokyo
  • Partial Remote
  • Full-time
  • November 11, 2024
Conditions
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Apply from Japan Only
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No relocation to Japan
(No visa sponsorship from overseas)
Requirements
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Language Requirements
Japanese: Business Level
English: Business Level
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Minimum Experience
Senior or above

Our Mission:

Driving technology always feels old. Not by a little bit. We believe vehicles can be a thousand times smarter, safer, and more connected to the world around us, and our mission is to see it happen. In 2019, we joined forces with Honda as their first startup acquisition, and now we’re expanding our vision into building the future of electric vehicles (BEV) for millions of people around the world.

 

Why Drivemode: 

Drivemode is the new software and user experience division of Honda that is focused on digital experience for new electric vehicles. You will be joining an exciting startup environment that combines impactful work, competitive compensation, and excellent benefits. By becoming a part of our team, you'll contribute to our crucial mission of changing the way people engage with vehicles and help solving the world's environmental challenges. This presents an exceptional opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and drive Honda's success in the EV market.

 

About The Role:

As a Senior Project Manager, you will lead the cornerstone project for Honda to deliver the future connected service with Honda. This is a critical role to grow Honda’s presence in the EV market while transforming the enterprise to a product-driven, more agile culture. You will focus on the electric motorcycle project and ensure successful delivery across multiple regions.

 

What You Will Do:

Leadership and Accountability

  • Work closely with Product Management to ensure that the requirements, scope, and timeline are aligned with Honda's stakeholders
  • Develop and implement flexible frameworks for managing projects with multiple groups.
  • Generate, clarify owner, track, and ensure completion of action items for both Honda and Drivemode.
  • Facilitate meetings to drive actionable outcomes and decision-making.

 

Schedule Management [Timeline & Roadmap]

  • Develop and manage a comprehensive master schedule that aligns with Honda’s timeline and milestones.
  • Ensure each milestones have a clear outcome and the rationale behind the goals
  • Make Drivemode members have a clear understanding of how our product roadmap will mesh to Honda’s hardware driven milestones.
  • Maintain a big-picture view while managing day-to-day project activities.
  • Ensure clarity on objectives, activities, and priorities, making it easier to make prioritization decisions.
  • Gain cultural knowledge about Honda's processes and implicit understandings.

 

Stakeholder Management

  • Identify both Drivemode and Honda stakeholders for the project and make decisions with those members.
  • Involve external stakeholders when necessary.
  • Identify both Drivemode and Honda stakeholders for the project and make decisions with those members.
  • Involve external stakeholders when necessary.

 

Information management and radiation

  • Information is clear to all Drivemode members and information is easily discoverable and it is accessible.  Information is in a single place.
  • Identify mis-communication regardless of language (Japanese/English) and work toward resolution
  • Enhance information radiation, ensuring vendors and stakeholders including stakeholders from Honda, are informed in a timely manner.  This includes but not limited to our progress and status updates.
  • Cultivate cultural fluency in both Japanese and Western business environments.
  • Develop explicit conclusions and actions even within vague contexts.

 

Risk Management

  • Identify, communicate, and manage project risks and issues early and continuously so that we avoid big risks at the last minute.  Develop and implement strategies and frameworks to automate the process as much as possible.
  • Confront difficult challenges and guide all parties towards actionable next steps.

 

What we are looking for:

  • 5+ years of Project Management experience in software companies.
  • Business level Japanese and English.
  • Knowledge/experience of both Agile/waterfall software development processes.
  • Flexible and willing to learn new project/product processes.
  • Knowledge/experience of Project management tools (JIRA , Gantt chart tools etc.)
  • Knowledge/experience of Project operations (contract, meeting facilitation etc.)
  • Proactive, detail-oriented, and a master of collaboration.
  • Experience working in a multicultural environment with multiple stakeholders.

 

Nice to Have:

  • Experience in managing projects that interact with hardware, ideally within the automotive industry.
  • Familiarity and flexibility with outcome-oriented roadmapping on the product side.

 

EEOC Statement:

Drivemode is proud of a very diverse team with employees coming from 5 continents as of today. Diversity in our workplace has played an important part in our success; we recognize each employee’s unique background, knowledge, experiences, ideas, and viewpoints which are all critical in developing a product that has the greatest impacts on drivers all over the world. Drivemode provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity,  disability, or any other characteristics that make you unique. 

Smarter, Safer, Connected driving in any vehicle.

We were founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs from Zipcar and Tesla Motors and acquired by Honda in 2019. In 2020, we released Honda RoadSync with Honda motorcycle team. In 2023, our CEO Yo Koga was named as Global UX Officer and Drivemode is set to expand further to transform Honda and win in the growing Electric Vehicle market with our expertise in software and user experience.

Our Current Work

Honda motorcycles
We are building a modern software platform for Honda's new electric motorcycles. The platform, including mobile app and infotainment system, will be deployed in many countries. Not only working with Honda's motorcycle engineers as one team, we also do our own in-house hardware prototyping to enable us to learn and move quickly. The goal is to provide seamless motorcycle rider experiences with deeply integrated software and hardware.

Honda/Acura vehicles
We are working on a vehicle companion app & platform for Honda's next generation electric vehicles. The app will be a critical part of connected service offering for any future Honda & Acura vehicles globally. We are working closely with Honda's industry-leading hardware and vehicle experts to design the software and hardware as one experience for users.

Our Future Direction: This is just the beginning for us; we expect to expand our scope into other software driven areas for Automotive while continuing to grow and build on more capabilities

Working at Drivemode
We’re a diverse group of Silicon Valley and Tokyo entrepreneurs who want to make driving better. Our approach focuses on speed, learning, flexibility, and data-driven decision-making. We aren’t just “coders” or “designers;” we are problem solvers who understand that why you do something is just as important as what you do. We love challenges: the bigger, the better.

Our organizational structure is flat and everyone has an opportunity to share ideas, regardless of manager or job title. Openness, transparency, and communication are always priorities. We trust our employees’ abilities to make decisions in the best interest of Drivemode and give them the freedom to do what it takes to bring out the best in themselves and others. We provide support, mentorship, and growth across all positions to help employees identify and reach career and developmental goals.

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Senior Project Manager at Drivemode
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