Technical Program Manager, ML Platform, Tokyo

Only applicants residing in Japan are eligible to apply.

Overview

Money Forward (MFW), Money Forward Kessai (MFK), and the Digital Bank are jointly accelerating the build and operation of a group-wide “Shared Credit Scoring Machine Learning Platform” that is critical to the competitiveness of the entire group.

As the work becomes more dynamic and complex, domain leaders need to stay fully focused on their specialties (e.g., algorithm development and next-generation system design), while cross-company stakeholder coordination and project administration load has increased.

We are looking for a PMO who can invent practical mechanisms to solve on-the-ground problems—not just apply textbook project management—so that leaders can be freed from operational overhead and the project can succeed through well-designed processes.

Responsibilities and Duties

Become the "driving force" of the project, moving beyond simple administration to lead execution.

• Drive execution with a problem-first mindset
  • Identify bottlenecks regardless of existing frameworks. Extract technically challenging issues (e.g., ML requirements, data specs) and enforce clear ownership, deadlines, and action plans.
• Design and operate “living governance”
  • Build a change management process from scratch that enables rational agreement on spec/priority changes. Structure key arguments and recommendations to accelerate decision-making at "Mega-Venture" speed.
• Build shared understanding across stakeholders
  • Interview key members in MFW, MFK, and the Digital Bank. Structure expectations and current situations to ensure the entire group always shares the same context.
• Maximize leaders’ focus
  • Shield leaders from operational noise, ensuring an environment where they can concentrate on critical design and implementation (including banking-side operations design).

Why This Role

• Experience leading complex, cross-entity coordination across banking, payments, and platform domains—highly marketable project leadership experience.
• Career path toward PdM: gain domain knowledge as a hub across multiple companies and potentially transition into a Product Manager role defining product value for the Shared Credit Scoring ML Platform.
• Strong autonomy to create and implement the right “mechanisms” (processes and operating models) in a high-speed environment.

Required Skills and Experience

• 3–5+ years of PMO/project management experience in an IT consulting firm or a business company
• Hands-on experience in stakeholder alignment and issue management
• Ability to “unlearn” and flexibly adapt methods to match real-world constraints
• Strong documentation skills to structure complex topics and communicate clearly

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Project experience in finance, payments, and/or machine learning
• Interest in data analysis/extraction (e.g., SQL)
• Experience proposing and executing process improvements under high uncertainty
• Experience in AI development and/or experience in using AI tools to improve development processes.
  • Money Forward recently announced our AI Strategy roadmap which focuses on improving AI-driven operational efficiencies, as well as integrating AI agents into our products to deliver better value to our users. (More information here)

Language Requirements

• Business level Japanese (equivalent to JLPT N2 or above)
• Basic business level English (equivalent to TOEIC 700 or above)
  • If you do not have a qualification equivalent to TOEIC 700 or above, you will be required to take a company-designated test during the selection process.
  • If you have other qualifications or experiences that demonstrate your English proficiency, please let us know.
    • Examples include Eiken Pre-1st Grade, Eiken 2nd Grade (Eiken CSE Score 1950 or above), TOEFL iBT 60 or above, IELTS 5.0 or above, Cambridge English FCE, etc.

※Please note that the interviews in the selection process will be conducted in Japanese.

Who We’re Looking For

• Strong resonance with Money Forward's vision
• Passionate about being a fan of our services and contributing to their growth
• Problem-first mindset: management as a means to solve problems, not management for its own sake
• Enjoys creating order/mechanisms in a fast-changing environment
• High ownership and willingness to get hands-on to deliver outcomes

Work Environment

At Money Forward, we provide an environment where we can create world-class services together, and we are looking forward to welcoming you.

• Provided PC Specs: We provide PCs equipped with the latest CPUs (MacOS or Windows). Custom-made PCs tailored to business requirements and replacements with the latest OS are also possible.
• Systems to Enhance the Development Environment: Peripheral devices necessary for work (such as displays, mice, keyboards) can be purchased as office supplies. Generally, you can choose from standard products (catalog), and if conditions are met, you can apply for non-standard products as well.
• Money Forward Library: We have a library system where you can freely borrow books, ranging from technical books to management books. Desired books can be purchased at the company's expense.
• Referral Driven: We cover the cost of recruitment meals. There is a referral reward system.
• Conference Participation Support: The company partially covers participation in domestic and international conferences, such as RubyKaigi and Google I/O."