Job Description
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced, bilingual Project Manager to join our agency on a 6-month contract basis (with possibility of extension). This role sits at the heart of a digital content project, coordinating across creative, design, and technology teams while serving as the primary point of contact with the client's team.
The day-to-day focus of this role is coordination — keeping all moving parts aligned, deadlines on track, and communication flowing clearly between all parties. You will be responsible for setting client-facing deadlines (such as feedback windows) to ensure design and development teams have sufficient time to execute, iterate, and catch every detail as launch approaches. You will own the full project lifecycle from kick-off through to delivery, with a hands-on approach to steering, monitoring, and problem-solving — especially during crunch and launch periods.
The ideal candidate will have a strong portfolio of digital project experience (web, app, or similar), a track record of managing multiple stakeholders simultaneously, and the ability to take initiative and move things forward without being prompted. This is not a passive coordination role — we need someone who anticipates problems, drives decisions, and keeps the project moving.
This role requires exceptional communication skills, sharp organizational ability, and a very high attention to detail, across both Japanese and English.
Onboarding
A structured onboarding and training period of up to one month will be provided at the start of the engagement to ensure full alignment with agency processes, tools, client context, and team workflows.
Contract Details
- Type: Agency-side contract
- Duration: 6 months (with possibility of extension)
- Compensation: ¥500,000 – ¥800,000/month (commensurate with experience; premium for strong technical background or highly relevant experience)
- Hours: Japan Standard Time (JST), 9:00–18:00 core hours; flexibility required
- Expected Start Date: May 2026
Responsibilities
Project & Lifecycle Management
- Own the full project lifecycle from kick-off through delivery, maintaining continuous oversight across all phases
- Set and manage project timelines, milestones, and client-facing deadlines (e.g. feedback and approval windows) to protect design and development schedules
- Track progress, risks, and dependencies proactively, escalating issues as needed
- Maintain close oversight during crunch and launch periods, ensuring all edits, fixes, and last-minute changes are captured and resolved
Requirements Gathering
- Coordinate requirement gathering at project and campaign kick-off
- Clarify business, client, and campaign objectives with relevant stakeholders
- Translate stakeholder inputs into clear functional and experience requirements for Creative Direction, Design, and Tech teams
Tech Coordination
- Ensure all requirements are clearly communicated to and understood by the Tech team
- Support technical feasibility assessments, including evaluation of proposed customer journeys
- Oversee implementation progress and coordinate QA processes to ensure functionality, usability, and consistency
- Maintain and manage the project backlog, including logging, prioritization, and ongoing updates
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Facilitate smooth communication and collaboration between development, design, product, and other stakeholder teams
- Serve as the key counterpart to the client's team, aligned to Japan time zone working hours
- Assign tasks, track deliverables, and hold teams accountable to quality standards and deadlines
Operational Support
- Support analytics setup and other operational requirements as needed
- Prepare and maintain project documentation, status updates, and reporting via PowerPoint and Slack
Qualifications
- Fluency in Japanese (JLPT N1 or native level) and English (business level or above), both written and verbal
- Proven experience as a Project Manager within a digital, creative, or tech agency environment — with examples of managing web, app, or similar digital content projects
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple stakeholders and workstreams simultaneously
- Experience setting and enforcing client-facing deadlines to protect internal team schedules
- Strong track record of maintaining timelines and troubleshooting effectively during crunch and launch periods
- Ability to own the full project lifecycle independently, with a proactive, detail-oriented approach
- Strong understanding of technical concepts; ability to assess feasibility of digital/web implementations is a plus
- Familiarity with backlog management and project tracking methodologies (e.g. Agile/Scrum)
- Exceptional communication skills — clear, concise, and prompt — across all levels, from technical teams to senior stakeholders
- Very high attention to detail and strong organizational skills
- Must be responsive and quick to act on communications and tasks
- Proficiency with PowerPoint and Slack as primary communication tools
- Must be based in Japan or operate fully within Japan Standard Time (JST), available during core hours of 9:00–18:00, with flexibility for occasional extended hours as required
About the Company
Skydea is an English-speaking Tokyo design agency and digital product incubator. Headed by designer entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and Boston, our company specializes in creating delightful user experiences that solve real-world problems.