Project Manager

Job Description

The Project Manager is part of a Bids & Project team responsible for defense business activities in Japan. You will:

• Promote Thales as a trusted partner to Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF) and Ministry of Defense (MOD)
• Provide local support to Thales Global Business Units (GBU) to guarantee overall customer satisfaction and ensure maximum profitability for Thales Group

Responsibilities

• Ensure successful transition to the project phase and contribute to preparing, organising and validating the project launch (project requirements, execution baseline, costs, budgets and financial structure, resource management and risk management)
• Execute, monitor and control the projects until its completion
• Execute defense contract procedure (quotations, bids, contracts, deliveries, inspections, invoice and payment, and import/export applications)
• Lead and manage project team members, subcontractors and industrial partners
• Oversee project team members to deliver project on schedule and cost while meeting project requirements
• Ensure that project progress is reported in an accurate and timely manner to all stakeholders and project teams
• Anticipate, manage and resolve issues, risks, dependencies and impediments that may impact on successful project delivery
• Provide local support to Thales GBU in relation to project delivery controls, claim management, business/technical correspondences between customer and GBU, and overcome differences in business practices to ensure overall customer satisfaction and maximum profitability for Thales Group
• Foster and maintain a trusted relationship with customer and industrial partners
• Manage and maintain customer relationship and satisfaction throughout the project lifecycle and ensure the quality of customer support and local activities in the short and medium term
• Support the generation of future order intake for Thales (variation orders, spares or different business orders...)
• Ensure all projects and products are delivered with quality as a priority and is carried out in accordance with internal standards and contractual requirements
• Responsible for document (import/export control, procurement) preparation and/or reviews. May need to do translation of documents from English to Japanese and vice versa

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering related discipline
• 5 to 10 years of experience in project management, well-versed in project management principles and its application, and with proven track record in completing large projects within a technically complex and demanding environment
• Experience in the delivery of industrial or hardware projects. Understanding of supply chain management is necessary
• Experience working with Ministry of Defense (MOD) and knowledge of its process is necessary
• Certifications in Project Management such as PMP
• Bid management experience is an advantage
• Native proficiency in Japanese and business level/native proficiency (verbal and written) in English is necessary
• Able to do frequent travel within Japan or overseas (duration of 1-2 weeks)
• Strong negotiation skills and problem-solving skills
• Team player, autonomous, strong organization skills, self-motivated
• Due to project requirements, Japanese citizenship is mandatory

About the Company 

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

Thales Japan has been present in Japan for more than 40 years and has been responsible for expanding our business as well as supporting the local users. Thales objectives are to be an active and recognised partner for the development of infrastructure in Japan and to cooperate with Japanese companies in the export market for defence, transportation, aerospace, space and security.