Project Manager – FinTech & System Modernization | TSE-Listed Tech Company

This is a client-facing Project Manager position combining requirements definition, solution planning, technical proposal activities, project setup, stakeholder management, and end-to-end project delivery.

You will work directly with Japanese financial institutions while collaborating closely with a highly international engineering organization.

• Annual salary: JPY 7,500,000 – 15,000,000, depending on experience and skills.
  
• Hybrid work: approximately 3 days remote / week.
  
• International Engineering Environment / English used for technical communication.
  
• High-level Japanese communication skills N1 Level required or Equivalent
  

About the Company

Our client is a publicly listed Japanese technology company specializing in the modernization of mission-critical systems, particularly within the financial industry.

The company helps transform legacy financial infrastructure using cloud-native technologies, modern software architecture, and AI-driven development.

Its projects include next-generation core banking systems, digital banking platforms, financial APIs, payment systems, and large-scale system modernization initiatives.

More than 80% of the company’s employees are Software Engineers, with team members representing more than 24 nationalities.

The organization follows an engineering-first philosophy and provides an environment where Project Managers work closely with experienced Software Engineers and Technical Leads.

About the Position

As a Project Manager, you will act as the bridge between Japanese enterprise clients and multinational engineering teams.

You will participate from the earliest stages of client engagement, understanding the client’s business, systems, organizational structure, and underlying challenges.

From there, you will work with senior engineers and technical leads to develop appropriate solutions, including technical architecture, development approaches, and implementation roadmaps.

After a project is awarded, you will help establish the project team, define scope and initial structure, and lead the project through delivery.

This is therefore not a position focused only on schedule and task management.

The role requires the ability to understand technology, communicate effectively with engineers, identify the client’s real business challenges, and lead complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Understand clients’ business, systems, organizational structures, and underlying challenges

Identify and structure business and system requirements

Lead requirements definition and upstream project activities

Plan and propose technology solutions addressing client challenges

Work with engineering teams to develop technical architecture, development approaches, and project roadmaps

Prepare and coordinate technical and business proposals

Lead proposal activities for large and complex technology projects

Coordinate internal engineers, external partners, and other stakeholders

Support RFI and RFP activities

Support vendor management and coordination

Collaborate closely with Senior Engineers and Technical Leads to evaluate technical feasibility

Establish project teams after contract award

Define project scope, initial design, organization, and delivery structure

Lead project execution and overall project management

Coordinate multiple stakeholders across complex enterprise projects

Bring client feedback and market requirements back to internal engineering teams

Contribute to the improvement of the company’s solutions and services

Team Environment

Projects typically consist of small, highly skilled teams of approximately 5–8 members.

A Senior Engineer is normally included in each project, allowing the Project Manager to work closely with experienced technical professionals.

The engineering organization is highly international, and English may be used when communicating internally with engineers.

Client proposals and negotiations are primarily conducted in Japanese.

Conversational English is sufficient for many internal situations, while the international environment provides regular exposure to English.

Project Examples

Next-Generation Core Banking Modernization

Development and modernization of mission-critical banking systems using modern cloud and software architectures.

Financial APIs

Development of public APIs providing financial functionality to third-party services.

Frontend: TypeScript / Angular / Ionic

Backend: Go / Kotlin / Spring

Authentication & Authorization: OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect / Financial-grade API (FAPI)

Payment Systems

Development of an in-house payment platform supporting cashless payments and new merchant fee models.

Backend: Go / Java

Infrastructure: GCP / Microservices / GKE / Kubernetes

Digital Financial Services

Development of fully online financial services for major financial institutions.

Frontend: TypeScript / Vue.js

Backend: C# / .NET Core / ASP.NET

Authentication & Authorization: OAuth 2.0

Core Banking Modernization

Modernization of legacy core banking environments.

Backend: Java / Kotlin / Spring

Infrastructure: Azure / GCP multi-cloud

Why Apply?

This position is particularly attractive for experienced Project Managers who want to work closer to technology rather than focusing primarily on administrative project management.

You will work directly with major Japanese financial institutions while collaborating with highly skilled Software Engineers and Technical Leads.

The role provides end-to-end involvement, beginning with understanding client challenges and defining requirements, continuing through solution design and proposal activities, and ultimately leading actual project delivery.

You will work on mission-critical systems where security, reliability, scalability, and engineering quality are extremely important.

At the same time, these projects involve modern technologies including cloud-native architecture, microservices, APIs, Kubernetes, multi-cloud environments, and AI-driven development.

For Project Managers who understand both business and technology and want to lead major system modernization initiatives, this position provides significant ownership and exposure to some of the most complex technology projects within Japan’s financial industry.

Requirements

Must Have

Professional experience as a Project Manager and/or Software Engineer

Strong understanding of how software development projects and technology organizations operate

As a general guideline, approximately 10–15+ years of combined software development and project management experience

Experience leading technology or software development projects

Ability to understand both business objectives and technical requirements

Strong business perspective, including the ability to understand the commercial purpose and business value behind a project

Knowledge of standard project management practices such as PMP methodology, or equivalent practical project management experience

High-level Japanese communication skills

Ability to communicate logically with Japanese enterprise clients

Ability to explain complex technical and business topics clearly to different stakeholders

Knowledge of the financial industry and financial systems

Nice to Have

PMP certification or equivalent project management certification

Experience leading projects with budgets around JPY 10M or more within an SIer or SES environment

Experience managing large-scale projects involving complex stakeholder structures

Experience participating in RFI/RFP and solution proposal activities

Experience working with Software Engineers, Architects, and Technical Leads

Experience with system modernization, cloud migration, or mission-critical systems

Experience in banking, FinTech, financial services, or financial system development

Business-level English

Experience working in an international engineering environment

Ideal Profile

Strong intellectual curiosity and interest in emerging technologies

Respects engineering expertise and enjoys collaborating closely with technical teams

Able to understand technology and connect it to real client business challenges

Enjoys becoming deeply involved in complex client problems

Strong problem-solving mindset

Comfortable working directly with enterprise clients

Able to independently set ambitious goals and take ownership of results

Comfortable coordinating multiple stakeholders in complex environments

Interested in modernizing large-scale and mission-critical systems

Comfortable working in a highly international engineering organization

Benefits

• Working Environment & Benefits
  
• Annual salary: JPY 7.5M – 15M
  
• Hybrid work: approximately 3 days remote / 2 days at the office, depending on the project
  
• Fully flexible working hours with no core time
  
• Tokyo office: Akasaka, Minato-ku
  
• Kanazawa satellite office available
  
• Full social insurance
  
• Maternity and childcare support
  
• Professional certification support
  
• Book and learning-material purchase support
  
• Appropriate development devices and equipment provided
  
• International engineering environment
  
• Opportunities to collaborate closely with Senior Engineers and Technical Leads
  
• Opportunities to lead mission-critical financial technology and system modernization projects
  
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