Tech Careers Japan: Project Manager
Project Managers in Japan.
Who are they?
Where do they come from?
How can you become one?
Chad Lafferty, our CEO, was interviewed by Aki Ide from SHIFT to answer these questions.
Aki is leading the global recruitment project for SHIFT in Japan.
He is always looking for great Project Managers to join his team.
To ensure we covered all angles, we also asked Marcel Oka, the manager of the client facing engineer recruitment team, to provide his expertise.
There is a lot to cover, so let’s get started.
1. Can you give us a brief overview of what a project manager does, particularly in a Japanese context?
Chad:
A project manager generally runs several smaller projects or one large project, either internally for the company they work for or externally for a customer. You also have different kinds of PMs—without getting too complicated, we can broadly separate them into technical and non-technical PMs. Technical PMs typically handle development projects that require some element of coding knowledge.
Marcel:
While non-technical PM they focus more on the backside of the project such as budgeting and managing the daily operations of the project itself.
2. What are the key responsibilities of a project manager in Japan?
Chad:
They have to manage resources and deliver the project on time. Resources are typically all the different people involved in a project, which could be in very different areas of the business. The project manager has to make sure that each part of the project is running smoothly and on time.
3. What skills are essential for a project manager working in Japan?
Chad:
Organization and planning of course, also things like prioritization. Running projects is hard, as some of the people you are working with likely have other jobs to do that are unrelated to the project itself, and so their priorities might be different than the PMs.
Marcel:
Agree. Being able to communicate clearly with stakeholders and clients. Considering the strong working culture in Japan, PM needs to be able to become a good middle person and bridge the communication well.
4. Are there any specific qualifications or certifications that are particularly valued in Japan for project managers?
Chad:
Prince2 and PMP (Project Management Professional) are both project management certifications. You also have development certifications like CSM (Certified Scrum Master) or Prince2 Agile Foundation.
5. How can someone start their career as a project manager in Japan?
Chad:
There isn’t one right way. I think a lot of people develop a strong skill set towards project management, or realize they have a talent for keeping people organized and on point. Particularly for technical PMs, a lot of people start down a coding path and then get involved in project, realize they like it, and then gravitate towards that.
Of course, some people do plan for it as well, perhaps studying things like Six Sigma or project management certifications. Some larger organizations have training programs for PMs as well.
Marcel:
Talking about job specifically, someone can raise their interest in becoming a PM internally with their employer and slowly learn about the job itself as it is difficult to transition directly into PM with a new company as most company who is looking for PM already require someone with such experience..
6. What are the potential career growth opportunities for project managers in Japan?
Chad:
There is always a need for PMs as it’s a tough job that requires bringing people together on a deadline. Because of that it’s an in demand skill set. Particularly on the technical PM side, we see fewer candidates than job openings.
In terms of career - larger orgs will often have Program Managers which oversee multiple interconnected projects which adds layers of complexity.
Some PMs develop a very specialist skill set for a specific type of project which enables them to work on high value contracts all over the world.
7. What is the typical salary range for project managers in Japan?
Chad:
It varies a lot based on industry, but 8-15m is a pretty fair range. Of course, some people will be more… some of those specialist skill sets will be 25m or more.
8. How do benefits and perks for project managers in Japan compare to those in other countries?
Chad:
In Japan I think more of these positions are permanent versus other countries where people probably tend to move around a bit more.
9. What are the different types of project managers in Japan, and how do their roles differ?
Chad:
Broadly speaking you’ll have technical and non-technical PMs. Technical PMs are managing development projects and are usually quite technically adept themselves. Non-technical PMs are still often working on IT projects, but probably not as hands on.
Examples - technical PM might run a QA project, work closely with the customer, and then oversee the actual QA work to completion of the project.
A non-technical PM might be managing an office move project that requires both technical and non-technical aspects.
10. Are there any industry-specific project management roles that are in high demand?
Chad:
Software or technical PMs are always in demand.
Marcel:
A PM who has experience in managing the full software development lifecycle doesn't matter what the industry is, if that person is able to do this, they pretty much can jump between industries
11. How important is Japanese language proficiency for project managers in Japan?
Chad:
Quite important as it often depends on the customer. If the customer speaks Japanese, you probably have to speak Japanese. If you are focused on internal projects, you still have to be able to communicate with all the internal stakeholders.
12. Are there opportunities for non-Japanese speakers to succeed as project managers in Japan?
Chad:
Yes - some industries like financial services have historically hired more English speakers in IT or PM roles. However things have changed a lot in the last 10-15 years, so I don’t think it’s getting easier.
Marcel:
If the roles itself is internal PM then yes but it is very rare and usually the requirement is very high
13. What are some common challenges that project managers face in Japan?
Chad:
Delivering a project on time and on budget are both huge challenges. When you scope a project you sometimes can’t anticipate every problem you might face. Some issues are bound to come up, and if it’s big enough it can severely impact the timing and cost.
14. What opportunities do you see for project managers in Japan, especially in the tech industry?
Chad:
There is a huge need for technical project managers for system integrators and outsourcing companies, as well as other types of software development or product businesses.
