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Sakana AI is seeking a Technical Project Manager to lead enterprise-scale AI implementation projects for major Japanese financial institutions (banks, insurance, payments). This role owns project delivery independently from account management, spanning from exploration through production deployment and operations handoff.
Key responsibilities include: creating and managing work breakdown structures (WBS) with QCD (quality, cost, delivery) controls; defining and aligning non-functional requirements (availability, performance, SLA/SLO, monitoring, BCP/DR, identity management) alongside architecture designs; planning and executing data integration and migration strategies across closed networks, encryption, batch-to-API transitions, and cloud migrations (AWS/GCP/Azure); managing contracts, procurement, SOW, and customer approval processes; coordinating across internal engineers, partners, offshore teams, and stakeholder functions (business, IT, legal, audit); leading stabilization and recovery when unexpected changes arise; and collaborating with account managers to translate customer needs into implementation plans.
Required qualifications: 5+ years leading or delivering enterprise-level system implementation projects; hands-on experience from requirements definition through production cutover, including QCD management, issue/risk/change management, and operational design; practical cloud/data center migration experience as a cloud architect (AWS/GCP/Azure) with ability to define and align non-functional requirements; architectural understanding sufficient to discuss design and non-functional aspects with engineers (coding not required); business-level Japanese proficiency.
Desirable experience includes: SIer or financial IT subsidiary background; cloud audit leadership in financial services; financial institution approval, procurement, and contract management (SLA, SOW, engagement models); phased cloud modernization or legacy-to-modern transformation; multi-vendor orchestration, SRE/DevOps/IaC, and SLO design; B2B startup delivery; systems development; agile methodology; AI/LLM knowledge (learnable post-hire).
The role is hybrid (office + remote) based in Tokyo's Azabudai Hills, with standard Japanese employment benefits including social insurance, two-day weekends, paid leave, and flexible/discretionary work arrangements.
