Infrastructure Program Manager
Summary
An experienced program manager leads end-to-end delivery of multi-country enterprise IT infrastructure programs (networking, security, identity, endpoint, wireless, M365) for Mitsui group companies across Asia Pacific, chairing Japanese-language governance meetings with Tokyo HQ and managing external vendors through the full commercial cycle.
[Role Summary]
- We are seeking an experienced Infrastructure Program Manager to lead the planning, delivery, and operational governance of multi-country enterprise IT infrastructure programs for Mitsui & Co. group companies across the Asia Pacific region.
- The role owns programs end to end - from requirements definition and solution design through procurement, implementation, migration, operational transition, and continuous improvement - typically spanning 20or more sites in 10 or more countries, delivered through multiple external vendors and regional IT teams.
- As the primary delivery interface between the Tokyo headquarters, regional customers, and global vendors, the successful candidate is expected to chair governance and executive reporting meetings in Japanese, and to coordinate technical and commercial matters with vendors and regional stakeholders in English.
[Key Responsibilities]
- Own end-to-end delivery of multi-country infrastructure programs (network, network security, identity and access management, endpoint management, wireless LAN, monitoring, and cloud/M365 services), from requirements definition through migration, operational transition, and formal acceptance.
- Establish and manage program planning and governance, including budgets, staffing, quality assurance, risks, change control, KPIs, executive reporting, escalation paths, decision rights, and acceptance criteria.
- Chair periodic progress and executive reporting meetings in Japanese for the Tokyo headquarters and Japanese-speaking customers, and prepare the supporting decision papers, risk/issue summaries, and escalation materials in business Japanese.
- Manage vendors across the full commercial cycle: RFP/RFQ preparation, quotation and proposal evaluation, contract and SOW review, internal approval (ringi) preparation, cost control, and post-award performance management.
- Review technical designs, migration plans, testing strategies, operational readiness, rollback plans, and risk mitigation measures. Drive the resolution of dependencies, product defects, legacy configurations, integration conflicts, and other complex technical issues.
- Coordinate local IT supervisors and shared service teams in each country to ensure consistent rollout, documentation, and compliance with group IT security rules.
- Govern high-risk migrations and recovery from major incidents, including rehearsals, Go/No-Go decisions, implementation, rollback, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, early-life support, knowledge transfer, documentation, support models, and operational acceptance.
- Provide monthly delivery status and financial reporting to MKI-AP management and the Tokyo headquarters.
[Essential Qualifications / Experiences]
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
- Minimum10 years of enterprise IT infrastructure experience, including at least 5 years as the accountable Project/Program Manager for multi-site, multi-country infrastructure delivery.
- Native-level business Japanese (equivalent to JLPT N1 or above) and professional working proficiency in English. Both are mandatory and will be assessed at interview; the role cannot be performed with only one of the two.
- Demonstrated experience independently chairing steering committee or executive reporting meetings in Japanese for a Japan-based headquarters or Japanese corporate customers, including handling challenging questions and driving decisions.
- Ability to author executive reports, risk and issue registers, and approval documents in business Japanese without translation support.
- Hands-on delivery accountability for at least one program covering enterprise networking and at least two of the following: network security, cloud identity and access management (Entra ID or equivalent), endpoint management (Intune or equivalent), wireless LAN, or Microsoft 365 services.
- Experience managing external vendors and subcontractors through the full commercial cycle, including RFP, quotation evaluation, contract review, and cost control.
- Experience leading a delivery or organizational team of at least 10 members, including members located outside the candidate's own country.
- Willingness to travel within the Asia Pacific region (approximately 4 to 8 trips per year) and to support occasional out-of-hours cutover work.
[Preferred Qualifications]
- Project Management Professional(PMP) certification or an equivalent project management credential.
- Experience working in or with a Japanese trading company (sogo shosha), or with a Japanese-owned IT subsidiary operating in a regional shared-service model.
- Relevant vendor certifications such as CiscoCCNP/CCIE, Fortinet NSE, Palo Alto PCNSE, or Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator / Endpoint Administrator.
- Experience with SD-WAN deployment, Zero Trust network access, or large-scale circuit and carrier contract migration across multiple countries.
- Experience with IT service management processes (ITIL)and transition of programs into a steady-state managed service.
- Prior work experience in Singapore or elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region.