Location : On-site at a client office (IT company in Shibuya)
Overall Role
As the Senior Site Services Manager (SSSM), you serve as the Country Lead for the Client account in Japan, providing strategic direction and operational oversight. This role centers on three core pillars: leading country wide operations (including Technical Services and satellite sites in Tokyo and Osaka), enforcing robust risk governance, and maintaining strong client partnerships. You will be responsible for financial stewardship, ensuring absolute safety and compliance, and driving service excellence through cross-functional alignment. Acting as the primary escalation point and trusted advisor, you will define clear operational boundaries to ensure seamless, compliant, and high-performance delivery across the country.
Duties & responsibilities
Leadership, Governance & Regional Management
Country Operations Leadership: Drive strategic direction as Japan's Local Country Lead, acting as the key representative in client steering committees and regional governance forums.
Engineering & Technical Services Management: Supervise the Japan Technical Services Manager, maintaining full accountability for all sites engineering and technical operations with the support of technical service manager.
Remote Site Supervision: Provide operational oversight for remote offices in Tokyo and Osaka, coordinating local managers and tracking site-level performance.
Proactive Strategic Planning: Foresee operational hurdles, formulate long-term workplace policies, and pre-emptively execute solutions to streamline service delivery.
KPI & Performance Reporting: Track and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and service levels, providing regular data-driven insights and performance reviews to client stakeholders to drive continuous service improvement.
Talent Development & Culture: Build and sustain a high-performing, inclusive team culture by identifying talent gaps, implementing mentorship programs, and fostering professional development to ensure robust succession planning and operational continuity.
Project & Operational Risk Governance
Operational Boundary Enforcement: Standardize and implement permit-to-work systems, on-site engagement rules, and guidelines for external projects (IT, construction, workplace) to shield core BAU operations from interruptions.
Project Risk Mitigation: Assess risks for active initiatives to guarantee that external vendor activities do not hinder team performance or breach contract SLAs.
Collaborative Synergy: Coordinate with regional units (such as EHS, Sustainability, MAC, and OP) and local partners (IT, security, food services) to provide a cohesive, innovative and low-risk service experience.
Crisis & Business Continuity Management: Lead site-wide responses during critical incidents or facility emergencies, acting as the primary point of contact for regional leadership to ensure rapid recovery and minimal business disruption.
Client Relations & Financial Stewardship
Client Advisor & Partner: Cultivate robust client relationships to align operational outputs with business objectives, positioning JLL as a trusted partner while ensuring independent day-to-day management.
Budgetary & Financial Management: Control local account budgeting, forecasting, and financial processes, conducting assessments to resolve variances and optimize spend.
Safety & Regulatory Adherence: Instruct personnel on EHS guidelines from both JLL and the client, ensuring strict adherence to statutory and safety regulations.
Cost Efficiency & Innovation: Identify and implement cost-saving initiatives and workspace innovations to drive operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Sustainability & ESG Integration: Champion workplace sustainability initiatives, ensuring site operations align with the client’s global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets and carbon-neutral commitments.
Candidate Specification
People & Leadership Skills
Exceptional ability to communicate effectively with all levels within a client organization, acting as a strategic partner to bridge operational gaps.
Strong coaching and leadership skills, capable of structuring, developing, and mentoring a high-performing SSM team.
Adept at resolving first-line conflicts regarding customer expectations and service delivery.
High EQ with the ability to navigate highly matrixed, political situations, defuse conflict, and build trust during organizational transitions.
Quest for Excellence
Deep understanding of premium, exceptional service delivery.
Strives to deliver innovative solutions, refusing to settle for mediocre delivery.
Thinks strategically and non-traditionally to improve SOPs and ensure consistency.
Problem Solving & Strategic Thinking
Ability to connect strategic client goals to operational deliverables, especially regarding space planning and workplace strategies.
Articulates solutions clearly, acting as a business partner to Regional/Global teams and the client's remaining local team.
Highly analytical with a proven ability to make data-driven decisions and solve problems objectively.
Employs holistic approaches to find long-term, tactical, and strategic solutions for common operational problems.
Ability to synthesize complex operational data into actionable insights for client stakeholders, ensuring transparency and proactive service adjustments.
Experience in identifying and implementing workspace innovations that enhance the user experience while maintaining operational efficiency.
Project Management & Organizational Skills
Strong understanding of Project Management methodologies, specifically related to capital works, contractor guidelines, and BAU service continuity during active project phases.
Excellent planning and organizational skills to prioritize work, meet tight deadlines, and manage complex facility management related projects.
Experience managing operational risk and maintaining strict EHS and regulatory compliance standards in high-stakes, client-facing environments.
Ideal Experience
Minimum 10 years’ experience in people operations, ideally in Facilities Management (FM).
Proven track record as a site manager or in a similar leadership capacity.
Strong understanding of Project Management methodologies, specifically related to capital works and facility optimization.
Demonstrated experience handling complex client matters, balancing the interests of the client with those of the firm.
Experience translating strategic needs into deliverable programs
Proven track record in financial stewardship, including budget forecasting, rigorous variance analysis, and the implementation of cost-optimization strategies.
Demonstrated experience managing performance frameworks, including the development of KPI dashboards, service-level reporting, and leveraging data to drive continuous service improvement.
Experience in vendor management, contract oversight, and strategic sourcing.
Other Personal Characteristics
Strong communicator with excellent presentation, verbal, and written communication skills (Fluency in English is a requirement); an active listener.
Self-motivated, confident, and possesses gravitas among peers and client stakeholders.
Highly flexible and resilient—able to adapt and effectively manage rapidly changing, high-volume, and stressful situations.
Proven ability to initiate and follow through with improvement initiatives.
Able to work independently while remaining a deeply collaborative team player.
Exhibits unwavering honesty, trustworthiness, energy, pacing, focus, and excitement.
A natural change agent who thrives in matrixed environments, with the agility to pivot strategies based on evolving business needs and performance metrics.
[Working Hours and Days Off]
Working hours are based on the client’s timetable
Generally based on working from the office
Days off: Two days off per week (Saturday and Sunday), public holidays, and the year-end and New Year period
【Salary】
Overtime pay: Available. A fixed overtime allowance is included in the basic annual salary (equivalent to 30 hours per month) *For non-managerial positions
Bonuses: Available (performance-related bonuses)
Probationary period: Yes
【Number of Vacancies】 1
【Selection Process】
1. Application screening
2. Interviews (several rounds planned)
3. Final interview
Location
On-site –Tokyo, Japan
If this job description resonates with you, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements. We’re interested in getting to know you and what you bring to the table!
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