Local Manager - Japan Quality And Testing Governance Lead

Job Summary: We are seeking a Local Manager to provide senior‑level governance, client leadership, and strategic oversight for a Japan‑based quality and testing function supporting large enterprise digital initiatives.

This role serves as the primary client‑facing leader for testing governance and outcomes, representing quality posture, delivery readiness, and risk considerations to business and technology stakeholders. The Local Manager acts as a strategic bridge between business strategy and technical execution, ensuring that testing activities align with real business risk and release expectations.

Rather than managing day‑to‑day testing activities, this position focuses on governance, risk management, release decision‑making, and executive communication, helping evolve the engagement from execution‑focused delivery into a trusted strategic partnership.

This role is ideal for a bilingual professional with strong leadership presence, sound judgment, and experience operating in complex enterprise environments.

Report to: Production Center Manager & Head of Digital

Responsibilities:

Client Leadership & Governance

• Act as the primary client‑facing representative for all testing and quality‑related matters.
• Own governance discussions related to testing scope, quality posture, and release readiness.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for risks, critical issues, and alignment decisions.

Release Readiness & Risk Oversight

• Maintain oversight of testing results, risk assessments, and readiness indicators.
• Hold accountability for Go / No‑Go release recommendations, based on quality, risk, and business impact.
• Ensure testing outcomes are translated into clear, business‑relevant insights for stakeholders.

Strategic Alignment: Business & Technology

• Bridge business objectives and technical execution by ensuring testing scope reflects real customer and business risk.
• Partner with stakeholders to align marketing, product, and technology expectations with delivery reality.
• Challenge assumptions constructively and guide decision‑making with a quality‑driven perspective.

Executive Communication & Reviews

• Lead executive‑level governance forums such as Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs).
• Present insights on:
• Quality trends and risk posture
• Delivery effectiveness and predictability
• Efficiency improvements
• Automation and testing capability evolution
• Position the testing function as a value‑adding advisory capability, not solely an execution service.

Testing Capability Maturity & Continuous Improvement

• Guide the evolution of testing governance, operating maturity, and consistency over time.
• Support initiatives that improve efficiency, transparency, and long‑term value.
• Collaborate with leadership to identify opportunities for deeper strategic engagement.

Role Scope Clarification

This role does not manage:

• Day‑to‑day test execution
• Test case creation
• Defect triage or defect fixing

This role does provide:

• Governance and accountability
• Release decision leadership
• Executive‑level client representation
• Strategic oversight of quality outcomes

Qualifications:

Experience

• 5+ years in senior client‑facing roles such as:
• Account Lead
• Engagement Manager
• Delivery Governance Lead
• Program or Portfolio Lead
• Experience working in large enterprise or multinational environments.
• Proven ability to manage governance, risk, and senior stakeholders.

Language Skills

Japanese: Business‑level to near‑native fluency is an advantage

• (able to lead executive discussions confidently).

Core Attributes

• Strong leadership presence and confident decision‑making ability.
• Clear, structured communicator with executive‑level credibility.
• High accountability, ownership mindset, and integrity.
• Comfortable operating under ambiguity and advising at senior levels.

Nice to Have

• Experience supporting Japan‑market digital or IT programs.
• Exposure to QA, UAT, or enterprise testing environments.
• Familiarity with governance, reporting, or review frameworks in enterprise settings.