Department: Future Food Institute - Japan

Location: Tokyo, including suburban areas

Time Commitment: Full time

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ROLE OVERVIEW

The Project Manager will work mainly in Japanese and will be responsible for the comprehensive supporting, execution, and evaluation of Future Food Institute's projects focused on regeneration, nutrition, agro-food system innovation, community empowerment, and skill development. This role is integral to advancing FFI's mission to create regenerative food systems, empower change agents, and deliver meaningful impact across diverse stakeholders. Acting as a linchpin between internal teams and external partners, the Project Manager will ensure that projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with FFI's vision for a more equitable and regenerative future.

The Operations Manager will ensure smooth daily operations, coordinate projects and events, and contribute to the growth of the Tokyo Living Lab - a hub for innovation and collaboration dedicated to creating regenerative cities.

We are looking for someone who is very organized, methodical, and respectful of deadlines.

CORE RESPONSABILITIES

Strategic Partnerships & Coordination

• Support FFI's partnerships with public and private stakeholders to strengthen its role as a catalyst for the regenerative movement in Japan and globally.
• Manage communication and coordination with partners and collaborators, ensuring alignment with shared goals, milestones, and deliverables.
• Contribute to strategic planning, innovation workshops, stakeholder engagement, and progress reporting across ongoing initiatives.

Tokyo Living Lab:

• Lead and coordinate the operations of the Tokyo Living Lab, a platform that will serve as the house of innovative ideas focusing on the design, and creation of regenerative action.
• Oversee program activities such as international events, bootcamps, educational programs, and collaborative projects.
• Support ecosystem building by engaging corporations, academia, and government partners in the Living Lab's initiatives.

RegenerAction Japan event:

• co-plan and execute the RegenerAction Event focusing on showcasing high-level inspiration, international and JP case studies, and handling the production, travels, logistics, and other related activities.
• Ensure the event aligns with the goals of branding and creating a destination for the regenerative movement

Client management:

ensuring good Japanese and English communication with clients and stakeholders, answering emails, drafting emails, scheduling meetings, and attending meetings.

Projects/events/workshops/community management and organization:

contributing to the planning and development of projects/events, study tour and educational programs supporting the coordination and execution of them, including logistics.

Stakeholders engagement:

recruiting and involving stakeholders, and following up on new collaboration opportunities, and drafting proposals and presentations for potential clients.

Translations English – Japanese:

providing accurate translations and guaranteeing that all the documents and the contents we'll share have an appropriate language and tone of voice.

Internal communication:

organizing documents in Google Drive to facilitate internal communication, maintaining project documents and reports updated and at their place, constantly updating Notion, keeping track of KPIs, and aligning the other members of the ecosystem on the latest developments on the FFJ activities.

KEY COMPETENCES AND SKILLS

• Project Management Expertise: demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects effectively.
• Strategic Thinking and Organizational Skills: capacity to design and execute projects with a focus on long-term impact and scalability. Analyzing data, and managing multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Effective Communication: written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to engage diverse audiences.
• Passion for Regeneration and Sustainability: strong commitment to fostering innovation and equity within the food system.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Candidate must be proficent in business Japanese
• At least 2 years of experience in managing projects.
• Previous working experience in sustainability, food systems, regeneration, or related sectors.
• Japanese mother tongue is required
• Fluency in English is required
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., Trello, Asana), and Google Suits (Drive, Meet etc.).
• Be very organized, methodical, and respectful of deadlines.
• Be comfortable in a flexible and remote working environment.

WORK CONDITIONS

• Availability for occasional travel as required by the projects.
• Flexible Hours: Involvement in international collaborations and events may occasionally require non-traditional working hours.
• Remote working is allowed, however, a minimum of 1 day per week at Tokyo Living Lab is required. During the monthly meeting is required the presence as well.

MENTORSHIP & CAREER GROWTH:

Our team is dedicated to supporting new members. We have a broad mix of experience levels and tenures, and we're building an environment that celebrates knowledge sharing and mentorship. We care about your career growth and strive to assign activities based on what will help each team member develop into a better-rounded professional and enable them to take on more complex tasks in the future.

Thanks to a highly distributed and flexible FF network, we will allow you to learn and share your thoughts with great international and local thinkers.

ABOUT FUTURE FOOD INSTITUTE

The Future Food Institute (FFI) is a global ecosystem for education, research, and innovation, dedicated to transforming food systems into powerful levers of ecological regeneration, social equity, living heritage, gastro-diplomacy, health, and economic resilience.

Operating across continents, FFI leads territorial innovation and capacity-building through Living Labs in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and is the curator of the Paideia Campus in Pollica, home to one of the UNESCO Emblematic Communities of the Mediterranean Diet. Its work integrates bioregional regeneration, intercultural dialogue, and systems thinking, aligned with the UN SDGs, the EU Green Deal, and the Laudato Si' principles of integral ecology.

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