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About the Role

As the Head of TBS Finance Solutions Delivery Japan, this is the most senior TBS Finance leadership role in the country. The role holds full accountability for Japan finance operations and leadership of an organization of around 50 people, with the mandate, decision-making authority and executive visibility to shape how Finance is delivered in one of Takeda’s most important markets. This is a build-and-grow leadership opportunity as much as a transformation one. Beyond delivering lean, harmonized and high-quality operations, the leader will build a high-performing, future-ready organization, raise the capability and influence of the Japan finance team, and act as a trusted strategic partner to Japan and global Finance leadership.

Responsibilities

Lead and grow the TBS Japan Finance Solutions organization as the senior finance delivery leader in-country, covering Record-to-Report, Invoice-to-Cash, Acquire-to-Retire, Treasury, and potentially some direct & indirect Tax activities.
Drive transformation and alignment to global process standards, ensuring Japan finance operations adopt and embed standardized global processes, methodologies and best practices.
Shape a globally connected delivery model, partnering with the Global Hub in Poland to determine how select activities are best delivered across the network.
Champion digital transformation initiatives, including the SAP S/4HANA implementation in Japan, driving global process standardization and ensuring local readiness, stakeholder alignment, data migration integrity, and successful adoption of the new platform and related digital tools.
Operate as TBS Leader and business partner locally, acting as a single point of contact for the local Japan Finance Director, Global Tax, Global Treasury and other local leadership.
Partner with different TBS towers and teams to identify and drive continuous improvement, robotic and intelligent automation initiatives.
Ensure all processes and services are compliant with Takeda policies, global standards and Japanese regulatory requirements.
Lead to enhance the risk and control framework for the operations and ensure practices are in line with company risk, J-GAAP/IFRS and US SOX and control best practices.
Ensure effective escalation model is in place locally and maintain strong governance and service delivery oversight.
Be a lead change agent for global and TBS initiatives, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the Japan finance team.
Upskilling of team including capability building aligned with future operating model.

Requirements

Proven finance and people leadership within a large, multinational organization, ideally in Japan.
Experience across shared services and operating-model design, finance transformation and SAP S/4HANA is highly valued.
Proven record of leading and running large accounting & controlling teams and delivering shared service strategies, ideally in a Japanese business environment.
Finance transformation experience in a global organization, including ERP implementations (SAP S/4HANA experience desirable).
Demonstrated experience in centralizing or transitioning finance activities to shared service centers or global hubs.
Proven track record of driving continuous improvement initiatives applying common methodologies such as LEAN or EOAR.
Proven people management experience – successful record of recruiting, organizing, developing and retaining professional staff in a large team (~50 people).
Strong experience in finance & accounting, analysis, reporting, controlling and management at a multinational organization.
Strategic change and project management experience.
Strong customer service focus & business partnering skills.
Strong stakeholder and relationship management, with the ability to navigate Japanese business culture and corporate etiquette.
Operational experience in leading shared services or country finance organizations, preferably in Japan.
Senior Finance role with strategic, transformation and operational experience.
Strong understanding of end-to-end Finance business processes.
Experience with SAP ERP systems; SAP S/4HANA implementation or migration experience is a strong advantage.
Understanding of Japanese regulatory and tax requirements, J-SOX compliance and local statutory reporting.
Strong strategic thinking and decision making.
Demonstrated success in leading Finance teams through significant transformation, including process centralization and system migrations.
Experience developing and managing high-performing teams (~50 people) in high-volume and high-pressure environments.
Ability to form strong working relationships across a matrix environment with ability to collaborate and influence executive leadership.
Excellent communication, listening and influencing skills; ability to listen, anticipate customer needs and influence solutions.
Act as a change agent, drive TBS culture and mindset within Japan, championing global standardization and digital transformation.
Technically strong with proven ability to make sound decisions and lead projects to successful completion.
Ability to lead effectively and work concurrently across multiple priorities in a goal-oriented, timeline-driven, and remote management work environment.
Solutions oriented, with the ability to structure ambiguous problems and develop qualitative and quantitative approaches / methodologies for identifying and assessing various options to provide solutions.
Strong business acumen with an ability to understand the business implications of decisions.
Result oriented – drives to pragmatic solutions and balances the ideal with the practical in order to deliver best value to the organization.
Makes timely decisions and translates strategy into action. Ensures impact is quantified, tracked and realized.
Establishes credibility and earns respect with Japan and global Finance stakeholders. Able to facilitate alignment without compromising principles.
A partner to the Japan Finance Leads, Country Managers, TBS LT and other Takeda Corporate Functions.
Engages with the business to understand current and anticipate future requirements.
Partners with the Finance Solutions Team and the Global Hub in Poland to promote harmonization, simplification and transformation programs.
Able to influence with and without authority.
Challenges the status quo to drive greater value and growth for the business.
Drives simplification, innovation and continuous improvement activities while ensuring business continuity and minimal business disruptions.
Ensures sharing of knowledge and best practices across Japan, the Global Hub in Poland, TBS sites and TBS globally.
Applies digital environment knowledge — including SAP S/4HANA and automation tools — to create better solutions and insights.
Operating in a complex, R&D-centric, heavily regulated environment with specific Japanese regulatory requirements.
Demonstrated capability to successfully collaborate in a matrix organization and manage a complex cross-functional environment driving the execution of Japan Finance transition and transformation plans.
Drives changes in-country and within the delivery center, with the combination of process, project and change management expertise.
Working within an international / global remit and across cultures, with particular sensitivity to Japanese business practices and cultural norms.
Business-fluent in Japanese and English (both written and spoken).
High degree of integrity, confidence and self-awareness.
Confident and persuasive with strong influencing skills; able to win internal support for new ideas and initiatives.
Appreciates, understands and effectively negotiates within and across other cultures, with strong sensitivity to Japanese business customs.
Customer-centric and solutions-oriented attitude with demonstrable experience in providing solutions based on customer needs.
People leadership and management skills (e.g. energetic, visionary, motivational, resilient & highly driven individual who thrives on professional challenges).
Strong negotiation & interpersonal skills (e.g. tact/diplomacy, persuasion, cooperation, ability to motivate others).
Experienced in handling sensitive and confidential issues/situations and cultural sensitivities.
TBS problem-solving and entrepreneurial mindset — driven to create and innovate.
Finance process and technology knowledge. Familiar with Finance technology – e.g. SAP, SAP S/4HANA, BlackLine etc. and enabling technology.

Skills

Finance leadership
People leadership
Shared services
Operating-model design
Finance transformation
SAP S/4HANA
Accounting
Controlling
ERP implementations
Process centralization
Continuous improvement
LEAN
EOAR
People management
Recruiting
Organizing
Developing
Retaining professional staff
Analysis
Reporting
Management
Strategic change
Project management
Customer service
Business partnering
Stakeholder management
Relationship management
Japanese business culture navigation
Corporate etiquette
End-to-end Finance business processes
SAP ERP systems
Japanese regulatory requirements
Japanese tax requirements
J-SOX compliance
Local statutory reporting
Strategic thinking
Decision making
Matrix environment collaboration
Executive leadership influence
Communication
Listening
Influencing
Change agent
TBS culture
TBS mindset
Global standardization
Digital transformation
Sound decision making
Goal-oriented
Timeline-driven
Remote management
Problem structuring
Qualitative approaches
Quantitative approaches
Business acumen
Result orientation
Pragmatic solutions
Strategy translation
Impact quantification
Credibility establishment
Respect earning
Alignment facilitation
Anticipating customer needs
Innovation
Simplification
Continuous improvement
Business continuity
Knowledge sharing
Best practice sharing
Digital environment knowledge
Automation tools
R&D-centric environment operation
Regulated environment operation
Cross-functional management
Process management
Change management
International remit
Global remit
Cross-cultural collaboration
Japanese business practices sensitivity
Japanese cultural norms sensitivity
MBA
Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field
Professional Finance Qualification
CPA
ACA
ACCA
Treasury
Planning
Budgeting
Business-fluent Japanese
Business-fluent English
SAP
BlackLine
Integrity
Confidence
Self-awareness
Persuasion
Internal support winning
Cross-cultural negotiation
Customer-centric attitude
Solutions-oriented attitude
Interpersonal skills
Negotiation skills
Tact
Diplomacy
Cooperation
Motivation
Resilience
Handling sensitive issues
Handling confidential issues
Cultural sensitivities
Problem-solving mindset
Entrepreneurial mindset
Finance process knowledge
Finance technology knowledge

Location

Tokyo, Japan

Work Type

Employee
Regular
Full time

Experience Level

10–15+ years' experience in industry
Senior Finance role

Education Level

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field
Master's in Business Administration (Desirable)

Benefits

Commutation allowance
Housing allowance
Overtime Work allowance
Annual Salary Increase
Bonus Payment (Twice a year)
Social Insurance
Retirement and Corporate Pension
Employee Stock Ownership Program

About the Company

Takeda is a global values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader.
We are guided by our values of Takeda-ism, which has been passed down since the company’s founding.
Takeda-ism incorporates Integrity, Fairness, Honesty, and Perseverance, with Integrity at the core.
They are brought to life through actions based on Patient-Trust-Reputation-Business, in this order.
Takeda Business Solutions (TBS) is a global organization that partners with the business and uses data and digital capabilities to standardize and optimize end-to-end Finance and Procurement processes.
With a clear line of sight to the patient, TBS creates seamless experiences that free up our people to focus on our purpose: better health for people and a brighter future for the world.

Equal Opportunity

Better Health, Brighter Future