Chief of Staff, Japan

The role

You will act as the strategic right hand to the Country Director of ICEYE Japan. You will coordinate executive priorities across sales, delivery, and government affairs while bridging local teams with global functions.

What you will do

• Partner with the Country Director to define strategic priorities, OKRs, and annual business plans.
• Run the leadership team operating rhythm including meetings and quarterly reviews.
• Act as a proxy for the Country Director on internal and external matters.
• Prepare briefing materials, decks, and talking points for executive and government engagements.
• Connect Japan-based teams with global functions to ensure local priorities are represented.
• Project-manage strategic initiatives like partnership launches and government tenders.
• Support engagement with Japanese government agencies, disaster-response bodies, and insurance partners.
• Oversee office operations, budget tracking, and vendor management.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and team-building.

Required qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategy consulting, business operations, chief of staff roles, investment banking, or similar high-performance environments.
• Business fluency in Japanese and English, written and spoken.
• Demonstrated experience working with or alongside senior executives.
• Strong judgement on prioritisation and confidentiality.
• Excellent structured-thinking, project management, and executive communication skills.
• Strong cross-cultural fluency to bridge Japanese business norms with international HQ culture.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and an ownership mentality.

Nice to have

• Experience in aerospace, defence, geospatial/earth observation, insurance, or government relations.
• Prior experience in a startup/scale-up, or within a multinational’s Japan subsidiary.
• Familiarity with Japanese government procurement processes and/or the disaster-management ecosystem.
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree.

Benefits

• Continuous professional development
• Training opportunities

Before you apply

• Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required).
• TA Screen
• Hiring Manager Screen
• Mission Sales Director screening

About the company

ICEYE is the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space. The company operates globally with over 1000 employees and owns the world's largest and most advanced SAR satellite constellation.