Senior Program Manager - Japan

• Job title: Senior Program Manager

• Department: Missions Line of Business
• Location: Japan
• Reports to: Director of Program Management, Missions
• Employment type: Permanent
• Working type: Hybrid
• Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required)

Mission for this Role

Lead the successful delivery of assigned ICEYE’s Mission Line of Business programs, ensuring operational excellence, customer trust, and alignment with ICEYE’s strategic goals.

Who We Are

ICEYE delivers space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to governments and allied nations. This includes sovereign and turnkey ISR missions leveraging ICEYE’s world-leading synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology, as well as access to data from the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation. These capabilities enable partners to detect and respond to critical changes anywhere on Earth with unprecedented speed and accuracy – day or night and in any weather, supported by ultra high-resolution imagery and high-frequency revisits.

As a trusted partner for defense, intelligence, security, and maritime domain awareness, ICEYE’s near real-time data creates a tactical advantage for mission-critical operations. Designed for dual use, the platform also serves civil protection and commercial users for natural-catastrophe intelligence, insurance, maritime monitoring (including oil-spill detection), and finance, contributing to global security and community resilience.

ICEYE operates internationally with offices in Finland, Poland, Spain, Japan, the UAE, Greece, and the US. The company has more than 900 employees, inspired by the shared vision of improving life on Earth by becoming the global source of truth in Earth Observation.

Expected Outcomes

What success looks like in this role:

• Program Delivery Excellence: Deliver all program milestones on time, within scope, and at the required quality level—meeting contractual requirements and internal standards.
• Customer Relationship Leadership: Build a high-trust relationship with customers and partner ecosystems, becoming ICEYE’s principal program face for assigned programs.
• Integrated Cross-Functional Execution: Align manufacturing, engineering, and support functions around shared deliverables, using ICEYE’s governance and reporting systems.
• Commercial Success: Ensure contract compliance and enable on-time revenue recognition. Monitor program financials and proactively manage commercial risks and scope changes.
• Cultural Fluency: Bridges cross-cultural dynamics between ICEYEs stakeholders, adapting communication and leadership styles appropriately.
• Stakeholder Clarity & Communication: Drive transparent reporting, own external/internal coordination, and ensure stakeholder expectations are well managed.
• Tool and Process Mastery: Maintain full fluency in ICEYE’s internal program delivery tools, templates, risk registers, dashboards, and documentation systems.

Role-Specific Technical / Domain Competencies

• Program Delivery Leadership – End-to-end program ownership, from kick-off to customer acceptance.
• Contractual Execution – Managing delivery against SoWs, milestones, and formal reviews.
• Customer-Facing Capability – Leading structured customer interactions with clarity and credibility.
• Satellite System Knowledge – Understanding of space systems and ability to assess technical dependencies.
• Risk & Commercial Awareness – Identifying risks, managing scope, and understanding financial implications.

Key Competences

In addition to the requirements above, we evaluate candidates on these key qualities throughout the hiring process:

• Intellectual Firepower: Rapidly comprehends, structures and synthesizes complex information, draws accurate conclusions, and communicates them with clarity.
• Passion & Work Ethic: Brings sustained motivation, resilience, and high personal standards to every challenge.
• Ownership & Action: Assumes full accountability for outcomes, acting decisively, and ensuring commitments are delivered.
• Team Player: Works collaboratively across teams, contributing to shared success, and engaging in constructive debate.
• Integrity & Growth Mindset: Operates with transparency and humility, learns from setbacks, and actively seeks opportunities to grow.

Requirements

Ideal Profile

• Experience level: 5+ years of experience in program management, systems engineering, or project delivery in aerospace, satellite, or complex technical domains.
• Education level: Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Engineering, Physics, Aerospace, or another technical field
• Relevant certifications such as PMP (Project Management Professional) or PgMP (Program Management Professional) etc. preferred
• Language requirements: Fluent in English

Benefits

What we offer:

• A job that matters in a dynamic Earth Observation environment with a scale-up approach
• An independent role with a supportive and diverse work environment
• Time for self-development, research, training, conferences, or certification schemes
• The opportunity to work at the cutting edge of space technology in a fast paced rewarding, fun environment
• Working in New Space- it different, the norms are challenged and you can make a real difference if you have the drive and energy

Diversity & inclusion are core values at ICEYE. We are passionate about building and sustaining inclusive and equitable working and learning environments for all staff. We believe every member on our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and discover, design, and deliver solutions.

Could this be the role for you? Apply now to start your journey with ICEYE.

We are making the impossible possible together.