Senior Operations Director, North Asia, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Job Title

Senior Operations Director, North Asia

Job Description Summary

POSITION OVERVIEW Cushman and Wakefield’s Data Centre Group Technical Services Asia Pacific specialises in the delivery and advisory of mission critical facilities, including data centres, digital infrastructure, utilities infrastructure, and other complex non-traditional investment asset classes. The Senior Operations Manager North Asia is a senior leadership position responsible for: Driving business development and revenue growth across North Asia. Providing operational leadership for the Technical Services department. Delivering executive level oversight of complex data centre and digital infrastructure projects. This role ensures consistency of service quality, commercial performance, technical excellence and client satisfaction across the regional portfolio, while supporting the continued expansion of Cushman and Wakefield’s Data Centre platform. The Data Centre Group delivers end-to-end advisory and delivery services across the full asset lifecycle, including: Market evaluations. Site inspections and building condition assessments. Financial modelling and investment analysis. Feasibility and optioneering studies. Technical due diligence. Programme management. Project management. Cost and commercial management. Procurement and contractor management. Construction monitoring. Construction management. Testing and commissioning services. Site and commissioning support. Principal contracting. Design and Build services. White space contracting. Energy and utilities consulting. Environmental engineering. Sustainability and ESG advisory services. We are looking for a dynamic Associate Director with a proven track record successfully delivering high profile, high value and mission critical major projects. This position will oversee and direct construction projects from conception to completion. This role ensures that all projects are completed on time, within budget, to the highest standards of quality and safety. The Associate Director will collaborate with various internal and external stakeholders, including clients, consultants, regulatory bodies and contractors to ensure the successful delivery of project management duties on allocated projects. The Associate Director must: Demonstrate ability of end-to-end programme management. Possess an in-depth knowledge of procurement, risk and quality practices. Demonstrate critical thinking and evaluation skills. Possess superior people management, negotiation and conflict resolution skills. Ability to coach, mentor, motivate and influence project managers.

Job Description

1.0 – Project Specific

Provide regional operational oversight and functional leadership across North Asia, ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery of complex data centre and digital infrastructure projects, strong client outcomes, and sustainable revenue and business growth. Act as a senior escalation point for critical issues while driving operational excellence, margin performance, and client confidence across the regional portfolio.

1.1 – Scope Management

Provide regional governance and functional leadership to project teams across North Asia.
Ensure project scopes are clearly defined, aligned to client objectives, Technical Services capabilities, and commercial outcomes.
Validate that deliverables, success criteria, and key milestones support both contractual commitments and regional growth objectives.
Challenge scope assumptions to protect margin, avoid scope creep, and support long-term client relationships.

1.2 – Planning & Scheduling

Provide senior-level oversight and challenge of project schedules across the regional portfolio.
Interface with Project Directors and Project Managers to review schedule status, risks, and forecast impacts.
Ensure schedules are aligned with contractual obligations and client commitments, practically constructible, technically achievable and commercially robust, supporting revenue recognition and margin protection.
Support stakeholder and client discussions at executive level where schedule slippage or recovery planning is required.

1.3 – Procurement Management

Provide regional functional leadership for procurement strategies supporting data centre and digital infrastructure projects.
Ensure procurement activities align with project delivery requirements, risk profile, and cost plans.
Leverage regional and cross-project procurement learnings to improve supply chain performance, reduce cost and programme risk and enhance delivery certainty across North Asia.
Support strategic supplier relationships that enable scalability and future business development.

1.4 – Budget & Financial Management

Oversee the development of comprehensive project budgets, ensuring all labour, specialist resources, materials, escalation, risk, and overheads are fully captured.
Lead regular regional financial reviews, comparing actuals against forecasts and approved budgets.
Ensure robust real-time cost tracking and transparent financial reporting.
Direct variance analysis and corrective actions to protect forecast margin and revenue outcomes.
Maintain executive oversight of aggregate portfolio financial performance across North Asia.

1.5 – Project Controls & Risk Management

Provide executive oversight of project performance through progress and productivity metrics, schedule adherence, cost and margin performance.
Chair or sponsor monthly regional project performance, financial and risk reviews.
Ensure projects are adequately resourced with appropriate project controls systems, tools, and personnel.
Treat reduction in error or forecast margin as a loss, and margin improvement as a key success metric.
Review mandated project reports and investigate irregularities or emerging risks.
Identify material financial, commercial, and delivery risks and drive mitigation strategies.
Lead and influence a strong regional culture of risk awareness, transparency, and accountability.
Ensure Project Risk Registers are comprehensive, current, and aligned with schedule and financial forecasts.
Confirm Risk Treatment Plans are practical, effective, and actively managed.
Apply sound understanding of quantitative risk analysis to support executive decision-making.
Ensure effective interfaces between risk, schedule, cost, and commercial processes.
Capture risk and project controls learnings and disseminate across the North Asia business.
Drive action plans from lessons-learned sessions within a “no blame” continuous improvement culture.

1.6 – Stakeholder Management, Communication & Document Control

Maintain clear, consistent, and executive-level communication with internal and external stakeholders on project and portfolio performance.
Build and sustain trusted senior relationships with clients, partners, and internal leadership.
Assess the effectiveness of project team communications with critical stakeholders.
Coach and mentor Project Managers to strengthen confidence, clarity, and impact in their stakeholder engagement.
Ensure compliance with Cushman & Wakefield document control and management principles.
Confirm document management systems and processes are fit-for-purpose for complex, multi-country projects.

1.7 – Performance & Capability Management

Monitor regional project team performance to ensure high productivity, efficiency, and delivery consistency.
Identify capability gaps and invest in targeted training and development to enhance:
- Technical Services expertise
- Commercial acumen
- Leadership capability
Build a strong, scalable project delivery capability to support sustained growth across North Asia.

1.8 – Contract Management

Provide senior oversight of contract preparation, review, and approval with clients and key suppliers.
Ensure contracts are commercially sound, risk-balanced, and aligned with regional business objectives.
Verify compliance with contractual requirements for extensions of time and variations.
Provide executive guidance on change management to protect scope, timeline, and margin.
Support Project Managers in complex negotiations and dispute avoidance.

1.9 – Reporting & Governance

Ensure rigorous documentation of financial, commercial, and delivery decisions.
Confirm full compliance with the Cushman & Wakefield Project Management Methodology (PMM).
Provide regional oversight and functional support to ensure PMM processes are embedded and followed.
Review project reports and assess the performance of Project Managers and delivery teams.
Ensure project reviews and lessons learned are actioned and shared across the regional business.

1.10 – Quality Management

Lead the implementation of robust quality assurance processes across North Asia.
Ensure delivery quality aligns with client expectations for mission-critical data centre and digital infrastructure assets.
Leverage quality learnings across projects to reduce rework, defects, and operational risk.
Foster a regional culture of quality excellence and continuous improvement.

1.11 – Business Development & Revenue Growth

Drive business development strategy and execution across North Asia, aligned with regional and APAC growth agenda for Technical Services, data centres, and digital infrastructure.
Partner with regional leadership, sales teams, and Technical Services leaders to identify, qualify, and convert new business opportunities, from early-stage pursuits through to contract award.
Leverage operational insight, project delivery experience, and market intelligence to shape compelling value propositions that differentiate Cushman & Wakefield in competitive bids.
Provide executive-level oversight and support on major pursuits, including proposal strategy, resourcing models, programme approach, risk positioning, and commercial assumptions.Support key client engagements by building trusted senior relationships with developers, operators, investors, and occupiers across the data centre and digital infrastructure sectors.Identify repeat business and expansion opportunities within existing accounts by leveraging delivery performance, client satisfaction, and cross-service collaboration.Ensure business development activities are commercially disciplined, with robust bid governance, risk review, and margin alignment prior to submission.Translate market trends, client feedback, and project lessons learned into actionable improvements in go-to-market strategy, service offerings, and delivery models.Actively contribute to regional revenue forecasting, pipeline management, and reporting to support sustainable growth and resource planning.
1.12 – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Demonstrated adherence to Cushman & Wakefield values and leadership behaviours.Zero lost time injuries or incidents with cost or time impact.Consistently high internal and external client satisfaction.Full compliance with all Cushman & Wakefield policies, procedures, and governance standards.Delivery of sustainable revenue growth and margin performance across the North Asia portfolio.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”