Recruitment Background

“Changing clothes, changing common sense, changing the world.” This is the Fast Retailing Group’s mission statement. Through “clothing”—an indispensable part of people’s lives around the world—we aim to become the world’s most needed and beloved brand. Under the LifeWear concept, we utilize an integrated process spanning from material sourcing to planning, production, and sales to offer unique products made with high-quality and functional materials at prices accessible to everyone.Our revenue has reached 3.9 trillion yen in the 40 years since our founding, and we have set a long-term goal of 10 trillion yen in revenue. This does not mean that revenue growth is an end in itself; rather, it reflects our commitment to delivering the services our customers seek at the highest level and becoming a company that improves society as we grow. We view the current period of transformation as our “Fourth Founding,” and one of the drivers of this transformation is the utilization of technology.
To carry out such disruptive transformations and achieve dramatic business growth on a global scale, it is essential to automate and enhance business operations through the implementation of intelligent systems that fuse vast amounts of data with the power of science. For this position, we are seeking an AI Program Manager who will gain a cross-functional understanding of company-wide AI initiatives—centered on generative AI and AI agents—and support executive decision-making and the execution of these initiatives.

Department Overview

The Digital Business Transformation Services Department, to which you will be assigned, has a mission to envision the “ideal state” of business operations from the customer’s perspective and to lead business transformation using the latest digital technologies. The department is accelerating the in-house development of e-commerce and retail systems, core supply chain systems, and the AI algorithms integrated into them. A diverse team of specialists—including project managers, business analysts, in-house development engineers, data scientists, and UI/UX designers—collaborates closely with business divisions.
This position will drive company-wide AI initiatives across all departments, focusing primarily on generative AI and AI agents, while also incorporating initiatives that utilize machine learning and mathematical optimization.By collaborating with business units, IT teams across various operational areas, data scientists, and engineers, you will visualize the progress, results, and investment status of each initiative, as well as identify overlaps between initiatives and unresolved issues. Going beyond simply managing the progress of individual projects, you will propose strategies regarding priorities, investment, and resource allocation based on the big picture, thereby supporting executive decision-making. You will also work with relevant departments to translate decided policies into concrete actions.

Job Description

As an AI Program Manager, you will drive the following tasks as part of company-wide AI initiatives centered on generative AI and AI agents.

• You will organize the objectives, progress, expected outcomes, investments, resources, and risks of each initiative from a unified perspective to visualize the status of company-wide efforts.
• You will identify overlaps and dependencies between initiatives, as well as unaddressed issues, and propose countermeasures such as integrating initiatives, scaling them across the organization, or launching new initiatives.
• Based on contribution to the business, feasibility, and return on investment, you will organize options regarding initiative prioritization and the allocation of investment and resources to support executive decision-making.
• We lead coordination and consensus-building among business units, IT teams, specialized personnel, and external partners to drive the implementation of decisions and resolve cross-functional issues.
• We monitor post-implementation usage and business outcomes, and propose improvements aimed at continuing, revising, or expanding initiatives.

Specifically, we will promote the following initiatives:

• For more than 100 company-wide AI initiatives, we will centrally track their objectives, progress, results, and investment status; visualize overlaps, dependencies, and areas not yet addressed; and propose priorities and action plans to senior management.

*The Job Description may change within the scope of duties related to each department of the headquarters due to departmental transfers or organizational changes.

Career Path

After joining the company, you will be responsible for the cross-functional management of company-wide AI initiatives and supporting executive decision-making. In the future, we expect you to take on a leadership role—not limited to the AI field—as the head of company-wide transformation programs or a project portfolio manager, or as an organizational leader.

Required Experience, Skills, and Abilities

• At least 3 years of experience driving projects in the IT field
• Experience participating in project teams in the AI/data science field as a project manager or team member
• Experience solving customer or user challenges through projects
• Experience in analyzing situations and challenges across multiple projects and initiatives, and driving solutions through coordination and consensus-building with stakeholders both within and outside the team
• Experience in distilling key issues and options necessary for decision-making from complex information and presenting them to senior management or decision-makers
• Basic knowledge of the characteristics, applicability, and limitations of AI technologies—including generative AI and AI agents—enabling discussion with technical experts

Preferred Experience, Skills, and Abilities

• Professional certifications in project management, such as Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Experience and operational knowledge in data analysis and project management within the retail, apparel, and supply chain sectors
• Experience designing projects that take ROI and technical feasibility into account, and securing budgets and resources after reaching consensus with senior management and business departments
• Experience managing company-wide transformation programs, PMOs, or project portfolios
• Experience comparing the return on investment of multiple initiatives and participating in prioritization and the allocation of budgets and resources
• Experience implementing and utilizing generative AI and agent technologies in actual business systems
• Experience integrating cutting-edge analytical models and algorithms into actual business systems, including operations and effectiveness validation
• Communication skills to clearly explain the benefits, limitations, and risks of AI to business unit stakeholders and senior management
• Experience collaborating with international team members, study abroad experience, and English proficiency (TOEIC score of 700 or higher)
• Experience managing an organization of 10 or more people

Company Name

Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

Employment Type

Full-time Employee (Permanent, with a 3-month probationary period)

Annual Salary

• Annual Salary Range: 8 million to 20 million yen (Monthly Salary: 500,000 to 1.1 million yen)
• Allowances: Commuting allowance, overtime pay, etc. (*All subject to company regulations)
• Bonuses: Semi-annual bonuses twice a year, year-end bonus (eligibility and amount determined based on company performance and performance evaluations)
• Promotions twice a year (determined based on performance evaluations)

*Salary will be determined based on company regulations, taking into account your previous annual income and experience, and is not limited to the figures listed above.

Working Hours

Flexible work schedule or managerial/supervisory position

• Flexible work schedule

Standard daily working hours: 8 hours; Break: 1 hour
Core hours: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Flexible hours…6:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Overtime may be required

• Supervisors

Based on the working hours of the employee’s department; left to the employee’s discretion

Holidays and Leave

Two days off per week (Saturdays and Sundays; national holidays are considered workdays) Annual paid leave, special leave and bereavement leave, childcare and family care leave systems, etc.
*In addition to paid leave, special leave is granted in the first and second halves of the fiscal year (the number of days granted varies depending on employment status and the company to which the employee belongs)

Insurance Coverage

Social Insurance (Health Insurance, Employees’ Pension Insurance, Unemployment Insurance, Workers’ Compensation Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance)

Employee Benefits

Employee stock ownership plan, mutual aid association, partner welfare programs, employee discount program, cafeteria, dedicated shuttle bus (for commuting to the Ariake office), defined contribution pension plan

Other

• We are actively hiring mid-career professionals across various Group companies (Fast Retailing, UNIQLO, GU, etc.). We would appreciate it if you could review the information below and consider applying.
• Within the Fast Retailing Group, you may apply to multiple companies simultaneously. However, please note that even if the selection process proceeds at multiple companies, you can only advance to the final selection stage for one position at a time.
• Based on your submitted resume and interview performance, we may contact you to discuss opportunities at other companies or for other positions within the Fast Retailing Group.
• Secondhand Smoke Policy: Smoking is prohibited on the premises and indoors; we do not have designated smoking rooms. (Smoking is prohibited during working hours, including break times.)

Ariake Headquarters: 1-6-7 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, UNIQLO CITY
*Your location may be changed to a location designated by the company, including overseas locations.