Senior Product Manager

About Cogent

As one of the first Tokyo-based AI startups, we have been at the forefront of AI innovation since 2014. Our journey has been marked by rapid growth and cutting-edge technological advancements, making us a prime destination for ambitious professionals seeking to make a real-world impact by solving a wide range of business problems.

While we’ve long been recognized for our expertise in AI-based document automation through our flagship product SmartRead, our mission is now evolving to encompass the complete automation of business processes. Building on our advanced capability to accurately extract and comprehend key information from documents, we are developing sophisticated AI-powered workflow automation solutions that seamlessly connect information acquisition with subsequent actions. Through these cutting-edge and comprehensive automation services, Cogent Labs aims to dramatically enhance business productivity and contribute to solving Japan’s labor shortage challenge - creating a society where one person can generate the value of ten or even a hundred.

At Cogent Labs, we foster a culture of ownership and teamwork like a professional sports team. We are a meritocratic, results-driven team, looking for a self-starter and highly motivated individuals who thrive on challenges in a closely collaborating team environment.

While our engineering team faces exciting technical challenges everyday, the team maintains exceptionally high standards for each other, creating a supportive environment that encourages knowledge sharing and collaborative learning and work. Also, if you're ambitious, you'll have plenty of opportunities to propose new ideas, own them and lead projects at any level.

Job Summary

We are launching a new Product Management team reporting directly to the CTO and seek a Product Manager. This pivotal role involves translating our cutting-edge AI technology into successful B2B SaaS products, bridging the gap between deep technical development and strategic business goals. You will leverage your technical understanding (especially in AI), B2B market knowledge, and language (Japanese/English) fluency to drive product innovation and success.

Responsibilities

• Gather Customer & Market Insights: Actively engage with current and potential customers through interviews, usability testing, and observational sessions to deeply understand their needs, workflows, and market expectations, ensuring product direction is grounded in user reality.
• Bridge R&D and Business: Act as the key interface between technical teams, business stakeholders (Sales, Marketing, Leadership), customers, and strategic partners.
• Champion Product Success: Utilize research, data, and stakeholder input to make informed product decisions, manage priorities, and ensure successful product outcomes.

Required Qualifications

Required qualifications

• 5+ years of Product Management experience, ideally with B2B SaaS products.
• Essential: Fluent Japanese (written and spoken) and Business level English.
• Proven ability to understand complex technical concepts and effectively connect them to business strategy and market needs.
• Demonstrated success working directly with R&D/engineering teams.
• Strong strategic thinking, leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) or Business field is preferred.

Nice to have qualifications

• Experience with AI/ML, document processing, workflow automation
• Knowledge/understanding of standard Japanese business processes is preferred, especially in Procure-to-Pay (P2P) and Supply Chain areas, including relevant tools and documents used in them, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Transportation Management Systems (TMS), Invoice, Purchase Order (PO), Bill of Lading (BOL), Proof-of-Delivery (POD), etc.

Why Join Cogent Labs?

• Directly influence product strategy and technology direction, reporting to the Principal Product Manager.
• Play a foundational role in a new, high-impact team. Join an innovative tech company in a dynamic environment. Competitive compensation and benefits package.

Team culture

The Cogent Labs engineering department is continuously working towards developing a culture improving and rewarding the following qualities:

• Team effort: A cohesive team can be more effective than an isolated prodigy. Engineers are expected to work well in groups and look for opportunities to empower their colleagues.
• Ownership: Take full responsibility for your own projects and tasks and if needed, cross over boundaries in order to successfully deliver your project.
• Self-improvement: Create an environment where engineers can focus on their engineering tasks and self-improvement without excessive outside disturbances.
• Experimentation: Engineers should have some freedom in experimenting with new ideas and technologies, as this ultimately could translate into building better products or the creation of valuable new IP.
• Quality & Excellence: Maintaining a mindset of developing high quality features and code. We avoid cutting corners as much as possible.
• Customer Service: Being customer focused, not only externally but internally as well. This means developing services that not only improve the experience of our end customers, but also being ‘customer service’ oriented within your team and the company as a whole by helping out others and sharing knowledge.

The ideal candidate

• Can empathize Cogent Labs’ VISION and MISSION.
• Is a team player who aims for higher goals.
• Has integrity and humility, and shows respect and gratitude to others.
• Prefers open and transparent communication.
• Has a strong growth mindset.
• Can receive feedback positively and provide constructive feedback to others.

What we offer

• Competitive Salary - Based on skills and experience
• Performance bonus eligibility twice a year
• Stock Option

Benefits

• Visa Sponsorship
• Free in-office breakfast, coffee, tea, drinks and snacks
• Subsidized language training
• Subsidized gym membership
• Monthly commute expense
• Japanese Social Security - all applicable (Health Insurance, Pension, employment insurance etc.)
• DC (Definitive Contribution) pension plan
• Maternity leave, childcare leave (including male employees)
• Yearly health checkup
• Paid Holiday - Maximum 20 days per year (additional Congratulatory, Bereavement leaves available)