Engineering Manager
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Sep 25, 2026. First seen by Alion on Apr 27, 2026. Kodomamo scores B on the Alion truth index.
Engineering Manager
Description
Adora's engineering team is growing fast - and coordination is becoming our biggest bottleneck. We need an Engineering Manager who can step in, own project flow end-to-end, and free the CTO to focus on long-term technical strategy. Think: Scrum Master, Engineering Lead, and Team Builder rolled into one.
This is the on-ramp to a VP of Engineering role as the team scales. You'll be the person who makes 5-10 brilliant but busy engineers actually ship together - on time, with quality, and without burning out.
Fluency in both Japanese and English is a hard requirement. You will work with Japanese stakeholders (KDDI, municipalities, school boards) and an international engineering team simultaneously. This role is best performed in-person at our Kinshicho office, especially while you're building trust and context.
## What You'll Do
- Own the end-to-end project coordination process across the engineering team.
- Run agile/Scrum ceremonies - sprint planning, standups, retrospectives - and keep all projects on track.
- Work closely with the CTO to translate technical strategy into executable engineering plans.
- Manage task distribution and workload balance across the team.
- Be the communication bridge between engineering and stakeholders (product, customer success, leadership, partners).
- Hire, onboard, and mentor engineers; help grow a high-performance, international engineering culture.
- Identify process gaps and implement practical, startup-appropriate solutions.
## Our Culture
- Small, high-calibre team - average age 26-27, many with overseas study or work experience.
- English is our official working language (Japanese also spoken).
- Fully remote & full-flex - we have a Kinshicho (Tokyo) office, but you can work from anywhere.
- Flat org, low hierarchy - everyone talks directly to the CTO and CEO.
- Serious mission, startup energy - we care deeply about social impact and move fast.
## Awards & Partnerships
Cabinet Secretariat 'IchiBiz Award' - Public Safety Prize
Aichi Prefectural Police Headquarters Award
18th Kids Design Award - Special Prize from the Jury Chair
KDDI - Official app on the U12 Value Plan (since Sept 2025)
Aichi Nisshin City Board of Education - Kodomamo for School adoption agreement
Requirements
Adora's engineering team is growing fast - and coordination is becoming our biggest bottleneck. We need an Engineering Manager who can step in, own project flow end-to-end, and free the CTO to focus on long-term technical strategy. Think: Scrum Master, Engineering Lead, and Team Builder rolled into one.
This is the on-ramp to a VP of Engineering role as the team scales. You'll be the person who makes 5-10 brilliant but busy engineers actually ship together - on time, with quality, and without burning out.
Fluency in both Japanese and English is a hard requirement. You will work with Japanese stakeholders (KDDI, municipalities, school boards) and an international engineering team simultaneously. This role is best performed in-person at our Kinshicho office, especially while you're building trust and context.
## What You'll Do
- Own the end-to-end project coordination process across the engineering team.
- Run agile/Scrum ceremonies - sprint planning, standups, retrospectives - and keep all projects on track.
- Work closely with the CTO to translate technical strategy into executable engineering plans.
- Manage task distribution and workload balance across the team.
- Be the communication bridge between engineering and stakeholders (product, customer success, leadership, partners).
- Hire, onboard, and mentor engineers; help grow a high-performance, international engineering culture.
- Identify process gaps and implement practical, startup-appropriate solutions.
## Our Culture
- Small, high-calibre team - average age 26-27, many with overseas study or work experience.
- English is our official working language (Japanese also spoken).
- Fully remote & full-flex - we have a Kinshicho (Tokyo) office, but you can work from anywhere.
- Flat org, low hierarchy - everyone talks directly to the CTO and CEO.
- Serious mission, startup energy - we care deeply about social impact and move fast.
## Awards & Partnerships
Cabinet Secretariat 'IchiBiz Award' - Public Safety Prize
Aichi Prefectural Police Headquarters Award
18th Kids Design Award - Special Prize from the Jury Chair
KDDI - Official app on the U12 Value Plan (since Sept 2025)
Aichi Nisshin City Board of Education - Kodomamo for School adoption agreement
Preferred Experiences
- Prior VPoE or Head of Engineering experience at a startup.
- Background in mobile, backend, or full-stack engineering.
- Experience with AI/ML product development.
- Experience in international or bilingual engineering teams.
We are looking for
## Who This Role Is NOT For
- Candidates whose entire career has been at large tech companies or consulting firms - startup instincts are essential here.
- Managers who strongly prefer fully remote at this stage - in-person presence at our Tokyo office is important for this leadership role.
- Candidates who want clearly bounded job scopes - this role requires a builder's mindset.
Working Conditions
Salary
Competitive - commensurate with experience
Location
Remote-friendly (Kinshicho, Tokyo office available)
Job Type
Full-time (正社員) · 3-month probation
Work hours
9:00-18:00 (flex) · Weekends & holidays off