Senior Site Service Manager

JLL empowers you to shape a brighter way.  

Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong.  Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward.

Overall Role 

As the Senior Site Services Manager (SSSM), you serve as the Country Lead for the Client account in Japan, providing strategic direction and operational oversight. This role centers on three core pillars: leading country wide operations (including Technical Services and satellite sites in Tokyo and Osaka), enforcing robust risk governance, and maintaining strong client partnerships. You will be responsible for financial stewardship, ensuring absolute safety and compliance, and driving service excellence through cross-functional alignment. Acting as the primary escalation point and trusted advisor, you will define clear operational boundaries to ensure seamless, compliant, and high-performance delivery across the country.

Duties & responsibilities

Leadership, Governance & Regional Management

• Country Operations Leadership: Drive strategic direction as Japan's Local Country Lead, acting as the key representative in client steering committees and regional governance forums.
• Engineering & Technical Services Management: Supervise the Japan Technical Services Manager, maintaining full accountability for all sites engineering and technical operations with the support of technical service manager.
• Remote Site Supervision: Provide operational oversight for remote offices in Tokyo and Osaka, coordinating local managers and tracking site-level performance.
• Proactive Strategic Planning: Foresee operational hurdles, formulate long-term workplace policies, and pre-emptively execute solutions to streamline service delivery.
• KPI & Performance Reporting: Track and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and service levels, providing regular data-driven insights and performance reviews to client stakeholders to drive continuous service improvement.
• Talent Development & Culture: Build and sustain a high-performing, inclusive team culture by identifying talent gaps, implementing mentorship programs, and fostering professional development to ensure robust succession planning and operational continuity.

Project & Operational Risk Governance

• Operational Boundary Enforcement: Standardize and implement permit-to-work systems, on-site engagement rules, and guidelines for external projects (IT, construction, workplace) to shield core BAU operations from interruptions.
• Project Risk Mitigation: Assess risks for active initiatives to guarantee that external vendor activities do not hinder team performance or breach contract SLAs.
• Collaborative Synergy: Coordinate with regional units (such as EHS, Sustainability, MAC, and OP) and local partners (IT, security, food services) to provide a cohesive, innovative and low-risk service experience.
• Crisis & Business Continuity Management: Lead site-wide responses during critical incidents or facility emergencies, acting as the primary point of contact for regional leadership to ensure rapid recovery and minimal business disruption.

Client Relations & Financial Stewardship

• Client Advisor & Partner: Cultivate robust client relationships to align operational outputs with business objectives, positioning JLL as a trusted partner while ensuring independent day-to-day management.
• Budgetary & Financial Management: Control local account budgeting, forecasting, and financial processes, conducting assessments to resolve variances and optimize spend.
• Safety & Regulatory Adherence: Instruct personnel on EHS guidelines from both JLL and the client, ensuring strict adherence to statutory and safety regulations.
• Cost Efficiency & Innovation: Identify and implement cost-saving initiatives and workspace innovations to drive operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Sustainability & ESG Integration: Champion workplace sustainability initiatives, ensuring site operations align with the client’s global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets and carbon-neutral commitments.

Candidate Specification

People & Leadership Skills

• Exceptional ability to communicate effectively with all levels within a client organization, acting as a strategic partner to bridge operational gaps.
• Strong coaching and leadership skills, capable of structuring, developing, and mentoring a high-performing SSM team.
• Adept at resolving first-line conflicts regarding customer expectations and service delivery.
• High EQ with the ability to navigate highly matrixed, political situations, defuse conflict, and build trust during organizational transitions.

Quest for Excellence

• Deep understanding of premium, exceptional service delivery.
• Strives to deliver innovative solutions, refusing to settle for mediocre delivery.
• Thinks strategically and non-traditionally to improve SOPs and ensure consistency.

Problem Solving & Strategic Thinking

• Ability to connect strategic client goals to operational deliverables, especially regarding space planning and workplace strategies.
• Articulates solutions clearly, acting as a business partner to Regional/Global teams and the client's remaining local team.
• Highly analytical with a proven ability to make data-driven decisions and solve problems objectively.
• Employs holistic approaches to find long-term, tactical, and strategic solutions for common operational problems.
• Ability to synthesize complex operational data into actionable insights for client stakeholders, ensuring transparency and proactive service adjustments.
• Experience in identifying and implementing workspace innovations that enhance the user experience while maintaining operational efficiency.

Project Management & Organizational Skills

• Strong understanding of Project Management methodologies, specifically related to capital works, contractor guidelines, and BAU service continuity during active project phases.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills to prioritize work, meet tight deadlines, and manage complex facility management related projects.
• Experience managing operational risk and maintaining strict EHS and regulatory compliance standards in high-stakes, client-facing environments.

Ideal Experience

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in people operations, ideally in Facilities Management (FM).
• Proven track record as a site manager or in a similar leadership capacity.
• Strong understanding of Project Management methodologies, specifically related to capital works and facility optimization.
• Demonstrated experience handling complex client matters, balancing the interests of the client with those of the firm.
• Experience translating strategic needs into deliverable programs
• Proven track record in financial stewardship, including budget forecasting, rigorous variance analysis, and the implementation of cost-optimization strategies.
• Demonstrated experience managing performance frameworks, including the development of KPI dashboards, service-level reporting, and leveraging data to drive continuous service improvement.
• Experience in vendor management, contract oversight, and strategic sourcing.

Other Personal Characteristics

• Strong communicator with excellent presentation, verbal, and written communication skills (Fluency in English is a requirement); an active listener.
• Self-motivated, confident, and possesses gravitas among peers and client stakeholders.
• Highly flexible and resilient—able to adapt and effectively manage rapidly changing, high-volume, and stressful situations.
• Proven ability to initiate and follow through with improvement initiatives.
• Able to work independently while remaining a deeply collaborative team player.
• Exhibits unwavering honesty, trustworthiness, energy, pacing, focus, and excitement.
• A natural change agent who thrives in matrixed environments, with the agility to pivot strategies based on evolving business needs and performance metrics.

Location:

On-site –Tokyo, Japan

If this job description resonates with you, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements.  We’re interested in getting to know you and what you bring to the table!

At JLL, we harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to efficiently accelerate meaningful connections between candidates and opportunities. Using AI capabilities, we analyze your application for relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications to generate valuable insights about how your unique profile aligns with the specific requirements of the role you're pursuing.

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Jones Lang LaSalle (“JLL”) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.  If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process – including the online application and/or overall selection process –  you may email us at [email protected]. This email is only to request an accommodation. Please direct any other general recruiting inquiries to our Contact Us page > I want to work for JLL.