Business & Operations Founder (Japan)

Location: Japan / Tokyo; Japan / Hiroshima; Japan / Sapporo; Japan / Kyoto; Japan / Osaka Location: Japan Work setup: Remote Start date: ASAP Languages: Fluent English required; Japanese highly preferred Industry: HealthTech / MedTech / AI ABOUT THE ROLE Pragmatike is recruiting on behalf of a YC-backed, fast-growing health technology company expanding into Japan and opening its local operations. We are looking for a Business & Operations Founder to take ownership of the company's launch and early growth in Japan. This is a highly entrepreneurial role for someone scrappy, hungry, and comfortable figuring things out from zero. You will be the person on the ground building the business, establishing operations, developing local relationships, and turning the Japan market into a functioning operation. This is not a traditional corporate country manager role. We are looking for someone who can roll up their sleeves, make things happen, and operate with founder-level ownership. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES - Own the launch and day-to-day business operations in Japan - Build the local presence from the ground up, including partners, vendors, and operational processes - Identify and develop commercial opportunities and strategic partnerships - Navigate the Japanese market, healthcare ecosystem, and relevant regulatory or operational requirements - Work closely with the global leadership team to adapt the business for Japan - Represent the company with customers, partners, healthcare organizations, and other local stakeholders - Identify what needs to be built next and independently drive execution - Act as the local point person across business, operations, and market development REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS - Proven experience building, launching, or operating a business, team, or new market in Japan - Strong entrepreneurial mindset with a scrappy, hands-on approach - Comfortable working with significant autonomy and ambiguity - Strong business development, operations, and stakeholder management skills - Excellent understanding of the Japanese business environment - Fluent English is required - Strong communication and relationship-building skills - Willingness to be deeply hands-on and own whatever needs to get done PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS - Experience in MedTech, HealthTech, healthcare, medical devices, or digital health - Existing network across Japanese healthcare, medical, or technology ecosystems - Experience launching a new country, office, product, or business from scratch - Startup or founder experience - Experience working with international teams or US-based startups WHY JOIN US - Be the first key operator on the ground in Japan for a YC-backed company - Own the launch of a new country from the ground up - Work directly with an international founding team and have significant decision-making autonomy - Build partnerships and operations in one of the world's most important healthcare and technology markets - Opportunity to shape the Japan business as an early, founder-like member of the team Pragmatike is committed to a fair, transparent, and inclusive recruitment process. We do not discriminate based on age, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. In accordance with GDPR, your personal data will be processed lawfully, fairly, and securely, and used solely for recruitment purposes, including sharing it with our client(s) for employment consideration.