Project Engineer - Japanese Speaking

About SNK America

SNK America, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Shin Nippon Koki Co., Ltd. (新日本工機 / Shin Nippon Kōki), a Japanese manufacturer of large-scale, 5-axis double-column CNC machining centers. Our machines are among the largest and most precise in the world, and they cut the parts that go into aerospace structures, energy equipment, and heavy industry.

We are a small, high-trust U.S. team supporting a global engineering organization. That means the person in this seat sees a project end to end — from the first customer conversation through installation and commissioning on the shop floor — instead of a narrow slice of it.

The Role

We are looking for a bilingual Project Engineer to sit at the center of our U.S. operation: supporting sales, running capital equipment projects, managing procurement, and serving as the working link between our American customers and our engineering teams in Japan.

You do not need an engineering degree. We will teach you machine tool technology, our product lines, and the technical vocabulary that goes with them. What we cannot teach on the job is fluent Japanese and the instinct for how to operate across two business cultures — that is what we are hiring for.

What You'll Do

Sales Support

• Prepare quotations, specifications, and proposal packages for capital equipment inquiries
• Coordinate technical questions between U.S. customers and SNK Japan's engineering and sales teams
• Maintain quote logs, customer records, and follow-up cadence
• Support trade shows, customer visits, and machine demonstrations

Project Management

• Own assigned machine installation projects from purchase order through final acceptance
• Build and maintain project schedules; track milestones, long-lead items, and site readiness
• Coordinate subcontractors — fabrication, rigging, mechanical installation, electrical, and data systems
• Communicate status to customers, internal stakeholders, and the parent company
• Travel to customer sites in the U.S. to support installation and commissioning (approx. 20–30%)

Procurement

• Source and qualify domestic suppliers for fabricated components, services, and spare parts
• Issue and expedite purchase orders; manage delivery commitments against project schedules
• Coordinate import logistics, documentation, and cost tracking with SNK Japan

Bilingual Communication

• Translate technical documentation, drawings, specifications, and correspondence (Japanese ⇄ English)
• Interpret in meetings between U.S. customers and Japanese engineers when required

What We're Looking For

Required

• Business-level fluency in Japanese and English, spoken and written
• Bachelor's degree in business, international business, engineering, or a related field
• Experience working in an international or cross-cultural business environment
• Comfort with technical subject matter and genuine interest in learning how things are built
• Strong organization and follow-through — you can hold a dozen open items without dropping any
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook
• Valid driver's license, U.S. work authorization, and willingness to travel domestically
• Willingness to travel internationally to Japan for training

Preferred

• Experience in manufacturing, capital equipment, industrial B2B, or supply chain
• Exposure to ERP/MRP systems, purchasing, or logistics
• Coursework or hands-on exposure to mechanical, electrical, or controls engineering

What We'll Teach You

• Machine tool fundamentals: 5-axis machining, structural design, drive systems, and controls
• SNK's product lines and how customers apply them
• Capital equipment project management from order to acceptance
• Technical Japanese vocabulary specific to our industry
• Direct working relationships with counterparts at SNK Japan

Why This Role

• This is a rare seat: a business-side career with real technical depth, inside a company small enough that your work is visible and large enough that the projects matter. The person who succeeds here becomes the operational backbone of SNK's U.S. business — and builds a skill set (bilingual technical project management in capital equipment) that very few people in the market have.