Position Overview

As the Accounting Manager at the AI Robotics Association (AIRoA), you will lead the association’s overall accounting and management reporting functions. Your core responsibilities will include daily and monthly bookkeeping, managing payments and cash flows, and designing billing and reimbursement schemes for membership fees and project-related expenses. In addition, you will drive the planning and implementation of budgeting and budget control, the development of internal controls and accounting policies, and the selection and rollout of cloud-based accounting tools. Your mission is to design an accounting structure that fits AIRoA’s unique business model as an “open platform for AI and robotics.”

【What Makes the “Accounting Manager” Role at AIRoA Unique】

This role allows you to design the “flow of money” for an organization that aims to build robotic foundation models and a data ecosystem through the fusion of AI and robotics. By structuring schemes that involve a wide range of stakeholders—member companies, research institutions, and national R&D projects—you will gain experience in accounting that differs from that of a typical operating company. You will be able to engage in open, peer-level discussions with stakeholders while feeling the direct impact of your work in supporting critical organizational decisions from a financial perspective.

【The Appeal of Taking On This Challenge at AIRoA, Just as We Are Getting Started】

AIRoA was founded in December 2024 and began full-scale operations in FY2025. The organization is now entering a phase where it is building its foundational structures. While leveraging existing rules where appropriate, you will have the opportunity to design “what kind of accounting structure, revenue/cost model, and management indicators are needed to ensure the sustainable operation of the organization and its projects.” Although AIRoA operates in a cutting-edge domain—AI and robotics—the organization itself is still very much like a startup, with fast decision-making and a culture where your proposals can be quickly reflected in how the association is run.

【Other】
While remote work is possible, this role is primarily expected to be office-based.
Most of our engineers and researchers also work on-site, conducting research and development directly in front of the robots.

【About AIRoA】
AIRoA was established in December 2024 with two core objectives: “to revolutionize the technology of robot development through the fusion of robots and AI” and “to promote the use of robots in society.” While AI is rapidly advancing worldwide, the shortage of data in robot development has become a critical issue.

To address this challenge, we are running a national flagship project funded by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization), with an investment of over JPY 20 billion.

●Recruitment Background

Since its establishment, AIRoA has continued to grow in scale, with a diverse range of participants including major corporations and startups, and multiple national projects now underway. As our project portfolio and business scope expand, our revenue and cost structure—covering membership fees, grants, and joint research funding—has become increasingly complex. This has created the need for a dedicated managerial role to provide professional leadership in accounting and management reporting. We are therefore seeking an Accounting Manager to play a key role in strengthening AIRoA’s operational and financial foundation.

●Future Mission

In this role, you will lead the standardization of accounting workflows and closing processes, as well as the development of reporting frameworks and profit-and-loss management by membership type and by project. Over the medium to long term, your mission will be to formulate mid-term financial plans aligned with AIRoA’s overall strategy, design financial strategies that take into account diverse funding sources such as grants, donations, and joint research funds, and drive the advancement of risk management and internal controls across the association.

Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of hands-on accounting experience at a company or organization
• Proven experience leading monthly and annual closing as the primary owner
• Experience in management accounting, including budgeting and budget vs. actual (variance) management
• Solid knowledge of accounting standards and tax basics, with the ability to independently communicate and coordinate with external experts (tax accountants / audit firms)
• Mindset to proactively build and improve processes in a venture / early-stage environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in accounting/finance at a general incorporated association, industry association, NPO, or similar organization
• Experience handling multiple funding schemes such as grants, joint research funds, and donations
• Experience implementing cloud-based accounting software and workflow systems, as well as improving business processes
• Strong interest in technology domains such as AI, robotics, and deep learning
• Comfortable communicating in English via email and written documents (as we anticipate collaboration with overseas research institutions)

Language Skills

• Japanese (native level)
• English (business level or above)

Benefits

●Our Office

We currently operate out of a spacious office and research facility of over 1,000 m² located in the Ryutsu Center area. In this space, our business teams and engineering teams work in close collaboration, advancing both day-to-day operations and R&D with AI robots always close at hand. The facility is frequently visited not only by members of the AI Robot Association, but also by engineers and researchers from partner companies and representatives from member companies. As a result, it serves as a hub where diverse experts at the forefront of AI and robotics gather and interact.

●Your Colleagues

Today, highly skilled engineers and researchers from around the world are part of our organization. Some members have even relocated from overseas to Japan to join our projects on site. We aim to build a globally open R&D organization where diverse talent, regardless of nationality or background, come together, inspire one another, and shape the future.

People & Talent Development Programs

●HR and Talent Development Programs

Training Programs

• On-the-Job Training (OJT)
• Training through participation in external conferences, including overseas events
• Compliance training
• Security training

Internal Programs

• Performance reviews twice a year (every half year)
• In-house study sessions
• In-house library
• Support for external training programs

Benefits

• Support for book purchases
• Subsidies for lunch and light snacks
• Free drinks
• Commuting allowance (up to JPY 50,000 per month)
• Monthly company-wide events (AIRoA Circle, social gatherings)
• Family Day
• AIRoA-branded shirts and other items provided