Bilingual (Japanese/English) Office Assistant

Imagine being part of a team that offers unique, life-changing workshops and business seminars. Imagine taking an afternoon off to go salmon fishing or cruising on a boat to nearby beaches, minutes from your workplace, as part of a team building exercise. Imagine hosting seminars for a wide variety of companies in locations ranging from Vancouver to San Francisco and even as far as Tokyo and Italy. Imagine meeting top-ranked authors such as Dr. Liker at our international conferences.

Such is a day’s work at Lean Sensei International.

This is LSI – a business strategy and process improvement consulting and coaching firm. Described by clients to be “life changing”, we exist to transform organizations and people. Based in Vancouver, BC, we are a highly respected firm that specializes in an organizational transformation methodology and approach known as “lean thinking” or “Toyota Way.” Lean thinking and the Toyota Way methodologies are exemplary in their approach to changing and improving the way organizations do business today.

Our clients range from small businesses to large Fortune 500 corporations located throughout the world. We invite you to visit our website at www.leansensei.com to learn more about us. A strong demand for our programs and services has led to an opening for a full-time Office Assistant on a one year contract basis. Since much of what we teach originally emerged from Japan as a “kaizen” concept and we coordinate programs in Japan, the candidate must be able to speak Japanese at a basic level and/or have some working experience in Japan.

We are seeking a respected and motivated person of high integrity who thrives on making a difference within a supportive team environment. With programs running simultaneously, you are focused, extremely well organized and comfortable handling a variety of projects. This is a one year contract position with a strong potential to become a full time permanent employee after the contract. Your responsibilities include:

• Working closely with the President and managers to organize a variety of administrative tasks including the coordination of events, management of client enquiries and supporting new and existing program requests.
• Coordinating operational processes, tasks, and responsibilities at our office and at our events.
• Acting as a organizer between our team and our clients to ensure client service level needs are met and exceeded.
• Supporting Lean Sensei coaches with program preparation, program coordination, and event management activities.
• Traveling to different sites within Vancouver and other locations in Canada or US when required to support administrative and program support work.
• Managing a variety of office processes that are project and program-related.
• Other general office tasks and activities

Qualifications
• A degree in a business or related discipline with a minimum of 2 to3 years of experience in client or office management, marketing or event planning and coordination
• Exemplary interpersonal and professional communication skills
• Outstanding administrative skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• A meticulous attentiveness to detail and accuracy
• Strong computer skills in MS Office, PowerPoint and Excel is essential
• The candidate must be able to speak Japanese at a basic level and/or have some working experience in Japan or related Asian company.
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• A motivated, proactive, insightful and creative nature
• Permanent residency or Canadian citizenship
• Valid driver’s license is a must

Join our Team

If you excel in a collaborative, supportive environment and have the passion and drive for organizational excellence, we’d like to hear from you. Lean Sensei International provides a competitive compensation and bonus package and a full suite of medical benefits. Compensation will be based on the candidate’s expertise and level of experience.

Company Description
Lean Sensei International - considered by many companies around the world as an organization that delivers the “purest form of lean thinking” - specializes in implementing lean philosophies and lean strategies strictly through authentic, Japanese-style coaching. Our approach is not to operate as a traditional consulting firm, but instead, to be a “sensei” (coach in Japanese) on a long-term basis to our clients. We offer relentless, unbiased assistance as an extension of our clients’ organizations. Lean Sensei International is also one of the few companies in North America where our coaches have direct roots and true lean implementation experience from Japan and Toyota. Our list of clients includes Fortune 500 companies as well as small to mid-sized owner/operator companies that are located throughout the world.
www.leansensei.com (company website)
www.leanreflections.com (company blog)