---
description: "Career and working principles of Nobu Sato: from IT project management through tech recruiting, RPO and head-of-HR roles into organizational strategy, specializing in Japan entity launches, in Japanese, English and Chinese."
title: Profile | Nobu Sato
---

[Nobu Sato](https://nobusato.jp/en?hsLang=en)

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HR & Organizational Strategy

# Profile

Nobu Sato (佐藤伸明) is an HR and organizational strategy practitioner based in Tokyo. Trained in software engineering, he began as an IT project manager before moving through tech recruiting, RPO and head-of-HR roles into organizational strategy. The common thread is a preference for giving a first shape to organizations that do not yet have one.

## Career

- 2011 – 2016
  
  Major logistics group, HQ systems division
  
  IT project manager
- 2016 – 2018
  
  Major HR-tech company
  
  Tech recruiter. Led new-graduate engineer hiring for the China region; deployed an ATS to standardize the recruiting process
- 2018 – 2019
  
  Industrial robotics company
  
  Technical recruiter. Launched the global recruiting practice; cut cost and lead time per hire
- 2019 – 2020
  
  Global talent consulting firm
  
  RPO recruiter. 70+ placements in one year with a team of two assistants
- 2020 – 2021
  
  Robotics startup
  
  Head of HR. 50+ hires in one year; designed and rolled out the performance review system
- 2021 – 2025
  
  Internet and gaming company
  
  Head of HR. Built recruiting and performance review from scratch; labor-cost management and manager training; launched the Taipei and Shanghai offices
- 2025 –
  
  Foreign fintech company, Japan entity
  
  Head of HR & Strategy. Rebuilt HR operations, built the sales organization, hired the Japan leadership team, opened the Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa offices

## Education and languages

- 2011
  
  Waseda University, Master of Engineering
- 2009
  
  Nanjing University, Bachelor of Software Engineering
- Works in Japanese, English and Chinese

## How I work

01

### Design the sequence

Not what to do, but in what order. Most launch-phase failures are sequencing problems, not effort problems.

02

### Measure people by responsibility

Define roles as modules of responsibility rather than titles or job families. Only then can fit between a person and a role be judged.

03

### Same resolution for HQ and the front line

A language barrier should never become a judgment barrier. Decision-makers at headquarters and the team in Japan should see the same facts at the same precision.

## Writing about building organizations in Japan, in three languages.

[Articles](https://nobusato.jp/blog?lang=en&hsLang=en) [Get in touch](https://nobusato.jp/en/contact?hsLang=en)

Nobu Sato

Writing about building organizations in Japan, in three languages.

[info@nobusato.jp](mailto:info@nobusato.jp) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/realnobusato/) [X](https://x.com/nobusato5888)

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