Product Manager - ASRS (Automated Storage & Retrieval System)

Rapyuta Robotics is an ETH Zurich spin-off headquartered in Tokyo, building state-of-the-art cloud robotics platforms and large-scale autonomous robotic solutions for the logistics industry. Our mission is to make robots more accessible by automating demanding, dirty, and dangerous work, enabling people to focus on safer and more meaningful tasks.

Role Overview

The Product Manager – ASRS will lead the end-to-end lifecycle of our Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS) products and the ASRS-centric solution as a whole. You will work closely with Senior Product Managers, Business Owners, Solution Management, Engineering, Operations, and external partners to translate customer needs, on-site operational challenges, market trends, regulatory requirements, and technical insights into implementable product requirements and specifications. This role requires both strong execution capability to deliver immediate customer value and strategic thinking to shape the mid-to-long-term future of automated logistics.

Key Responsibilities

1. Understanding User Needs and Customer Engagement

Engage directly with customers and deployment sites to systematically understand operational workflows, challenges, and success metrics (KPIs) involving ASRS.

Identify latent and unarticulated customer pain points through on-site observation and structured interviews.

Apply design thinking and human-centered design methodologies to translate qualitative insights into quantifiable, value-driven solution designs.

2. Driving Product Strategy, Vision, and Roadmaps

Collaborate with Senior Product Managers and Business Owners to refine and operationalize the overall ASRS solution vision.

Continuously review and update product roadmaps based on market trends, customer insights, and operational data.

Ensure alignment between feature development and business objectives, including growth, profitability, and operational efficiency.

3. ART Backlog Management and Prioritization

Own the ART backlog related to ASRS process flows and integration with WMS and surrounding systems.

Define clear acceptance criteria for backlog items, considering business value, technical feasibility, and operational impact.

Prioritize backlog items to align with architectural runway and ART objectives.

4. Delivering Value Through Continuous Delivery

Work closely with Engineering, Robotics, and Operations teams to deliver high-quality, timely releases.

Support system demos, PI planning, and post-release reviews (Inspect & Adapt) to drive continuous improvement.

Validate that released features deliver real customer value and propose follow-up actions or enhancements as needed.

5. Market and Regulatory Research and Requirement Definition

Conduct gap analysis of customer needs and competitive solutions across North America, APAC, and Europe.

Monitor regional regulatory and standards’ trends, including fire protection, safety, and seismic requirements.

Collaborate with regulatory experts and external certification bodies to translate regulatory requirements into implementable functional and non-functional requirements for ASRS/WMS.

Reflect findings in product strategy and roadmaps to support globally scalable product design and improvement.

Requirements:
Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• 2+ years of experience in product management, project management, or consulting.

• Business-level proficiency in both Japanese and English (written and verbal).

• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

• Ability to synthesize complex requirements into clear, actionable product specifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience conducting market and regulatory research across North America, APAC, and Europe.

• Practical understanding of technical integration requirements with hardware devices (e.g., scanners, printers, robotic arms).

• Experience evaluating build-vs-buy trade-offs for in-house development versus external vendors.

• Experience working with hardware + software integrated systems (e.g., ASRS, WMS, robotics).

Expected Product Manager Mindset

• Thinks holistically about user, business, and technology perspectives.

• Comfortable operating in environments with incomplete information and multiple trade-offs.

• Collaborates effectively with cross-functional teams and builds trust with stakeholders.

• Combines strategic thinking with a strong execution focus to deliver measurable customer value.

• Curious about ASRS, robotics, automated logistics, and motivated to learn continuously.

Benefits:
What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package.

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge robotics technologies.

• Collaborative and innovative work environment.

• Career growth and development opportunities.

• VISA application support