---
title: 'Staff People Business Partner at Drivemode'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-people-business-partner-drivemode-tokyo-vta5szeb47r4'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Staff People Business Partner at Drivemode

- **Company:** Drivemode
- **Location:** Tokyo, Japan
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-05-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/drivemode/c006e80a-2280-44fa-bdac-f1e5aef9c6b3

## Job description

Our Mission: Driving technology always feels old. Not by a little bit. We believe vehicles can be a thousand times smarter, safer, and more connected to the world around us, and our mission is to see it happen. In 2019, we joined forces with Honda as their first startup acquisition, and now we’re expanding our vision into building the future of connected vehicles for millions of people around the world.

Why Drivemode: Join Drivemode for an exciting startup environment and a vibrant culture that combines impactful work, competitive compensation, and excellent benefits. By becoming a part of our team, you'll contribute to a crucial mission that revolutionizes the way people engage with vehicles, addressing both business needs and the world's environmental challenges. This presents an exceptional opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and drive Honda's success in the automotive market.

About The Role:The Staff People Business Partner is a key member of the global People & Culture team, partnering closely with business leaders to drive people strategy, organizational effectiveness, and talent development. This role serves as a trusted advisor to leadership, aligning P&C initiatives with business goals in Japan while ensuring a strong employee experience and sustainable organizational practices.

The role plays a critical part in fostering a culture of impact, collaboration, and shared ownership within a diverse and highly collaborative global team. The Staff People Business Partner leads highly complex, cross-functional initiatives, develops innovative people solutions and shares industry best practices to strengthen organizational capability.

What you will do:

- Establish strong partnerships with leaders in Japan to align people strategy with business goals and foster high-performance and people centric culture
- Lead and support organizational design or change initiatives to support organizational effectiveness
- Strengthen leadership capability across the organization through L&D solutions and coaching
- Coach managers and senior leaders on leadership effectiveness, feedback, and team dynamics
- Drive performance management, talent reviews, succession planning processes and other global People Business Partnership programs
- Facilitate and influence organizational and leadership discussions through People Business Partner expertise and data-driven insights
- Act as a trusted escalation point for employee relations matters and support managers in resolving them smoothly.
- Work with the global People & Culture Team and contribute to Drivemode employee lifecycle and experience development.

What we are looking for:

- Extensive senior People Business Partner experience in international, growth and people focused organizations, delivering impact through sustainable and scalable talent solutions
- Experience in global, cross-cultural environments with international teams and stakeholders
- Strong background in organizational and leadership development, talent management, and employee relations
- Experience fostering impact and strong collaboration driven organizational culture
- Strategic thinker with coaching skills and ability to influence senior stakeholders
- Strong change management and stakeholder management capabilities
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, turning data into actionable insights
- A team player who knows how to address local practices while building a global organization
- Knowledge of Japan labor law
- Strong English & Japanese fluency (written and spoken)

EEOC Statement: Drivemode is proud of a very diverse team with employees coming from 5 continents and 20+ countries as of today. Diversity in our workplace has played an important part in our success; we recognize each employee’s unique background, knowledge, experiences, ideas, and viewpoints, all of which are critical in developing products that have a positive impact on drivers around the world.

Drivemode provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristics that make you unique.

We are committed to creating an accessible and inclusive workplace and welcome candidates with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process and employment lifecycle to support individuals in performing their best work.

## About Drivemode

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Drivemode is a software and user experience division of Honda, developing connected car platforms, apps, and digital interfaces for Honda and Acura electric vehicles and motorcycles.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Subsidiary of Honda Motor Co. Ltd., acquired in 2019)
- **Headquarters**: Mountain View, California, USA (with additional office in Tokyo, Japan)
- **Founded**: 2014
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed (founded by entrepreneurs from Zipcar and Tesla Motors)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Automotive technology, connected vehicles, software-defined vehicles, electric vehicle UX
- **Target customers**: B2B (Honda, Acura, automakers); B2C (Drivemode mobile app users and fleet managers)
- **Mission or purpose**: To make driving smarter, safer, and more connected by combining Silicon Valley software expertise with Honda's vehicle hardware platform.

## Products & Services
- **[Drivemode App]**: A consumer-facing Android app that transforms a phone into a car's central computing device, enabling voice-to-text, music overlay on navigation, Do Not Disturb mode, and travel recommendations. Designed to NHTSA safety guidelines.
- **[Driver Assistance & Analytics for Fleet Managers]**: A platform offering driver behavior monitoring, analytics, and safety features for commercial fleets.
- **[Connected Car Platform for Automakers]**: A bring-your-own-device (BYOD) solution that lets automakers integrate smartphone-based connectivity into vehicles without custom hardware.
- **[Honda EV & Motorcycle Software]**: Since the acquisition, Drivemode develops the in-car software and user experience for Honda's electric vehicles and a modern software platform for Honda's electric motorcycles.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private subsidiary)
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue ~$8M (2026 estimate) – Total Funding $11M (prior to acquisition)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Panasonic (lead investor in Series A), Incubate Fund (seed), Honda R&D (acquirer)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 34.2% YoY to 111 employees; expanding team across Mountain View and Tokyo; working on new EV launches and motorcycle software projects; global team spanning 5 continents.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Direct access to Honda's vehicle hardware and manufacturing** – allows integrated software-hardware development.
- **Startup autonomy within a large corporate parent** – maintains flat culture, fast decision-making, and innovation while leveraging Honda's resources.
- **Deep expertise in automotive-grade mobile UX** – app designed to NHTSA guidelines, with proven consumer adoption.
- **Diverse, global team** – employees from 20+ countries bring unique perspectives for a product used worldwide.

## Strategic Focus
- **Software-defined vehicles** – Leading Honda's transition to software-driven mobility, especially in EVs.
- **Electric vehicle UX** – Creating clean, intuitive digital experiences for Honda's next-generation electric cars and motorcycles.
- **Connected services** – Expanding platform capabilities for real-time data, navigation, and personalization.
- **Talent growth** – Actively hiring across engineering, product, and design roles to support upcoming launches.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Flat organizational structure, transparency, and openness. Employees are trusted to make decisions and given freedom to innovate.
- **Diversity & Inclusion**: 20+ nationalities represented; strong commitment to DEI and equal opportunity.
- **Work Model**: Hybrid (office + remote). Core office days exist, but managers determine team-specific arrangements. Roles in Mountain View and Tokyo.
- **Benefits**:
  - Comprehensive health & life insurance
  - Retirement benefits (401k / 日本の年金制度)
  - Generous PTO (20 days in first year for Tokyo; flexible PTO in US)
  - Paid sick leave, holiday swap option
  - Education and learning stipend
  - Probation period of 3 months with immediate benefits enrollment
- **Visa Support**: Sponsorship available for Japan office (worldwide applicants welcome); US roles require work authorization but discussions about visa sponsorship are open.
- **Language**: English is primary work language; Japanese language skills not required for many roles.

## Sources
1. [Drivemode Careers Page](https://www.drivemode.com/careers)
2. [LinkedIn Company Page](https://linkedin.com/company/drivemode)
3. [Built In Profile](https://builtin.com/company/drivemode)
4. [CB Insights Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/drivemode)
5. [Lever Job Board](https://jobs.lever.co/drivemode)

## Other roles at Drivemode

- [Full Stack Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/full-stack-software-engineer-drivemode-mountain-view-ev3w7ffwj7st) — Mountain View, CA
- [Product Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/product-operations-manager-drivemode-tokyo-xy37tpvfyasq) — Tokyo, Japan
- [People Operations Partner (Contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/people-operations-partner-contract-drivemode-mountain-view-w1mbz70dhrrj) — Mountain View, CA
- [IT Admin (Contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/it-admin-contract-drivemode-mountain-view-n8rvx0b7am6w) — Mountain View, CA
- [Workplace Experience Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/workplace-experience-manager-drivemode-tokyo-179fkwbwwsa3) — Tokyo, Japan
- [Director of Product Design](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-product-design-drivemode-mountain-view-ew56p1f6zcy0) — Mountain View, CA
- [Opportunities for Candidates with Disabilities](https://feeny.ai/job/opportunities-for-candidates-with-disabilities-drivemode-tokyo-eq5mefwxnfy1) — Tokyo, Japan
- [Senior Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-program-manager-drivemode-mountain-view-rg1p83aeb3h6) — Mountain View, CA
- [Software Engineering Manager - Mobile](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineering-manager-mobile-drivemode-mountain-view-kw6mt9ztmzsd) — Mountain View, CA
- [Director of Product Management, Mobile](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-product-management-mobile-drivemode-mountain-view-mttnyqsr6dan) — Mountain View, CA