[USA] Project Coordinator, Strategic Investment and Venture Partnerships

Reports to:	Managing Director	Group:	Honda Xcelerator Ventures, Alliance Development
Employment Type:	Contingent	Pay Ranges:	$65-$67
Work Location:	On-site

Overview:

As a Project Coordinator within the Alliance Development (AD) team for Honda Xcelerator Ventures (HXV) – Honda’s global program for open innovation and corporate venturing – you will play a key role in supporting the seamless execution of startup engagement, internal operations, and innovation project logistics. This is an on-site position based at Honda Innovations Silicon Valley, Inc. (HISV) in Mountain View, CA.

This position reports directly to the Managing Director of Corporate Venturing. With prior alignment and approval from the Managing Director of Corporate Venturing, the position may also support event-related activities led by the Senior Managing Director responsible for Branding, Communications, and Strategic Partnerships.

The position generally follows regular business hours but requires occasional schedule flexibility. Due to time zone differences, meetings with teams in Japan may occasionally take place in the early evening.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Legal, Contract, and Vendor Coordination

• Support the execution of AD-related legal and contractual requests, including but not limited to NDAs, diligence letters (LORS), MSAS, SOWs, event agreements, and other related documents.
• Serve as a primary point of coordination between startups and American Honda Motor Co., Inc.’s Legal team to facilitate document review and processing.
• Coordinate vendor contracts involving accelerator partners, deal flow partners, university partners, and providers of software and research tools.

Event and Logistics Coordination

• Assist with the planning and execution of external events, sponsorships, and internal workshops, such as team-building activities and training sessions.
• Coordinate event logistics with internal teams and external vendors, including venue bookings, catering, registration, and supporting materials.
• Manage purchase requests and payment processing in coordination with the Business Operations team.

AD Deal Flow

• Support AD team members with preliminary startup research and screening.
• Conduct weekly online research to identify new startup opportunities that are not currently included in the HXV Salesforce database, generally targeting 20 opportunities per week.
• Develop and maintain a working knowledge of HXV’s investment and deal flow processes, Honda Innovations Japan Co., Ltd.’s business unit priorities, and broader startup trends.
• Maintain the accuracy of deal flow data in Salesforce and related systems, coordinating with relevant AD team members on data updates and tool maintenance.

Project Ownership and Tracking

• Take ownership of assigned projects, such as events, operational tools, and process-improvement initiatives, while following established guidelines.
• Independently execute recurring administrative and coordination tasks following initial training.
• Identify and escalate blockers, coordinating with appropriate stakeholders for timely resolution.
• Manage software and tool subscriptions that support deal flow and research operations.
• Provide additional operational support as needed, including budget tracking, expense coordination, and P-Card administration.

Documentation and Tracking

• Support the creation and distribution of the Weekly Roll-Up newsletter summarizing HXV activities and updates.

Team Communication Support

• Facilitate effective communication between the AD and Strategic Development (SD) teams.
• Support effective communication across global teams by helping bridge linguistic, cultural, and contextual differences between Japan and North America.

Core Competencies:

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with project management or task-tracking tools is preferred.
• Familiarity with collaboration platforms, such as SharePoint, Confluence, or Jira, is preferred.
• Proficiency with startup and innovation tools, such as Salesforce, Crunchbase, and PitchBook.

Organizational Agility

• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Adaptability in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Initiative to learn and apply new tools, workflows, and systems.

Innovation & Ecosystem Awareness

• Understanding of startup, venture capital, and innovation ecosystems is highly valued.
• Ability to understand and connect market intelligence and deal flow insights to broader organizational and strategic objectives.

Communication & Cultural Fluency

• Ability to communicate effectively in both English and Japanese across business, cultural, and organizational contexts.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across diverse global teams.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Two or more years of experience in project coordination, business operations, contract coordination, vendor coordination, event coordination, or a related field.
• Professional verbal and written proficiency in both English and Japanese.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and coordinate effectively with cross-functional and global stakeholders.