Associate Intern, Client Services- Japanese Speaker

Want to accelerate your career in a high-energy, commercial role? If you’re competitive, a confident communicator, both on the phone and in person, and hungry to grow fast, our Associate role at Third Bridge could be your next big move.

About Third Bridge

We connect the world’s top investors and business leaders to the insights that shape investment decisions. From private equity firms and hedge funds to leading consultancies, our clients count on us to find the exact expert they need — fast.

Since 2007, we’ve grown to 1,500+ people across global financial hubs, becoming a trusted research partner to thousands of decision-makers. This is where ambitious people come to accelerate their careers.

Why Join Us?

We’re offering more than a role — we’re offering a career launchpad. As a Client Services Associate, you’ll develop the commercial awareness and business acumen that open doors to long-term careers in sales, account management, leadership, research, and so much more. We promote from within, and our top performers move into management in as little as two years.

You’ll thrive if you:

• Love a fast-paced, target-driven environment

• Have the confidence to pick up the phone and start conversations with anyone

• Are naturally curious, quick to learn, and love to solve complex problems

• Build rapport fast and think on your feet

• Are resilient and motivated to exceed goals

What You’ll Do

You’ll be at the heart of our business — finding, calling, and engaging industry experts to deliver the insights our clients need, often under extremely tight deadlines. Expect to spend much of your day on the phone, persuading specialists to share their expertise and securing their time for client calls. 

Day to day, you’ll:

• Own projects end-to-end, truly understanding the specific client needs and scheduling high-calibre expert calls.

• Cold call and engage experts across industries, overcoming objections and winning buy-in

• Work at speed, managing multiple projects and clients at once

• Learn fast, gaining a broad knowledge of markets, business models, and regulations

• Cross-Sell the full range of Third Bridge services, including content library, surveys, advisory, as well as 1-1 calls.

What You’ll Gain

• Commercial edge: Sales, negotiation, relationship-building skills, and the opportunity to develop leadership skills very early in your career

• Client exposure: Work with leading private equity firms, hedge funds, and consultancies

• Clear progression: Every manager started in the Associate role; promotion possible within 2 years

• Annual Personal Development Allowance to invest in your growth

Would you like to learn more about our Associate position? Take our free virtual job simulation and learn what it is like to work in this role.

What you’ll need

• Proficiency in Japanese (written and oral - Level N1 above) and workable English. Intermediate Verbal proficiency is favorable.

• Minimum commitment of 4 consecutive working days per week (5 days preferred)

• Ideally available for a full-time internship lasting up to 3 months。

• Of course, brilliant communication skills - especially using the phone - are essential.

• We’re looking for strong academic credentials, or a proven background in a customer focused role. You’ll be looking to build your expertise in client engagement, influencing, negotiation, project management and stakeholder management - or you’ll be looking to build on your existing knowledge in these areas. But either way, you’ll need to be the kind of person who thrives in a hands-on, high-performance role where results matter.

• Attention to detail and an ability to work under pressure are just as important, and you’ll more than feel at home in a culture that’s built on feedback, open communication, continuous learning and winning as a team.

• Above all, you’ll have what it takes to exceed our clients’ expectations with every call you make, every consultation you arrange, and every contract you impact...

What our people love about working in the Tokyo Office:

• Be a founding member of the Tokyo team, entrepreneurial and multicultural work environment.

• Being surrounded by people they not only enjoy working with, but who also challenge and support them.

• Partnering firsthand with the leading investors and strategy consulting firms in the world and being privy to their thought process with all the learning this leads to 

• Building their career in business on a foundation of problem-solving, communication and commercial skills

• Living by “great minds think differently” in a diverse and inclusive team.

Thrive at Third Bridge!

• Valuable mentorship and hands-on business experience, helping you develop essential soft skills

• Opportunity to transition into a full-time role next year, based on performance review

• Paid position (hourly). Commuting expenses fully covered

We know that to be truly innovative, we need to have a diverse team around us. That is why Third Bridge is committed to creating an inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. If you are not 100% sure if you are right for the role, please apply anyway and we will be happy to consider your application.