Autonomous Career Planning
Employees Taking Charge of Their Own Careers and Envisioning Their Own Future
The single greatest key to achieving the dual pillars of our new growth strategy, TOP I 2030, namely to “realize global first-class drug discovery” and building a “futuristic business model,” is the creation of value by each of our employees. It is important that they act proactively toward implementing the strategy and achieving its goals.
To that end, we have established a framework enabling each individual employee to make independent choices about their mid- to long-term career goals, and we are working to create an environment in which they can demonstrate their strengths regardless of age or other attributes.
Commitment to Career Autonomy
The “I” in TOP I 2030 stands for “Innovator” and “I or Me.” Our people are the source of our innovation, and the “autonomy” of each employee will become increasingly important in the future.
To promote the “autonomy,” it is vital that employees feel that they are in the driver’s seat of their own careers. As such, in the area of “human resources allocations,” which is critical to our human resource management strategy, we have moved away from company-directed appointments. Instead, trusting in the intentions of each individual, we now allow employees themselves to choose their own assignments.
Our company fosters a culture in which, as each employee follows their self-directed career path, we sincerely support their desires to advance their careers within the company and to take on challenges outside the company, and we encourage them to do so with the expectation of their personal growth. We aim to remain a company that employees who have studied and gained experience outside the company will want to return to one day.
Specific Initiatives
Job Posting System
Any vacant positions within the Chugai Pharmaceutical Group are openly advertised for all employees to see. Interested individuals may apply and, after screening, transfer to that position. Moving away from conventional, company-directed appointments and enabling employees to transfer based on their own initiative, we have created an environment in where employees can envision their career and take on challenges autonomously.
Introduction of Job Grade System
We have introduced a job grade system for both non-managerial level employee* and managerial level employee, clearly defining and internally disclosing the job description of each position. This system empowers individuals to develop their skills and enhance their qualifications for positions that they aspire to in the future. It also allows them to view certain positions as stepping stones in their their medium- to long-term career plans.
*Some employees, such as new recruits, are not part of the job grade system due to operational proficiency perspective.
Multiple-track Career Development
Multiple career paths are available to employees based on their preferences and aptitude. These includes paths leading to organizational management, path for becoming specialist in certain fields, there are also project specialist positions that focus on maximizing product value. By combining these career paths with the job posting system, employees can work towards their desired career vision.
Elimination of Employment Age Limits
At Chugai, as part of our policy of placing the right people in the right positions, employees who demonstrate the will and the ability and who meet specific health and other criteria will not be subject to a set, uniform retirement age. These individuals will have opportunities to continue playing active role in the company based on their willingness to work and their performance.
*From April 2026