Title
Head of Human Resources, North Asia (Japan & Korea)
Salary
- Competitive base salary
- Annual bonus
- Equity/stock program
- Additional benefits: To be confirmed
Location
Tokyo, Japan (Hybrid)
Reports To
Head of Human Resources, APAC
About the Company
Our client is a global consumer and lifestyle brand group with a strong international presence and a portfolio of well-established brands. The organization is undergoing significant growth and transformation across Asia Pacific, with ambitious expansion plans supported by continued investment in talent, leadership capability, innovation, and organizational effectiveness.
North Asia, comprising Japan and Korea, represents a strategically important region with a large retail workforce, corporate operations, and substantial growth opportunities.
About the Role
The Head of Human Resources, North Asia will lead the people agenda across Japan and Korea, serving as the senior HR leader and strategic partner to regional business leadership.
This role combines strategic influence with hands-on execution and will play a critical role in supporting business growth, organizational transformation, leadership development, succession planning, and culture evolution. The successful candidate will help ensure that people strategies enable sustainable business performance while strengthening organizational capability across both mature and high-growth markets.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Business Partnership
- Serve as the senior HR leader for Japan and Korea.
- Partner closely with executive leadership to support business growth, transformation, and organizational effectiveness.
- Translate business priorities into scalable people strategies and initiatives.
- Provide data-driven insights and strategic counsel on workforce and organizational matters.
Talent & Leadership
- Lead talent review, succession planning, and leadership development processes.
- Build strong leadership pipelines for critical roles.
- Strengthen organizational capability through targeted talent strategies.
- Identify high-potential talent and support long-term capability development.
Organizational Transformation
- Drive organizational design initiatives aligned with growth objectives.
- Lead culture transformation and change management programs.
- Support the adoption of new ways of working and increased organizational agility.
- Improve organizational readiness for future expansion.
Executive Coaching & Stakeholder Management
- Coach and influence senior leaders across the region.
- Challenge constructively and support effective decision-making.
- Promote leadership accountability, effectiveness, and team performance.
- Build credibility and trusted partnerships at all levels of the organization.
Employee Experience & Engagement
- Champion employee engagement and culture initiatives.
- Ensure a strong connection with both corporate and frontline employee populations.
- Foster an inclusive, high-performance work environment.
- Support employee experience initiatives that contribute to business outcomes.
Team Leadership
- Lead HR Business Partner and Talent Acquisition teams across North Asia.
- Partner closely with regional Centers of Excellence and shared services teams.
- Ensure alignment of HR programs, policies, and processes across Japan and Korea.
- Develop and mentor HR team members to enhance capability and impact.
Qualifications
Required
- Significant HR leadership experience within a multinational organization.
- Demonstrated success leading large-scale organizational transformation and change initiatives.
Why Join?
- Participate in a high-profile regional growth and transformation journey.
- Shape the talent, culture, and organizational strategy of a large and influential business.
- Partner directly with regional and global leadership teams.
- Lead HR initiatives across a substantial workforce spanning retail and corporate operations.
- Gain significant executive visibility and strategic influence.
- Contribute to a business investing heavily in future growth and leadership capability.
- Access long-term career progression opportunities, including broader regional HR leadership roles.
- Leave a meaningful legacy through organizational transformation, leadership development, and culture change.
