Title
Head of Human Resources, Japan
Salary
Approx. ¥30,000,000 total cash compensation, plus short-term and long-term incentive programs (subject to eligibility)
Location
Yokohama, Japan (satellite office access available in central Tokyo)
Hybrid work environment with an office-first culture
Reports To
Regional Head of People, North Asia
Matrix partnership with global HR Centers of Excellence
About the Company
A globally recognized technology and digital infrastructure organization is seeking a senior HR executive to lead its Japan people function. The company operates across multiple international markets and is investing significantly in innovation, research and development, workforce expansion, and business transformation.
Japan represents a strategically important market, providing a unique opportunity to influence both local and regional business priorities while partnering with senior leaders across a highly matrixed international organization.
About the Role
The Head of Human Resources, Japan will lead the full HR agenda for a large and growing organization of more than 1,000 employees. This executive will serve as the senior HR leader for the Japan entity, acting as a strategic advisor to business leadership while overseeing HR operations, organizational effectiveness, talent strategy, leadership development, and workforce planning.
The role requires a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on execution, with responsibility for driving organizational transformation, strengthening leadership capability, and ensuring alignment between local priorities and global people strategies.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the overall HR strategy and people agenda for the Japan organization.
- Serve as the senior HR leader for the legal entity, providing guidance on employment and workforce matters.
- Partner closely with senior leaders across commercial, research and development, and corporate functions.
- Lead, coach, and develop the local HR team while building organizational capability.
- Drive talent acquisition, workforce planning, succession planning, and leadership development initiatives.
- Support organizational transformation and culture change programs aligned with business priorities.
- Ensure alignment between Japan people initiatives and regional/global HR strategies.
- Build strong partnerships with regional stakeholders and global HR centers of expertise.
- Strengthen HR's role as a strategic business partner and advisor to leadership.
- Foster a high-performing, engaged, and inclusive work environment.
Qualifications
Required
- Significant HR leadership experience within multinational organizations.
- Demonstrated success partnering with senior executives and business leaders.
- Experience operating effectively within complex matrix structures.
- Strong strategic planning and execution capabilities.
- Proven track record of leading, developing, and transforming HR teams.
- Deep understanding of the Japan employment landscape, talent market, and workforce practices.
- Strong stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills.
Preferred
- Professional fluency in both Japanese and English.
- Experience supporting regional or global HR initiatives.
- Background within technology, telecommunications, engineering, innovation-driven, or similar industries.
- Experience leading large-scale organizational transformation and cultural change.
- Strong expertise in talent acquisition, leadership development, and succession planning.
- Exposure to internationally distributed teams and cross-cultural environments.
Why Join?
- Lead the HR function for one of the organization's most strategically important markets.
- Partner directly with executive leadership and influence business strategy.
- Play a key role during a period of growth, transformation, and leadership evolution.
- Shape the future workforce and organizational capability of a large-scale business.
- Gain significant regional exposure and collaboration with global stakeholders.
- Drive meaningful impact across talent, culture, leadership, and business performance.
- Join an organization investing heavily in innovation, research and development, and long-term growth.
