Head of Talent Management

Location

Tokyo, Japan

Reports To

Regional / Japan People & Culture Leadership

About the Company

Our client is a globally recognized consumer business undergoing a significant transformation of its business model, products, and organizational capabilities. With a strong international presence and an established position in its market, the organization is investing heavily in innovation, future capabilities, and a more agile, consumer-focused operating model.

The Japan business is an important market within the broader organization, with a strong leadership presence and close collaboration across regional and global teams.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Head of Talent Management to lead the talent agenda for the Japan business during a period of significant organizational transformation.

This role will own the long-term talent strategy for Japan, aligning workforce requirements and talent priorities with both business objectives and broader regional and global People & Culture strategies.

The successful candidate will operate at the intersection of Talent Management, Workforce Planning, Succession, Leadership Development, Organizational Capability, and Talent Analytics, partnering closely with senior business leaders to ensure the organization has the capabilities and leadership pipeline required for long-term success.

This is a highly strategic role with significant exposure to senior leadership and the opportunity to influence workforce and organizational decisions at a market level.

Key Responsibilities

Talent Strategy & Workforce Planning

• Develop and own the Japan talent strategy in alignment with business and regional priorities

• Partner with business leaders to identify current and future workforce requirements and capability gaps

• Develop strategic workforce plans to ensure the organization has the right talent and capabilities to support business transformation

• Leverage workforce data, analytics, and predictive insights to inform talent and business decisions

Talent Management & Succession

• Lead talent review, calibration, and development planning processes across the organization

• Build robust succession plans and leadership pipelines for critical positions

• Identify high-potential talent and design targeted development interventions to accelerate progression

• Drive talent programs designed to strengthen the future leadership pipeline

Leadership Development

• Lead the implementation of leadership and people development initiatives aligned with business priorities

• Partner with senior leaders to identify leadership capability requirements and development opportunities

• Utilize executive assessment tools and talent data to provide meaningful insights and development recommendations

• Support the development of future leaders through structured programs, coaching, and targeted interventions

Organizational Capability & Transformation

• Support organizational capability building during a period of significant business transformation

• Partner with leadership on organizational design and future workforce requirements

• Develop talent solutions that enable greater agility, innovation, and commercial effectiveness

• Ensure talent priorities are aligned with broader organizational transformation objectives

Talent Analytics & Inclusion

• Own talent and workforce analytics for the Japan market

• Translate people data into actionable insights to support strategic decision making

• Incorporate inclusion and diversity considerations across talent management processes

• Identify trends and opportunities to strengthen organizational capability and employee engagement

Strategic Business Partnership

• Act as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert to senior business and People & Culture leaders

• Influence senior stakeholders on critical talent, workforce, and leadership decisions

• Partner with regional and global stakeholders across a complex, multicultural organization

• Balance strategic talent design with effective execution, implementation, and adoption

Qualifications

Required

• Significant Talent Management experience within a global or multinational organization

• 5+ years of experience in Talent Management or a closely related talent function

• Strong expertise across talent reviews, succession planning, leadership development, and employee development

• Demonstrated experience in workforce planning, organizational capability, or organizational design

• Strong experience partnering with senior executives and business leadership teams

• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills within complex, matrix organizations

• Strong analytical capability with experience using workforce and talent data to generate business insights

• Commercial mindset and understanding of consumer-facing or similarly dynamic business environments

• Japanese and English communication skills

Preferred

• Experience within consumer goods, retail, technology, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, or other fast-moving commercial environments

• Experience supporting large-scale business or organizational transformation

• Exposure to executive assessment, coaching, or leadership assessment methodologies

• Experience developing future-of-work strategies and modern learning approaches

• Strong organizational design and strategic workforce planning experience

• Experience working across regional and global Talent or People & Culture teams

Why Join?

• Strategic ownership of the Japan talent agenda within a globally transforming organization

• Opportunity to influence senior leadership decisions around workforce, succession, and future capabilities

• Broad enterprise scope spanning Talent Management, Workforce Planning, Leadership Development, and Organizational Capability

• Significant exposure to regional and global stakeholders

• Opportunity to shape talent strategy during a major business transformation

• Highly collaborative and internationally oriented working environment

• Strong platform for continued career development within a global organization