Senior HR Generalist

About the company

A global business operating in the space and defence manufacturing sector, the organisation brings together locally based teams and a globally distributed workforce. Its approach combines global people frameworks with practical delivery tailored to the needs of each country, creating an environment where local expertise plays an important part in the employee experience.

For an HR professional, this is an opportunity to contribute across the full employee lifecycle while working closely with local leadership and international colleagues. The role offers meaningful scope to shape effective local processes, support employees directly and help ensure that global ways of working meet local requirements. In a growing, international environment, you will be able to take ownership, build trusted relationships and make a tangible contribution to how the organisation operates in Japan.

What the job entails

As Senior HR Generalist, you will be the primary HR contact for employees in Japan and a key partner to the local CEO. You will deliver a responsive, consistent employee experience throughout the employee lifecycle, applying global HR frameworks in a way that works locally and complies with Japanese employment requirements.

Your responsibilities will span employee enquiries, onboarding and relocation, local employment contracts, offboarding, employee records and payroll data audits. You will coordinate local HR providers, maintain clear documentation and support standard employee relations matters, seeking guidance from HR colleagues on complex cases. You will also keep abreast of changes to local employment law, contribute to local HR programmes and support global initiatives in areas such as wellbeing, performance management and learning and development. Working with global HR Operations and local partners, you will identify opportunities to improve and automate processes while protecting data privacy and maintaining accurate records.

Key requirements

• Strong working knowledge of Japanese labour law, local benefits and HR best practice.
• Experience creating compliant HR policies, process documentation and internal knowledge resources.
• A hands-on, detail-focused approach to employment contracts, onboarding and managing local HR providers.
• The ability to handle sensitive employee relations matters with sound judgement, escalating complex cases appropriately.
• Excellent communication skills in both Japanese and English, with the ability to connect local needs and global standards.
• Confidence partnering with local leaders and collaborating with a globally distributed HR team.
• Experience using HR information systems and ticketing tools, and maintaining accurate, confidential employee records.
• Analytical capability to review HR and payroll data and work effectively with internal teams and local payroll providers.
• A proactive, service-oriented approach and the adaptability to work effectively in a fast-scaling environment.