Senior Specialist, People Operations

Tokyo, Japan

Role purpose

The Senior Specialist, People Operations provides high-quality operational, transactional, procedural, HR systems and policy support across the employee lifecycle. The role acts as a trusted point of contact for managers, employees, People Partners and specialist teams, taking ownership of complex enquiries and cases, applying sound judgement, protecting data quality and managing business risk.

The Senior Specialist combines hands-on case and transaction delivery with coaching, escalation support, workflow coordination and continuous improvement. The role helps ensure consistent processes, clear ownership, timely outcomes and a positive customer experience.

Key responsibilities

Customer and operational delivery

·    Work with AI-enabled solutions that support HR processes, contributing to their effective adoption, ongoing improvement and responsible use to enhance service quality, efficiency and the employee experience.

·    Provide customer-focused People Operations support to managers and colleagues across the employee lifecycle, ensuring standard processes and systems are applied consistently.

·    Take end-to-end ownership of enquiries, transactions and cases: investigate the issue, identify the appropriate solution, coordinate input from other teams where required, and provide a clear and timely response.

·    Maintain accurate employee data and case records, completing work with a high level of attention to detail and in line with applicable controls.

Advisory and case support

·    Act as an escalation point for complex operational, policy, process enquiries, using judgement and discretion to determine when specialist consultation is required.

·    Provide timely and consistent guidance to managers, while keeping accountability and decision-making with the appropriate owner.

·    Interpret People policies and processes in context, helping managers and employees understand requirements, available options and self-service routes.

·    Provide case-management support on employee relations matters, including disciplinaries, grievances, disputes and other workplace issues, within the defined service scope and escalation framework.

·    Ensure effective hand-offs to People Partners and specialist teams by providing complete, accurate information, relevant context and clear ownership.

Governance, risk and compliance

·    Keep relevant knowledge of Japan employment legislation and internal requirements up to date to support effective service delivery.

·    Apply policies and processes consistently, pausing to consult the appropriate specialist where the facts, risk or precedent require further review.

·    Prepare for and support internal and external audits, ensuring records and evidence are complete, accurate and accessible.

Role requirements

·    Degree-level education or equivalent practical experience

·    Knowledge of local labor law

·    Significant experience in People Operations or HR generalist function

·    Strong working knowledge of employee-lifecycle processes, HR policies, case management, HR systems, data maintenance and customer-service delivery.

·    Demonstrable employee relations capability, including experience supporting formal or informal cases and knowing when to escalate.

·    Fluent written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate effectively with employees, managers and senior stakeholders.

Kantar is an Equal Opportunities Provider

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