Senior People Operations Partner / HRBP

We're looking for a Senior People Operations Partner / HRBP to lead the day-to-day people operations for Reaktor Japan. Our Tokyo office is still a compact team. That means this role is hands-on by design. You will own the everyday mechanics of local HR, stay close to the team, and help leaders make careful people decisions when the situation calls for it. You will also be one of the main links between Japan and Reaktor's global People/HR teams. This role involves more internal English communication than many of our client-facing roles in Japan. You will need to discuss people processes, compensation, performance, employment practices, and sensitive employee topics with colleagues outside Japan, and then make those discussions work in the Japanese legal and cultural context. The interview process will include both English and Japanese conversations. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Run people operations for the Japan office Manage the employee lifecycle from pre-onboarding to offboarding. This includes onboarding logistics, leave and attendance, performance cycle administration, employee data, routine HR questions, and employee documentation. - Handle local labor and compliance work Keep Japan HR operations aligned with local labor law, company policies, and the rules of employment. Work with external partners on payroll, social insurance, annual health checks, expense-related processes, and other local HR administration. - Help people join and settle in Support new joiners coming from Japan and from overseas. Make sure they understand the basics: how we work, which tools we use, what matters in our culture, and who they need to know during their first weeks. - Connect global People practices with Japan Work with global People/HR colleagues on performance, compensation, organizational changes, and other people processes. Make global guidance clear, compliant, and workable for the Japan office. - Advise local leadership on people matters Support local leaders on team health, engagement, retention, organizational changes, performance topics, and employee relations. Bring facts, context, and judgment. Some signals will come from data. Others will come from conversations. - Support recruiting from a People perspective Work with Talent Acquisition and hiring teams when People/HR input is needed. This may include job descriptions, interview process clarity, candidate experience, or employer brand input. - Contribute to the office community Work with office administration and team members on office practices, events, benefits, and wellbeing. Help keep our flat and transparent culture visible in the way people actually work together. WHAT YOU'LL NEED - Around eight or more years of experience in HR Generalist, People Operations, HR Business Partner (HRBP), or a closely related role in Japan - Practical knowledge of Japanese labor law, labor administration, rules of employment, attendance, social insurance, and payroll coordination - Experience working with external partners such as payroll vendors, labor and social security attorneys, benefits partners, or other HR service providers - Experience across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, performance cycles, employee relations, and offboarding - The judgment to handle confidential and sensitive employee matters with care - The ability to turn ambiguous people issues into clear facts, options, stakeholders, and next steps - Comfort working in a small, flat organization where you need to spot issues, set priorities, and move the work yourself - Native or near-native Japanese communication skills, especially for employment, policy, and employee-facing topics - Strong business English. You should be able to discuss HR operations, performance, compensation, organizational changes, and employee matters with global colleagues in English - Experience using HRIS, Google Workspace, Slack, or similar tools to keep people data and processes organized NICE TO HAVE - Experience in a foreign-affiliated co…