People Operations Associate

As part of the People team, you will help build and run the operational backbone that lets people do their best work. Across the full employee lifecycle, from onboarding through to offboarding, you will keep day-to-day People operations running smoothly and accurately, working closely with the wider team and external partners. You will help shape People foundations in Japan from an early stage, improving processes and systems as the company scales.

Responsibilities

Onboarding, including preparing offers and employment contracts, collecting required documents, Day 1 setup and probation management; Offboarding, including leaver processing and final pay, issuing separation and withholding certificates, equipment return and access removal; HRIS administration, including maintaining employee data, managing leave balances, producing reports and monitoring PTO uptake; Working hours, including reconciling and operating attendance records, supporting monitoring of the 36-Agreement and checking submissions and approvals; Social and labour insurance, including enrolments, withdrawals, employment insurance, remuneration filings, the annual labour insurance update, and maternity, childcare and injury/sickness benefits; Payroll and tax, including monthly coordination with the external provider and payroll team, commuting and other allowances, resident tax updates and year-end adjustment support; Benefits and health, including liaising with benefits vendors, coordinating health checks and stress checks, arranging occupational physician meetings and worksite visits; Letters and certificates, including employment contracts, terms notices, employment and salary certificates; Compliance, including maintaining the employee roster and wage ledger, tracking residence status, managing fixed-term renewals and supporting audit preparation

Requirements

At least one year of experience in a People Operations or HR administrative role; solid understanding of the full employee lifecycle; knowledge and hands-on experience of Japanese HR administration, including payroll, social and labour insurance, and working-hours management; enjoys spotting where things can be improved and making it happen; can manage several tasks in parallel and prioritise effectively; strong, considerate communication skills with the ability to build trust with employees, managers and external partners; Japanese fluency essential (N1 or above); able to work with stakeholders in English over written and verbal communication; experience in a start-up or fast-growth environment (desirable); experience supporting teams across multiple locations or geographies (desirable); experience using AI tooling to make workflows more efficient (desirable)

Nice to have

Experience in a start-up or fast-growth environment; Experience supporting teams across multiple locations or geographies; Experience using AI tooling to make workflows more efficient

Benefits

Salaries benchmarked against the market annually; Meaningful equity; Hybrid working, core hours and hands-on work in vehicle workshops and labs; Learning and development budgets for training, conferences and growth; Comprehensive benefits including health insurance, dental, enhanced maternity and paternity leave, retirement or pension where applicable, access to therapists, wellbeing partnerships and team socials