People Operations Senior Associate
AI in this role
People Operations Senior Associate tasked with evaluating and adopting Generative AI tools to streamline HR workflows.
Work smart, have fun and make an impact!
Our purpose is to guide all companies toward a sustainable world. EcoVadis is the leading provider of business sustainability ratings. Our solutions are backed by an international team of experts and powerful technology. We analyze data and build sustainability scorecards that give companies actionable insights into their environmental, social and ethical risks.
Why apply to EcoVadis? Be a part of the global sustainability change in business. Grow your career. Work with extraordinary people. Feel valued for your contribution.
Learn more about our team and culture on EcoVadis careers page. If you have questions about the company or open roles you can chat with an insider.
Our Human Resources and Communication department strategically recruits, develops and supports our people to ensure EcoVadis has essential skills and talent, communicating key messaging to maintain alignment, which together enable improvement in companies’ sustainable business practices at a global scale.
Your role and responsibilities will oversee local HR and Office Administration in the Japan office (around 55 employees):
HR Strategy, Operations & Employee Experience
- Work closely with the Regional HR Lead, based in Hong Kong, to localize and execute global HR strategies; and initiatives aligned with the company strategy, goals & priorities in order to attract and retain employees in Japan
- Manage end-to-end employee lifecycle processes, including onboarding, orientation, mobility, development, offboarding & etc., in cooperation with various teams and external service providers where appropriate
- Serve as a trusted advisor to local employees and managers, offering empathetic guidance, conflict resolution, and employee relations support.
- Manage employees' disciplinary procedures and conduct employee relations counseling
- Partner with service providers to manage & handle HR administrative tasks & documents, including payroll & benefits administration
- Maintain and update local Rules of Employment, Article 36 Agreements (Saburoku Kyōtei), and other mandatory regulatory filings.
AI Adoption & Continuous Improvement
- Actively evaluate and adopt Generative AI (Gen-AI) tools and automated HR workflows to streamline routine administrative tasks and increase process efficiency
- Develop & update local HR policies & plans to enhance employee relations
- Analyze employee engagement survey results and feedback metrics to design local initiatives that nurture a positive, psychologically safe, and inclusive culture
Workplace Experience & Office Administration
- Manage statutory Health and Safety requirements, including Health Committee meetings (Eisei Iinkai), annual employee health checks (Kenkō Shindan), stress checks, etc.
- Close cooperation with other teams or departments to provide HR Admin and Office administrative support to the office & the team
- Deploy global General Administration and Sustainability guidelines to maintain eco-friendly workplace practices in the local office
- Act as one of the key point of contact with the co-working space operations team to ensure the Office and the Japan team have sufficient support
- Coordinate office supply management, emergency response planning, visitor hosting to maintain an agile, safe, and collaborative work environment.
- 8+ years of progressive HR generalist operations experience in a multinational corporation in Japan
- Full-professional level in Japanese, and excellent command of both spoken and written English
- Holding a Sharoushi certification is highly advantageous
- Working knowledge in office management, health & safety management would be a plus
- Demonstrated enthusiasm for leveraging Gen-AI tools and modern HR Tech to automate workplace processes
- Familiar with employment related Japanese labor regulations
- Knowledge in employee compensation and benefits administration
- Hands-on experience partnering with external payroll providers and Sharoushi (Labor & Social Security Attorney) firms.
- Proven track record in handling complex employee relations, performance management, and disciplinary procedures with tact, confidentiality, and integrity
- Flexible to meet the demands of internal clients, global HR projects and willing to go the extra mile
- Team Player / ability to collaborate with others & work in a team-oriented environment including cross-department cooperation
- Ability to work well in an international and multicultural environment - to create a culture of diversity, inclusivity, collaboration and teamwork
- Location: Tokyo - hybrid
- Start date: ASAP
- Contract of Employment - Full time
In return for your expertise, we offer:
- Support with all the necessary office and IT equipment
- Flexi time working system
- Wellness allowance for mental and physical wellbeing
- Access to professional mental health support
- Referral bonus policy
- Learning and development
- Sustainability events and community involvement
- Peer recognition program
- Employee-led resource groups
- Social Insurance
- Commuting Allowance
- Work Model: Hybrid Work Model
- Remote work from abroad policy
- Life Insurance
- Paid employee volunteer day
Our hiring team looks forward to reviewing your CV, in English, with a guaranteed response to every application.
A new job with purpose awaits you!
Don’t fit all the criteria but still think you’d be a good candidate?
Please apply anyway to give our hiring team the opportunity to assess your skills and to learn more about what you could bring to EcoVadis. We’re interested in hiring capable people, regardless of professional and educational background.
Can the hiring process be adjusted to suit my needs? Yes.
We want everyone going through the hiring process with EcoVadis to feel confident that you are able to demonstrate your full potential. We welcome applications from disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, and neurodiverse candidates. If you need any adjustments, including the provision of interview questions, please let the hiring team know.
Our team’s strength comes from everyone’s uniqueness and is founded upon mutual respect.
EcoVadis commits to equity, inclusion and reducing bias in our hiring processes. EcoVadis does not accept any form of discrimination based on color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, citizenship, religion, beliefs, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, disability, parental status, or any other protected characteristic that makes you unique. In your application, we encourage you to remove personal information such as: photographs, marital status, number of children, religion, gender, residential postal code, university graduation date, past medical or parental leave(s) taken, nationality (instead, please state if you are legally eligible to work in the job region/country), university name (instead, please state any degrees obtained and the study major).
How we rate this
People Operations Senior Associate at EcoVadis rates 45 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Uses AI (AI Level 2 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Uses AI. An ordinary role that requires AI tools.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Open the description and count.
Prepare for this job
A free preview built only from this posting: what it asks for, what you could be asked in an interview, and how to adjust your resume.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where hr operations was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where employee lifecycle was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where payroll benefits was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where process automation was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where hr strategy was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Hr Operations, Employee Lifecycle, Payroll Benefits, Process Automation, and Hr Strategy. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them — a tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Put the AI tool in a bullet point about what you did, not just in a skills list — this role treats it as a required part of the job.
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