People and Culture Country Lead - Japan

Celonis is the global leader in Process Intelligence and the pioneer of Process Mining technology. As one of the world’s fastest-growing enterprise SaaS companies, we are changemakers pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We invest heavily in advanced AI capabilities-specifically our Process Intelligence Graph-to turn data insights into immediate business action. We believe there is a massive opportunity to unlock global productivity and sustainability by placing intelligence at the core of every business process. Join our mission to make processes work for people, companies, and the planet.

The Team:

As our People and Culture Country Lead, you will operate at our Tokyo office in a flexible hybrid model, reporting directly to our VP for Global Regions. This is a high-impact, strategic individual contributor role where you will act as a key architect of our culture. You will join a vibrant and ambitious P&C team that acts as the engine room for Celonis's continued hyper-growth. Beyond your immediate region, you will be part of a connected global ecosystem, collaborating with Country Leaders, People Business Partners, and international colleagues to drive a world-class employee experience.

The Role:

You will serve as the architect of our country-driven People strategy across two markets at differing stages of organizational maturity. While your primary focus will be supporting our significant workforce in Japan, you will also play a critical role in scaling our emerging footprints in Korea. This role requires a versatile mindset - you will drive operational excellence in Tokyo while acting as a "builder" for our growing teams abroad. You will shape the employee experience, ensuring our teams feel connected, supported, and empowered. You will be the go-to expert for leadership on all people related matters, applying robust Japan legislative knowledge and navigating the specific compliance nuances of the Korea market to ensure sustainable growth.

The work you'll do:

• Strategic Regional Partnering: Partner with Country Leaders in Japan and Korea to drive regional growth. You will translate global goals into local actions, sharing insights and market trends to ensure our people strategy remains competitive across all three jurisdictions.
• Culture & Environment: Collaborate with Country Leaders and Workplace teams to build a cohesive 'One Celonis' culture.
• Employee Experience: Oversee the full employee journey, ensuring every touchpoint is seamless, supportive, and legally compliant.
• PBP Collaboration: Act as the local execution arm for our global People Business Partners. You will operationalize business-specific people strategies within your regions, solving complex local challenges and ensuring global initiatives land effectively at the country level.
• Employee Relations & Performance: Manage complex employee relations cases, performance improvement processes, and grievance issues. You will apply your deep knowledge of Japan law while navigating the specific regulatory landscapes of Korea to mitigate risk and ensure fair treatment.
• Compliance & Policy Localization: Work closely with Legal and People Compliance teams to align local policies with Global standards. You will serve as the guardian of compliance, ensuring our practices meet the strict requirements of Japan and Korean employment law and standards.
• Global Mobility & Immigration: Take ownership of visa and immigration compliance, a critical factor for our Japan and Korea hub and sponsorship license. You will ensure we can seamlessly move and hire talent across borders without regulatory friction.
• Operational Excellence & Automation: Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for HR processes. In collaboration with People Operations, you will refine and automate them to reduce administrative burden and improve the speed of service for our employees.
• Benefits & Wellbeing: Support the Global Benefits Lead in rolling out and managing benefit packages that remain competitive in the Japan and Korea market and attractive in our growth regions, ensuring our employees feel physically and financially supported.
• Data-Driven Insights: Create high-quality reports and analyses in collaboration with People Operations. You will use data to identify trends in retention, engagement, and performance, providing leadership with the insights needed to make informed talent decisions.
• External Representation:  As we scale, you will represent the People function externally, helping to build our employer brand.

The qualifications you need:

• Experience: 8-10+ years of relevant experience in Regional HR Management, or as a Generalist, ideally within a hyper-growth or fast-paced international environment.
• Legal Expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of Japan labor legislation and compliance is essential. You have a track record of managing complex Employee Relations cases independently.
• Global Mindset: Experience scaling teams or managing HR topics across multiple geographies. Exposure to Korean labor frameworks is highly advantageous, but a willingness to learn and navigate these landscapes is equally valued.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Capable of advising and influencing senior Country Leaders.
• Tech-Savvy: Proficiency with modern HRIS tools (Workday is a plus) and a data-driven approach to solving people problems.
• The Celonis Attitude: You are resilient, collaborative, and take ownership. You enjoy building processes from scratch just as much as you enjoy optimizing existing ones.

What Celonis can offer you:

• Pioneer Innovation:Work with the global leader in Process Mining and the Process Intelligence Graph to shape the future of AI-driven business operations.
• Ownership from Day 1:Every full-time "Celonaut" is an owner, receiving Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) and merit-based refresh grants.
• Unrivaled Family Support:Benefit from our inclusive parental leave policy-24 weeks of fully paid leave for primary carers and 12 weeks for supporting carers, available from your first day of employment.
• Work-Life Integration:Enjoy Unlimited PTO (in applicable regions) and generous PTO globally, as well as a flexible hybrid work model that balances remote focus with vibrant office collaboration.
• Continuous Growth:Elevate your skills through our 70-20-10 learning framework, mentorship programs, and access to a dedicated learning platform.
• Holistic Well-being:Prioritize your health with subsidized Wellhub memberships, mental health counseling, and dedicated "Wellness Weeks" that prioritize work/life balance.
• Drive Sustainability:Participate in annual Impact Days, where you receive paid time off to volunteer for community and environmental causes with your local office, or virtually.
• Global Inclusion & Belonging:Find community through our Inclusion Think Tank and participate in our annual Inclusion Days, ensuring every voice is heard and valued.
• Value-Driven Impact:Join a mission-led organization where our core values-Live for Customer Value, The Best Team Wins, We Own It, and Earth Is Our Future-drive every decision.

About Us:

Celonis makes processes work - for people, companies, and the planet. Powered by process mining and AI, the Celonis Process Intelligence Platform integrates process data and business context to create a living digital twin of business operations. We enable thousands of companies worldwide to understand how their business actually runs and, together with their partners, build intelligent solutions that transform and continuously improve the way they operate - unlocking billions in value. Celonis is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and New York City, USA, with more than 20 offices worldwide.

Get familiar with the Celonis Process Intelligence Platform by watching this video.

Celonis Inclusion Statement:

At Celonis, we believe our people make us who we are and that “The Best Team Wins”. We know that the best teams are made up of people who bring different perspectives to the table. And when everyone feels included, able to speak up and knows their voice is heard - that's when creativity and innovation happen.

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