Payroll & Labor Specialist

Our client is looking for a Payroll & Labor Specialist to manage their Human Resources operations in Japan. The ideal candidate will take ownership of payroll processing, social insurance administration, and labor compliance, while serving as a strategic HR Business Partner to support team growth and employee engagement. Fluency in both Japanese and Mandarin is required to seamlessly collaborate with localized teams and overseas stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-end management of monthly payroll processing for Japan employees, ensuring full accuracy and compliance with local tax and labor laws.
• Handle statutory welfare and social insurance procedures, including Social Insurance (shakai hoken) and Labor Insurance (rodo hoken) procedures, enrollment, calculations, and annual adjustments (Geikou/Santei).
• Oversee year-end tax adjustments (Nenmatsu Chousei) and local resident tax administration.
• Manage attendance tracking, overtime calculations, paid leave management, and expense reimbursement verification.
• Act as the primary liaison with external Japan labor law attorneys (Sharoushi) and payroll vendors.
• Act as an HR Business Partner to business leaders, providing advice on labor regulations, performance management, employee relations, and organizational development.
• Design and execute local HR policies, onboarding/offboarding processes, and employee engagement initiatives tailored to the Japan market.
• Address employee inquiries regarding compensation, benefits, social insurance, and internal employment guidelines (Shukyou Kisoku).
• Ensure all employment contracts, rules of employment, and HR operations align with Japanese Labor Standards Act (Roudou Kijun Hou).
• Bridge communication between cross-border regional HR teams and local Japan employees.

About You

• 3–5 years of hands-on experience in Japan payroll, social insurance calculation, and labor operations. Experience as an HRBP or Generalist in a Japanese market environment is highly desirable.
• Fluent in Japanese (JLPT N1 level equivalent) with clear professional writing and communication skills.
• Fluent in Mandarin for internal reporting and cross-border team collaboration; English is a plus.
• Solid knowledge of Japan labor law, payroll taxation, social/labor insurance regulations, and standard HR practices in Japan.
• Exceptional attention to detail, high confidentiality, strong interpersonal communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in HRIS/Payroll systems (e.g., SmartHR, Money Forward, Freee, Workday, or similar platform) and Excel.

If you are interested in this role, please apply.

Please note: you must already have the right to work in the country where this role is based to be considered for it.