HR Specialist, Labor and Payroll

This HR Specialist role focuses on payroll, labor administration, and human resources operations for an organization expanding rapidly in Japan and internationally. Day-to-day responsibilities include monthly payroll, bonus calculations, year-end tax adjustments, social and labor insurance procedures, attendance management, joining and leaving procedures, onboarding new employees, responding to labor-related consultations, and handling other labor operations.

The role also coordinates and directs external payroll and labor-service providers. It involves organizing, standardizing, improving, and increasing the efficiency of payroll and labor workflows; reviewing and designing the operation of work rules and other labor-related regulations; operating and improving leave-of-absence and return-to-work systems; communicating changes internally; and planning, building, and improving HR processes.

Additional responsibilities cover domestic transfer and business-trip policies, transfers and secondments to domestic group companies, company housing administration, and the optimization of related systems and operating procedures. The specialist will review and manage personnel transfers and personnel announcements, and manage and use employee data through human resources systems.

Applicants are expected to have approximately five or more years of experience in relevant areas. Required experience includes practical HR and labor work at a Japanese company, whether foreign-affiliated or Japanese; independently managing the full range of payroll and social insurance work as the person in charge; monthly payroll, bonus, year-end adjustment, social insurance, and labor insurance procedures; and maintaining accuracy and work quality during operations. Experience operating and improving work rules and HR systems, including leave and return-to-work arrangements, as well as joining and leaving procedures, attendance management, and personnel transfer management, is also required. The posting requires experience managing external providers for payroll and social insurance, including vendor coordination, work instructions, schedule management, and quality control. Experience organizing, visualizing, standardizing, and improving HR processes, together with knowledge of Japanese labor law and labor practices, is required.

Preferred experience includes recruiting or labor management for technical roles such as engineering, manufacturing, or research and development; leading a project or team; using payroll systems, HRIS, and personnel data to improve processes; creating HR systems and labor-management structures; working with overseas locations or multinational members; and proposing fact-based solutions while using hypotheses to examine problems. Business-English communication ability is also listed as welcome. The role is in the HR department of a startup connected with the development and construction of fusion experimental reactors and decarbonization objectives.

The position is full-time, with possible hiring as a contract employee. Working hours are 9:00 to 18:00 with a one-hour break, and a flextime system may apply. Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays are holidays, with at least 120 annual holidays; the posting records 125 days in 2025 and 126 days in 2026. The primary workplace is the Tokyo head office in Ota-ku, with work at the Tokyo satellite office in Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku possible from June 2026. Remote work may be discussed for people living within commuting distance, and domestic or overseas transfers may be possible. The structured listing gives an annual salary range of JPY 7,000,000 to JPY 9,000,000. The body states that the salary is monthly-based, discussed according to experience, and may vary with company performance and individual evaluation. Benefits include social insurance, other welfare benefits, salary increases, and special paid leave granted at joining.