Senior HR Generalist

About Monks

Monks is a global, digital-first marketing, technology, and creative consultancy operating at the intersection of creativity, media, data, and culture. In APAC, our 700-strong team spans 14 offices across 11 countries, connected by a single, unified operating model.

As pioneers in the AI digital media economy, we live an AI-first culture internally while helping enterprise clients shift from manual workflows to AI-native orchestration — scaling custom agent solutions (Monks.Flow), AI-driven campaigns, and next-gen AI search capabilities. By connecting brand strategy, media, data, and emerging technology around the consumer, we build intelligent platforms and content ecosystems for the world's leading brands. We foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where authentic collaboration fuels industry-changing work.

The Role

At Monks, we believe that a great employee experience starts with the people who support it. As Senior HR Generalist for our Tokyo office, you'll be the go-to person for all things HR and recruitment in the Japan market — helping make work life better for every colleague, from their first day through to their last. This is a hands-on, generalist role that spans the full employee lifecycle: onboarding and offboarding, employee relations, compliance and admin, performance and benefits programs, and local recruitment. You'll work closely with the Head of HR and the APAC Recruitment Director to deliver a seamless, well-supported experience for both employees and hiring managers in Tokyo.

What You'll Do

HR Operations & Employee Support

• Act as the first point of contact for employees across the full employee lifecycle — from onboarding to offboarding — handling questions and day-to-day administrative needs.
• Manage the onboarding and offboarding process end to end, ensuring Workday data accuracy for full-time employees, freelancers, and interns.
• Prepare and sign off on freelancer contracts and NDAs, and maintain accurate Workday records for freelancers as needed.
• Partner with immigration vendors to support expat employees with work permits, visas, bank account setup, and residence registration.
• Conduct exit interviews for employees.

Performance, Policy & Programs

• Manage the employee probation review process and support the Head of HR with the annual performance review and merit cycle.
• Support the Head of HR in creating and updating HR policies and benefits for the Tokyo office.
• Help sustain and implement global and regional HR programs locally (career plans, salary plans, etc.) under the guidance of the Head of HR.
• Support the annual training plan — coordinating onsite logistics (meeting rooms, facilities), and collecting training feedback from participants.

Recruitment

• Partner with the APAC Recruitment team to post open roles on local recruitment platforms and coordinate interviews between hiring managers and candidates.
• Perform initial screening and shortlisting of candidates for hiring managers.
• Work with external agencies to coordinate interviews between candidates and teams, ensuring the process is documented
• Own the recruitment process in Japan whilst ensuring the process is followed, data is tracked and stored correctly using Greenhouse (our ATS). 

Culture & DEI

• Work with the Head of HR to implement DEI training and initiatives, and support the culture club in organizing employee events for the Tokyo office.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor degree or master’s in human resource management, Business Administration or related subject is preferred 
• Minimum 5+ years experience as HR Generalist, preferable with a focus on advertising business.
• Previous experience in recruitment is highly desirable 
• General HR knowledge and practice and understanding of local labor law is required.
• Communicate fluently in English and Japanese.
• Flexibly switch between tasks, taking ownership of your work.
• Experience driving cultural change with integration experience preferred.
• True team player who values and believes in effectiveness and efficiency.

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