People and Culture Manager

Keywords Studios Japan is seeking an experienced Human Resources Manager to join its leadership team

and lead the People and Culture segment of its business. Keywords Japan has been in the business for

more than 12 years, has two known entities (Keywords Tokyo and Wizcorp) and a critical part of Keywords

Studios, the leading global technical and creative solutions partner to the video games industry.

At Keywords, we are using our passion for games, technology and media to create a global services

platform for video games and beyond. Our aim is to become the “go to” provider of technical services. We

enable leading content creators and publishers to leverage our expertise and capacity across the lifecycle

of interactive content. In so doing we empower our clients to remain lean and agile, and to focus on creating

the most engaging experiences. Keywords is trusted and relied upon by many of the world’s leading video

game companies to work alongside them during concept, development and live operations by leveraging

the breadth and depth of our industry leading service lines every step of the way.

Keywords Japan is a medium-sized business and currently has over 400 employees (inclusive of its entities

and subsidiaries). It has ambitious plans to grow its presence in Japan through hiring and M&A

opportunities. As the People and Culture Manager, you will be responsible for managing the acquisition,

retention, engagement and development of talent across the group (of all its entities and subsidiaries), as

well as building the long-term staffing capacity of Keywords Japan. The role is hybrid, permanent and full time.

Requirements

This role offers an exciting growth opportunity for the right person to help develop a strong and highly

capable Japan HR team for a globally leading company operating in one of the fastest growing and most

dynamic industries in the world. As a technical and creative studio, our employees are our product, without

the right talents we can’t deliver for our customers and stakeholders. This role is critical in helping us retain,

develop and acquire the right team.

The ideal candidate will report to the Senior People & Culture Manager but will work closely with the key

local leaders and stakeholders to manage HR local operations and ensure we can continue to build and

support incredible games as we expand our Keywords presence in Japan. This role will be managing the

human capital strategy of Keywords Studios Japan and all its entities/subsidiaries. This role will be

responsible in supporting the dynamic team of HR professionals in Keywords Japan and will be responsible

for developing and executing an HR strategy to support the daily operations and enable the growth plan in

that location.

The candidate should possess a strong background in human resources, with solid leadership experience

and ideally have worked in the professional services industry before or have managed creative and

technical workforces. Experience working in multinational and global company and having a global

mindset/perspective are necessary. Experience in the video games industry or service industry will be

highly desirable.

Responsibilities:

● Will work closely with Japan local leadership team and will collaborate with regional/global HR

leaders/teams to develop and execute HR plans that will support the Keywords operations and

business’ growth strategy in Japan.

● Provide leadership support and guidance to Japan People and Culture team as they deliver the

services to all the stakeholders in a timely and efficient manner.

● Design and implement programs and initiatives to enhance employee experience, productivity and

efficiency that will enable business growth.

● Oversee the design and implementation of learning and development programs to support the

ongoing professional and personal development needs of employees and leaders.

● Execute a genuine hands-on approach in monitoring the employee pulse/sentiments and driving

effective action planning to ensure high level of employee engagement.

● Analyze trends in compensation and benefits; researches, proposes and execute appropriate

total rewards programs to ensure that the organization attracts and retains top talent.

● Plan, manage and control the HR operational budget in the location.

● Serve as advocate of corporate culture and leadership principles, EVP and talent initiatives.

● Design and implement health and well-being strategy aligned to employee and business needs.

● Manage the performance review process, ensuring quality feedback that is aligned with needed

personal and professional development.

● Support and mentor managers on the application of appropriate performance management and in

handling employee issues and work-related conflicts, ensuring all procedures are applied in line

with policy and legislation.

● Oversees the employer branding, talent sourcing and talent acquisition strategy in the location to

support the business growth goals.

● Harmonize HR processes, policies and procedures across businesses, studios and entities.

● Ensure legal and statutory compliance in all segments of the business and people and culture-

related processes.

● Advise managers and employees on the interpretation and application of policies and procedures.

● Proactively mitigate and manage legal risks and deal with any that arise.

● Other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

Requirements:

We are seeking a commercially astute HR professional with exceptional people skills and proven leadership

experience. The role would be well suited to an HR manager with experience in professional services and

who has worked within a rapidly evolving, dynamic, global and multi-cultural organization and is comfortable

building the necessary HR structures to support the business.

In order to be successful in this role the candidate should have:

● Relevant degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Management or related discipline

● At least three (5) years of experience within a similar role

● Solid understanding of Japan working and corporate practices, employment legislation and labor

standards

● Generalist HR capability at a senior level, self-driven and highly motivated

● Capable, comfortable and experienced in collaborating with onshore and off-shore leaders and

teams

● Have experience building and developing an HR team and maintaining/enhancing culture in a

global and culturally diverse business environment

● Bilingual – proficient in Japanese and English language

Ideal attributes:

Ideally we are seeking someone with the following attributes:

● Motivated self-starter who is comfortable taking charge and driving things forward

● Highly detail orientated but with an ability to prioritize work, connect the dots and see the big

picture

● Capable of delivering strategic initiatives but equally comfortable completing tactical deliverables

● Comfortable working closely with local leadership team with limited support

● Confident in his/her abilities and able to communicate ideas and viewpoints to all levels of the

organization

Benefits

● Competitive salary package with bonus

● Flexible work hours

● Ability to work remotely with working from the office few days in a week (hybrid work set-up)

Role Information: EN

Studio: Keywords Studios

Location: Asia Pacific, Japan, Tokyo

Area of Work: People & Culture

Service: Support Services

Employment Type: Full Time, Permanent

Working Pattern: Hybrid

Relevant degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Management or related discipline. At least 5 years of experience in a similar HR role. Solid understanding of Japanese working practices, employment legislation, and labor standards. Generalist HR capability at a senior level. Experience building and developing an HR team and maintaining culture in a global, diverse business environment. Proficient in both Japanese and English languages. Experience in professional services or managing creative/technical workforces.