People Operations Generalist, Japan

About the role

Who We Are Notion is the collaborative AI workspace where teams and agents think together . We're building one place where your knowledge, projects, meetings, and AI tools live side by side, so work is faster, clearer, and less fragmented. Millions of individuals, small teams, and large companies run their work on Notion. Notinos (our employees) are customer zero in bringing this future of work to life. We care about craft, building things that last, and the belief that great work is still fundamentally human. Our goal isn’t to ship the next feature. Each and every team of Notinos is working to set the standard for how humans work together in the AI era. From building a business’s system of record to making and managing AI agents to automating away the busy work, we care deeply about giving our customers more time for their life’s work. About the Role As a People Operations Generalist, you'll be the backbone of Notion's employee experience, owning the critical touch-points that make our team members feel supported throughout their journey. From the moment someone accepts their offer through their growth and transitions at Notion, you'll ensure every process runs smoothly - managing onboarding, compliance, HRIS transactions, off-boarding, and more, with a focus on Japan-specific compliance and broader APAC coverage. You'll partner closely with cross-functional teams including Recruiting, Legal, Finance, People Partners, and IT to deliver seamless operational execution. This role requires someone who thrives on operational excellence, can juggle competing priorities, and genuinely cares about executing high quality work. This role is based in Tokyo, Japan. We work from our offices on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (our Anchor Days) because we do our best thinking and building together in person. We’re looking for someone who’s excited to work alongside the team during those days. What You'll Achieve Own end-to-end People Operations execution globally with an emphasis in APAC timezone coverage, ensuring timely support and reducing cross-timezone handoffs (Tokyo, with broader APAC coverage as needed). Support new hire onboarding - onboard new hires to our HRIS, verify background checks, and end-to-end onboarding coordination. Ensure all new employees are set up for Day 1. Support off-boarding - process terminations in our HRIS, draft separation paperwork, and partner with People Partners, IT, and other cross-functional teams on critical off-boarding logistics. Operationalize Japan-specific workflows and compliance processes, including Japanese-language, document-heavy work-streams such as social insurance administration support and coordination, leave processing and related documentation, payroll coordination, and labor/regulatory obligations and audits. Coordinate with external vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure accurate, timely execution – especially where local judgement and documentation quality are critical. Act as the initial point of contact for employees. Triage and resolve questions or requests submitted to our People Operations ticketing system. Manage the day-to-day transactions in our HRIS. Be a reliable partner to cross-functional teams, including Recruiting, Legal, Finance, People Partners, and IT on all things People Operations. Manage compliance - SOC2, maintain employee files, support regular audits, etc. Support processing onboarding, extensions, and offboardings for contingent workers. Support and lead ad-hoc projects that improve our processes and operations. Support an employee experience that is thoughtful and consistent. Skills You'll Need to Bring 3+ years of experience in People Operations, HR Operations, or a similar role in a fast-paced, growing company. Fluency in Japanese and English, with confidence handling Japanese-language employee documentation and stakeholder communication. Strong working knowledge of Workday (HCM) and comfort operating across multiple People tools and systems. Excellent attention to detail and ability to handle sensitive employee data with discretion Service-oriented mindset with strong triage and prioritization skills. Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills - proven ability to partner effectively with Recruiting, Legal, Finance, IT, and People Partners to coordinate seamless employee experiences and resolve complex operational challenges. Must hold a Class 2 Occupational Health Manager License (第2種衛生管理資格), or obtain it within one year of joining the company. Effective written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. Nice To Haves Experience supporting Japan HR operations (social insurance, leave administration, vendor coordination, local compliance rhythms). Experience supporting a global workforce and navigating time zone coverage models. Experience supporting contingent workforce operations. Experience supporting a global workforce. By clicking “Submit Application”, I understand and agree that Notion and its affiliates and subsidiaries will collect and process my information in accordance with Notion’s Global Recruiting Privacy Policy . #LI-Onsite A Note on AI You don’t need deep AI expertise for every role, but we do expect every Notino to be intellectually curious, drawn to tinkering and discovery, and excited to use AI as a real collaborator in their work. For some roles, AI fluency is a core requirement — when that’s the case, we'll say so explicitly in the qualifications. People who thrive here don’t treat AI as a novelty. They use it to think better, and make their work easier for others to build on. Equal Opportunity & Accommodations We hire talented people from a wide range of backgrounds. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every bullet, we still encourage you to apply. Notion is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected characteristic. Consistent with applicable law, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Notion provides reasonable accommodations during the application process; if you need one, please let your recruiter know. Notion is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Notion considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Notion is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.