In-Country Japan H2R Services Manager

Job Description Summary

Role Summary
The In-Country Japan H2R Services Manager is accountable for leading Japan H2R service delivery across employee lifecycle administration, workforce data management, employee documentation, payroll-impacting upstream processes, service excellence, vendor governance, compliance, operational controls, and continuous improvement.
As the country H2R service owner, the role ensures that global People & Organization strategies, PLC standards, service catalogs, operating models, and governance expectations are translated into effective local execution for Japan. The incumbent ensures services are delivered in a compliant, accurate, timely, and employee-centric manner while meeting Japanese regulatory requirements and Novartis governance standards.
The role provides direct leadership to the Japan H2R Services team and partners closely with regional shared service team, Country P&O, Payroll Operations, Payroll KK, Global Process Owners, PTDI, external service providers, line managers, and employees. The role is accountable for strengthening service reliability, workforce data integrity, operational readiness, risk management, stakeholder confidence, and continuous service improvement across Japan H2R operations.
The incumbent is expected to lead through operational complexity, transformation, and change, ensuring that Japan H2R remains resilient, well-controlled, future-ready, and aligned with the broader PLC and Novartis service strategy.

 

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

A. Country H2R Service Leadership 

• Lead end-to-end delivery of In-Country Hire-to-Retire services for Japan. 

• Ensure operational execution aligns with global service standards, service catalogs, governance frameworks, and Japanese regulatory requirements. 

• Translate strategic priorities into measurable operational outcomes. 

• Establish service delivery objectives and monitor achievement against agreed performance measures. 

• Serve as the operational authority for In-Country H2R services within Japan. 

• Represent Japan in regional and global H2R governance forums, operational reviews, and strategic discussions. 

• Ensure operational decisions balance employee experience, compliance, quality, efficiency, and business needs. 

• Strengthen stakeholder alignment and service effectiveness by partnering with Country P&O teams, Customer Delivery Excellence (CDE), Payroll Operations, and cross-functional stakeholders. 

B. Workforce Administration, Data Governance & Documentation Management 

• Establish robust workforce administration controls ensuring high levels of data integrity and operational accuracy. 

• Oversee employee master data governance activities across all applicable systems. 

• Ensure employee files, statutory documentation, and employment records are maintained in accordance with Japanese legal requirements and Novartis policies. 

• Monitor and improve data quality through structured quality assurance activities. 

• Lead root cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions associated with recurring data quality issues. 

• Ensure workforce data supports operational reporting, regulatory compliance, and payroll processing requirements. 

• Maintain governance standards for document retention, archiving, and records management. 

• Ensure H2R operations are executed in accordance with Japanese employment practices, statutory documentation requirements, local language needs, data privacy obligations, and country-specific employee lifecycle requirements. 

C. Vendor & Third-Party Service Governance 

• Establish and maintain effective governance frameworks with vendors supporting Japan employee lifecycle services. 

• Conduct regular operational reviews to assess service performance, compliance adherence, issue resolution effectiveness, and employee experience outcomes. 

• Monitor contractual obligations, service level agreements, operational commitments, and vendor performance metrics. 

• Escalate and coordinate resolution of vendor-related service failures, risks, and compliance concerns. 

• Ensure effective coordination of activities across H2R, Payroll KK, Country P&O, Payroll Operations, and external service providers. 

• Lead operational readiness activities involving third-party providers during organizational changes, regulatory updates, technology deployments, and business transformation initiatives. 

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives through collaboration with vendors and internal stakeholders. 

• Ensure vendor-supported processes align with Novartis operational, compliance, and employee experience standards. 

• Provide governance and oversight for payroll-related operational dependencies managed by external providers. 

• Provide operational leadership and country service expertise during vendor selection, transition, implementation, and stabilization activities when applicable. 

D. Upstream Payroll Readiness Governance 

• Ensure H2R-owned employee lifecycle transactions, workforce data updates, and documentation processes are completed accurately and timely to support stable payroll outcomes. 

• Partner closely with Payroll Operations, Payroll KK, and technology teams to support end-to-end service performance. 

• Lead investigation and remediation of systemic process gaps affecting payroll outcomes. 

• Contribute H2R operational controls, evidence, and remediation plans for payroll governance reviews, audits, and compliance activities. 

• Ensure operational readiness during payroll enhancements, regulatory changes, system deployments, and transformation initiatives. 

• Drive stabilization and continuous improvement activities within the integrated operating model. 

E. People Leadership, Capability Building & Organizational Effectiveness 

• Lead, coach, and develop a small team of H2R professionals to achieve operational, customer, and service objectives. 

• Create an environment that promotes accountability, collaboration, customer centricity, and continuous improvement. 

• Establish clear performance objectives aligned with organizational priorities and service commitments. 

• Conduct regular performance reviews, coaching discussions, development planning, and career conversations. 

• Identify capability gaps and implement targeted development initiatives. 

• Drive succession planning and talent development activities to ensure long-term organizational sustainability. 

• Ensure effective workload allocation, workforce planning, and resource management across all operational activities. 

• Build a resilient service model through cross-training, knowledge transfer, job rotation, and capability diversification. 

• Foster employee engagement and promote a culture aligned with Novartis Values and Behaviors. 

• Promote innovation, ownership, and continuous learning within the team. 

• Ensure team readiness during organizational change, transformation initiatives, regulatory updates, and technology deployments. 

F. Digital, Analytics & Future of Work Enablement 

• Promote adoption of digital solutions, self-service capabilities, and modern service delivery approaches. 

• Drive utilization of enterprise platforms, including Workday, ServiceNow, Microsoft technologies, analytics platforms, automation solutions, and future digital capabilities. 

• Identify opportunities to leverage automation, artificial intelligence, and data-driven insights to improve operational effectiveness and employee experience. 

• Develop operational dashboards, governance reporting, and performance metrics for leadership review. 

• Translate operational data into actionable recommendations and business insights. 

• Provide meaningful workforce and operational insights to support leadership decision-making, workforce planning, and service improvement initiatives. 

G. Decision Making Authority

• Determines local operational priorities.
• Approves operational improvement initiatives.
• Owns vendor performance escalations.
• Recommends controls and remediation activities.
• Represents Japan operational interests within regional governance forums.

Essential Requirements 

• Minimum of 10 to 15 years of progressive experience in HR Operations / Hire-to-Retire experience with strong expertise across hire, employee lifecycle management, and separation processes.
• Proven people leadership experience, including performance management, coaching, capability development, succession planning, and workload management.
• Strong knowledge of Japanese HR operations and employment practices, including employee documentation, workforce administration, and compliance requirements.
• Experience managing employee data governance and HR systems, ensuring data integrity, quality controls, and records management.
• Experience managing payroll-impacting HR processes, with a strong understanding of upstream activities that influence payroll accuracy and compliance.
• Vendor and third-party service management experience, including governance, service performance monitoring, issue resolution, and stakeholder coordination.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to partner effectively across local, regional, and global functions.
• Experience leading operational transformation and change initiatives, including process improvement, technology adoption, and service optimization.
• Hands-on experience with HR technology platforms, preferably Workday, ServiceNow, and reporting or analytics tools used to drive operational performance.
• Strong experience in escalation management, stakeholder engagement, and operating effectively within governance and assurance roles across matrixed, cross-functional environments. 
• Business-fluent Japanese and English communication skills, enabling effective engagement with Japan-based employees, vendors, leadership teams, and global stakeholders.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience leveraging ServiceNow, including AI-enabled capabilities, to simplify processes, reduce duplication, and redirect team capacity toward higher-value work. 
• Experience using reporting and visualization tools such as Power BI + AI-enabled capabilities to generate governance insights, performance reporting, and trend analysis.
• Experience working within outsourced, captive, or hybrid HR service delivery models, with exposure to vendor governance and service assurance. 
• Exposure to audit, risk, or internal control environments, including familiarity with compliance-driven service delivery.
• Experience working in regional or global shared service organizations with complex stakeholder environments.
• Experience leading continuous improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, or operational excellence initiatives.
• Project and change management experience, including organizational change and workforce readiness activities.
• Experience leveraging digital technologies, automation, AI, or self-service solutions to improve HR operations.
• Advanced reporting and analytics capability, including dashboard development and data-driven decision support.
• Experience representing a country organization in regional or global governance forums and influencing senior leadership decisions.

 

Skills Desired

Business Acumen, Coaching, Communication, Data Analytics, Employee Lifecycle, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Operational Excellence, Performance Management (PM), Policy Knowledge, Problem Solving, Stakeholder Management, Workforce Administration