Senior HR Generalist, Japan

ICEYE is a Finnish space technology company that owns and operates the world's largest commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation. The company delivers continuous, all-weather, day-and-night Earth observation capabilities, enabling persistent monitoring and rapid detection of changes at any location on the planet. Its core offerings span SAR data products, mission systems for sovereign governments, defense and intelligence solutions, and natural catastrophe monitoring for the insurance, banking, and public sectors. ICEYE plays a significant role in climate resilience and disaster response by providing near real-time, observed data on natural catastrophes such as floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. Unlike traditional modelling approaches, ICEYE delivers actual satellite-derived flood extents and depths, empowering governments, insurers, and utilities to respond faster and more accurately to climate-driven disasters. This capability supports community resilience, more precise insurance claims processing, and informed policy decisions in the face of increasing climate risk. What distinguishes ICEYE is its combination of the largest SAR constellation globally, sub-meter (25 cm) resolution imagery, and an end-to-end operational intelligence infrastructure that includes deployable ground units capable of compressing collection-to-dissemination timelines to minutes. Founded with a mission to make Earth observation data continuously available and actionable, ICEYE serves defense, intelligence, government, and commercial clients worldwide, positioning itself as a critical enabler of both national security and climate adaptation efforts.

Senior HR Generalist, Japan

Department: Local subsidiary
Reports To: ICEYE Japan
Indirect Reporting Line: Global Head of HR/People Operations
Position: Permanent full-time role
Country: Japan

Role Overview: As a (Senior) HR Generalist, you are a key member of ICEYE’s local subsidiary in Japan and part of our globally distributed HR team, responsible for ensuring a seamless and positive employee experience across the entire employee lifecycle for ICEYErs in your designated location.

You are the face of HR for our local office and the "1st Line of Defense" for all country-specific people matters. While our Global HR Operations team (the "2nd Line of Defense") designs global frameworks, tools, and data standards, you are responsible for the local tailoring and practical execution of these standards.

You will handle high-touch, individual cases that require deep knowledge of local labor laws and office culture. You bridge the gap between global ICEYE standards and local needs, collaborating closely with the local CEO and departments like IT, Finance, and Office Management to drive operational excellence and employee satisfaction.

In short, your mission is to ensure that ICEYErs in your assigned country are happy and engaged so that they can deliver better business results!

Responsibilities:

● Serve as the primary point of contact for local employees via our ticketing system or other dedicated tools, addressing a wide range of HR inquiries and issues related to benefits, policies, and employee lifecycle events, providing timely and accurate responses in alignment with our global standards.

● Handle individual cases for relocation and onboarding, including the preparation of local employment contracts and country-specific documentation.

● Manage local third-party HR providers in your assigned country to effectively address employee needs.

● Manage the local practicalities of offboarding to ensure all legal requirements and exit procedures are met.

● Act as the first point of contact for standard ER cases, handling practicalities while consulting with HRBPs and Global HR Operations on complex issues.

● Audit payroll data in the HRIS and ensure accurate local processing in collaboration with our in-house team and local payroll vendor.

● Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records in HRIS and other relevant systems, ensuring data integrity, confidentiality, and compliance with local and global data privacy regulations.

● Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for all local HR processes and policies.

● Stay abreast of changing local employment laws, ensuring all HR activities remain compliant and sharing best practices with relevant stakeholders.

● Identify opportunities to automate local HR tasks in collaboration with the Global HR Operations team, ensuring global "ways of working" meet local legal standards whilst preserving ICEYE’s core culture.

● Act as the go-to person for the local CEO on HR matters, escalating complex issues to the Global HR team when necessary.

● Provide local logistics and individual support for global HR initiatives such as Wellbeing, Performance Management, and L&D.

● Actively participate in or lead the development and communication of local HR programs and policies in accordance with team priorities.

Requirements

● Strong working knowledge of Japanese labor law, local benefits and market HR best practices, with a track record of creating compliant HR policy documentation and internal knowledge base pages.

● A "hands-on" approach with high attention to detail in contract management, local onboarding experience, and the management of local third-party providers (e.g., benefit brokers).

● Exceptional communication skills with the ability to bridge the gap between global standards and local needs, influencing both local leadership and the global HR team.

● Strong analytical skills and high emotional intelligence to act as the "1st Line of Defense," handling sensitive "individual case" employee relations with the wisdom to escalate complex issues to the Global HR Operations team.

● Exceptional communication skills in English and Japanese, with the ability to bridge global ICEYE standards with local needs while influencing both local leadership and the global team.

● Comfort with HRIS (e.g., HiBob) and ticketing systems, utilizing data to audit local payroll and maintain "source of truth" records.

● A proactive and service-oriented mindset and the ability to remain effective in a fast-scaling environment, adapting global policies to local contexts without losing speed.