Director of Talent Acquisition - The Peninsula Tokyo

Working alongside a high-performing People and Culture (HR) team at The Peninsula Tokyo, we are seeking an experienced Director of Talent Acquisition to lead our recruitment strategy and execution. This newly created leadership role will drive hiring excellence through strategic workforce planning, employer branding, talent sourcing, candidate experience, and recruitment innovation.

• Newly created leadership opportunity to shape and elevate Talent Acquisition at one of the most prestigious luxury hotel brands.
• Partner directly with senior hotel leadership and influence strategic workforce and talent decisions.
• Join a diverse and inclusive team of over 500 employees representing 33 nationalities, with exceptional development opportunities, employee wellbeing initiatives, and competitive rewards.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the Talent Acquisition function as a strategic partner to the Managing Director, Director of People and Culture, hotel leadership team and Head Office TA Centre of Excellence (COE), ensuring hiring priorities are aligned with business needs and People and Culture objectives.
• Translate workforce plans and operational priorities into clear recruitment strategies, hiring timelines and resourcing plans across departments.
• Deliver timely, high-quality and commercially aligned recruitment outcomes across all levels, with particular focus on management, specialist and business-critical appointments.
• Lead search and selection for senior and critical roles, including briefing, sourcing, screening, assessment, interview calibration, offer management and hiring recommendations.
• Build and maintain proactive talent pipelines for key functions through direct sourcing, market mapping, headhunting and ongoing candidate engagement, reducing reliance on external search.
• Strengthen the hotel’s employer brand and market presence through targeted recruitment marketing, digital channels, social media, partnerships and candidate engagement initiatives.
• Design and deliver a consistent, elevated candidate experience from first contact through to onboarding, ensuring communication is timely, professional and aligned with the Peninsula brand.
• Partner closely with hiring managers to define role requirements, calibrate candidate profiles, support structured interviews and ensure balanced, evidence-based selection decisions.
• Provide insightful reporting, market intelligence, talent trends and competitor analysis to support workforce planning, hiring decisions and broader business priorities.
• Manage recruitment metrics, dashboards and performance indicators, including time to fill, source effectiveness, candidate quality, conversion rates and stakeholder feedback.
• Ensure recruitment practices comply with local legislation, HSH policies and agreed standards, while embedding consistent selection, assessment and hiring governance across the operation.
• Lead early-career and inclusive hiring programmes, including graduate recruitment, internships, school partnerships, special needs and disability hiring, in support of long-term talent development.
• Develop external partnerships with schools, universities, industry bodies, community organisations and specialist networks to broaden access to diverse and future talent.
• Drive continuous improvement in Talent Acquisition through ATS optimisation, workflow standardisation, reporting automation, digital tools and process enhancements that improve productivity and candidate engagement.

General Requirements

• 8+ years of Talent Acquisition experience, including at least 3 years in a leadership role, preferably within luxury hospitality, tourism, retail, real estate, or other premium service industries.
• Proven expertise in executive search, direct sourcing, talent mapping, and strategic recruitment.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with demonstrated experience partnering with senior leaders.
• Solid understanding of workforce planning, employer branding, recruitment marketing, and talent analytics.
• Experience leading and developing teams, with a continuous improvement and change management mindset.
• Business-level English is essential; Japanese language proficiency is strongly preferred.
• Experience with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), preferably SuccessFactors or similar platforms, and advanced Microsoft Office skills.

Benefits and Allowances

• Retirement Plan (2% company payment in addition to a co-match up to 2% of employee contributions, total 6%)
• Special Public Holidays/6 days per year
• Life Work Balance Leave /3 days per year
• Paternity Leave /3 days per year
• Transportation allowance (up to JPY30000)
• Complimentary Accommodation at Peninsula Hotels
• Complimentary Staff Restaurant (3 meals per day)
• Complimentary Dry Cleaning (Business attire)
• Complimentary Bicycle Parking (On site)
• Restaurant and Bars Discount (25%)
• Staff Dormitory (Depends on availability)