Capstone – Value Creation – Japan Human Capital Center Lead – Associate - Stage

KKR globally manages investments across multiple asset classes, including private equity, real assets, and credit strategies. In addition, KKR Capital Markets supports our firm, portfolio companies, and clients by providing tailored capital markets advice and financing solutions. KKR Capstone, with a mission to create value for all of our stakeholders by identifying and delivering sustainable operational performance within KKR portfolio companies, is also an integral part of the firm’s overall approach to value creation. KKR’s Client Solutions team seeks to diversify KKR’s client base to include new investors across all regions and institution types, including a growing focus on individual, private wealth investors.

KKR first established its presence in Asia Pacific in 2005. Since then, KKR has grown to approximately US$80 billion in AUM across all asset classes and strategies, including private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, impact, and growth equity. In Asia Pacific, KKR has ~600 executives working across business functions and asset classes with offices in Beijing, Gurugram, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo. While nearly all executives are local to their market – and are adept at proprietary sourcing, relationship building, and best practices considerations within their markets – each executive works closely with KKR’s team worldwide to leverage the firm’s experience and expertise.

KKR has a very collaborative culture where an individual’s success is the result of good skills and acumen in the role and ability to leverage the whole firm. They think in terms of “we”, not “I” and we know we are better together than one single person – no matter how skilled that person is. “One Firm,” collaboration, operating with “like and trust” are core to how KKR operates. The person who joins in this role is joining a Capstone team but also a team of ~4,000 people across the firm and we all work together to support each other in delivering the best of KKR to our companies and clients. They are all on the same team. They operate with one P&L where most places have silos. It’s not for everyone but their one team mindset keeps KKR special and enables them to achieve great things for their clients. 

For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com.

About Broad Based Ownership and KKR’s Human Capital Center             

The KKR Capstone team is comprised of former operators and management consultants who work closely with KKR investment teams and portfolio company management teams to drive value creation.

We believe people are a business’s most critical asset, from senior leaders to front‑line employees. Accordingly, we design equity ownership plans that include the entire workforce. This approach began with our private equity Industrials team in the US and has since expanded across all of KKR’s investing strategies and across the globe. 

The impact on morale, engagement, and alignment has been remarkable. See our YouTube channel for videos such as:

• The Impact of Employee Ownership
• KKR, C.H.I Overhead Doors Celebrate the Power of Employee Ownership
• Bushu Pharma Celebrates Broad-Based Ownership Program
• Yayoi Celebrates Broad-Based Ownership Program

Our commitment extends well beyond ownership. We invest heavily in worker safety, financial resilience and wellbeing, community engagement, employee education, and worker voice initiatives to drive holistic engagement and a high-performance ownership culture. See our latest thought leadership piece on this work. 

To unify these efforts, we created the Human Capital Center (HCC), which sits within KKR Capstone, our portfolio value creation team, as a key part of our value creation playbook. The HCC provides resources, best practices, and standards for KKR investment teams and portfolio company leaders worldwide.

We also partner with Ownership Works, a non‑profit organization that KKR helped to found.  O.W. is dedicated to scaling shared ownership to address economic insecurity, narrow wealth gaps, and strengthen companies and communities.

Role Overview 

We are seeking a high‑performing individual to serve as the regional lead for KKR’s Human Capital Center in Tokyo. The role reports to the global Capstone HCC leadership, and will have a local dotted line into the Japan Capstone team.  This leader will blend strategic thinking with hands‑on execution, partnering with KKR executives, portfolio company leaders, and cross‑functional teams to foster ownership cultures that drive employee engagement and business value.

Objectives:

• Drive tangible improvements in key people metrics across Japan ownership programs, including lower voluntary turnover, higher engagement and ownership culture scores, and declining safety incidents over the course of KKR’s hold period, ultimately leading to consistent top performing investment outcomes
• Drive performance culture at portfolio companies through implementation of talent management framework, including MEP (Management Equity Program), short term incentive schemes, manager training programs, and other human capital initiatives

Key Responsibilities

• Broad-based ownership
  • Inspire portfolio company executive teams about the potential of shared ownership and work alongside executive teams and deal teams to drive ownership program design, branding, and launches
  • Work with portfolio company executive teams to build ownership activation plans to bring ownership culture to life
  • Oversee the collection, cleaning, and analysis of all relevant HCC data and precedent materials for ownership programs (e.g. plan structures, engagement survey results, human capital metrics) in partnership with KKR’s data ops team to drive actionable insights and high quality reporting
  • Organize cross-portfolio events (e.g. partner webinars, peer conversations, and functional conferences) both virtually and in-person to drive community and spread best practices
  • Support rigorous engagement survey analysis and follow-up at portfolio companies in partnership with deal teams and portfolio company executives
  • Localize the playbooks and approaches for building ownership culture and financial wellbeing to Japan contexts, including developing networks of localized vendors and/or advisors
  • Support and coordinate with key local partners advancing shared ownership in the country to enable successful execution of high-impact initiatives

• Performance culture:
  • Work closely with deal team members and portfolio company HR head to design and implement key talent management framework including MEP (Management Equity Program), short term incentive schemes, global grading etc

• Contribution to firm knowledge building
  • Contribute to global HCC efforts and knowledge base by building practical tools, refining program launch and engagement approaches, and sharing insights with global HCC working groups

Requirements and Qualifications

• Commercial mindset coupled with a mission orientation
• Proactive, strategic thinker with advanced quantitative‑analysis skills (Excel; Power BI or similar)
• Strong communication skills and the ability to partner with C-suite executives and investment professionals at all levels
• Curiosity, adaptability, and a learning orientation in a fast‑paced, ambiguous environment
• Excellent project‑management skills; able to juggle multiple engagements, take initiative, resolve issues, and deliver results
• Strong work ethic, and commitment to KKR’s core values
• 3-5+ years in management consulting or investment portfolio operations or other relevant experience
• Organizational design and strategic human capital leadership experience a plus
• Native proficiency in Japanese and fluency in English are required