Talent Acquisition Partner

Career Area: Human Resources Job Description: Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it. We are looking for a skilled Talent Acquisition Partner to join our regional team, supporting recruiting activities in Japan. This role is part of a regional Talent Acquisition team in Construction Industries, with vertical reporting structure to the global Talent Acquisition organization, offering the opportunity to work beyond a traditional local recruiting model. You will partner closely with business and HR partners in Japan while collaborating with regional and global TA professional to bring broader talent strategies, market practices and capabilities to the business. More than filling open positions, you will act as a trusted Talent Advisor, helping leaders understand the external talent market, identify the right talent strategies and build sustainable pipelines for critical capabilities. Success in this role requires strong candidate sourcing capability, customer focus, market insight and the ability to influence stakeholders through data-driven approach and talent attraction expertise. What You Will Do - Utilizing the applicant tracking system (ATS), Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) tools and industry leading sourcing technologies to deliver the most qualified candidates for current roles and building strong candidate pipelines for future roles. - Developing plans for sourcing appropriate and diverse candidates, conducting the interview process, and extending offers to selected candidates while maintaining a low cost per hire. - Build trusted relationships with hiring managers and HR partners, understanding their business priorities, organization needs and talent challenges. - Advise hiring managers on recruiting strategies, talent availability and effective approaches to attract and secure talent. - Use recruiting data, external market intelligence and candidate insights to support hiring decisions and influence talent strategies. - Proactively identify emerging or unexpressed customer needs and translate them into practical recruiting solutions. - Provide a strong customer experience while appropriately challenging and influencing stakeholders when market realities require a different approach. What We Are Looking For - Candidate Sourcing: Proactively identifies, attracts and engages qualified talent through multiple sourcing channels and technologies, supporting both immediate vacancies and long-term talent pipelines. Applies strong sourcing judgement and market knowledge to address hiring requirements, timelines and cost considerations while ensuring compliance with relevant HR policies and recruiting standards. - Recruitment Channel Management: Applies knowledge of recruitment channels to select and use the most effective approaches for attracting qualified talent and supporting broader talent acquisition objectives. Leverages a mix of direct sourcing, employee referrals, digital platforms and external partners based on specific hiring needs and talent-market conditions. Regularly evaluates channel effectiveness, candidate quality and cost efficiency, and uses these insights to optimize sourcing approaches and improve recruitment outcomes while following established policies and standards. - Candidate Screening: Applies effective screening and assessment techniques to identify candidates whose experience, skills, motivation and potential align with the role and business needs. Conducts structured candidate conversations, evaluates qualifications beyond the résumé, and provides clear, evidence-based recommendations to hiring managers to support informed selection decisions. Maintains accurate candidate information and ensures screening activities are conducted consistently and in accordance with relevant HR policies, standards and recruiting practices. - Staffing and Recruiting: Applies knowledge of end-to-end recruiting practices to identify, assess and secure qualified talent across a range of business functions and positions. Partners with hiring managers to understand workforce needs, translate requirements into effective recruiting strategies, and manage the recruitment process from intake through selection and offer. Uses recruiting tools, data and established selection practices to deliver high-quality hiring outcomes, while monitoring progress, maintaining accurate applicant information and supporting broader talent acquisition priorities. - Japanese & English Proficiency: Professional fluency in both Japanese and English, with written and verbal communication skills to effectively engage candidates and business stakeholders in Japan and collaborate across regional and global teams. Others - Location: Akashi, Japan - This position requires working onsite five days a week. Why This Role This is an opportunity for someone who wants to be more than a recruiter. You will have the opportunity to: - Influence business talent decisions as a trusted advisor. - Build proactive sourcing strategies for critical talent in Japan. - Bring external talent-market insights into business conversations. - Work as part of a regional team connected to a global TA organization. - Collaborate with TA professionals across markets and build partnership beyond Japan. - Shape the candidate and hiring-manager experience while helping the organization build the talent it needs for the future. This Job Description is intended as a general guide to the job duties for this position and is intended for the purpose of establishing the specific salary grade. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive summary of all responsibilities, duties and effort required of employees assigned to this job. At the discretion of management, this description may be changed at any time to address the evolving needs of the organization. It is expressly not intended to be a comprehensive list of “essential job functions” as that term is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Posting Dates: October 28, 2026 - November 18, 2026 Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.