Job satisfaction is a crucial factor in determining organizational performance and sustainability, particularly in savings and loan cooperatives, where employees face high job demands related to credit management and non-performing loans. These conditions may increase work stress, making the ability to manage emotions and maintain a balance between work and personal life essential for sustaining employee job satisfaction. This study aims to examine the influence of work stress, emotional intelligence, and work-life balance on the job satisfaction of cooperative employees in Ponorogo Regency.

This study employed a quantitative approach using a survey method. The population consisted of employees working in savings and loan cooperatives and cooperatives with credit financing units in Ponorogo Regency. A total of 100 respondents were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected through questionnaires using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27 with multiple linear regression analysis.

The results indicate that work stress has a significant negative effect on job satisfaction, while emotional intelligence and work-life balance have significant positive effects on job satisfaction. Simultaneously, work stress, emotional intelligence, and work-life balance significantly influence employee job satisfaction. These findings indicate that improving job satisfaction among cooperative employees requires not only efforts to reduce work stress but also the development of emotional management skills and the implementation of policies that support a healthy balance between work and personal life. Therefore, cooperatives should integrate these three aspects into their human resource management practices to sustainably improve employee job satisfaction.