Senior FinCrime Product Compliance & Risk Manager - Japan

Location: Tokyo

We’re looking for a Senior FinCrime Product Compliance & Risk Manager to work alongside our APAC Product teams to help launch new products and services, as well as maintain and upgrade our existing offering in Japan. You will work closely with the regional Product Managers to support a cross-functional team of Bankers, Engineers, Data Analysts and Operations Specialists.

Your primary focus will be to help the APAC Product team expand our product offering in Japan and identify and effectively manage FinCrime compliance risks across our existing and new products. You will be expected to maintain a strong awareness of the impact of FinCrime trends and regulation on the viability of our products.

Your mission:

Wise has already pioneered new ways for people to transfer money across borders and currencies. Your mission is to enable our APAC Product team to launch new products, grow our presence and manage compliance risks in Japan through a deep understanding of FinCrime requirements and regulatory expectations.

You will exhibit a high degree of ownership in ensuring our products are compliant and have a structured approach to mitigating local FinCrime risks, all while balancing this with an excellent customer experience.

This is a first line of defence, hands-on role, embedded in the APAC Product Squad.

You, together with the team in Japan, will be responsible for...

Creating and improving our products in a compliant and scalable way:

By deeply understanding both the Wise product and regulatory FinCrime needs in Japan, support Product and other teams on interpreting FinCrime requirements, and improving processes, controls and our product accordingly;
Perform FinCrime risk assessments of new products and services, and ensure that related controls are implemented consistently prior to launch; and
Enable Product teams to adopt a risk-based approach in developing products, processes, and controls.

FinCrime risk management:

Stay ahead of FinCrime trends and the regulatory agenda in Japan; and
Identify and align with risk owners and second line of defence on the main FinCrime risks and issues in Japan. Present this in a very clear and understandable way to wider teams, and work collaboratively to define and execute mitigation plans.

Regulatory change and remediation:

Conduct regulatory gap analyses, define and scope required actions to remediate gaps, and take ownership to ensure implementation plans are executed in a timely manner; and
In collaboration with global teams, identify opportunities to maximise synergies and drive consistency and scalability by leveraging programs of work already executed or in-flight across the Wise Group.

Audit management:

Manage audits, and (where required) challenge audit findings in collaboration with Product and second line of defence Risk and Compliance teams; and
Develop remediation plans, and ensure they are agreed upon and executed promptly.

This role will give you the opportunity to:

Grow your hands-on Fintech knowledge at full speed;
Build state-of-the-art products that are compliant for our customers and regulators;
Keep compliance at the heart of the product development cycle, in a fast-moving environment;
Work together with all our amazing teams both locally and globally; and
Play a key role in owning and shaping Wise’s FinCrime risk management program in Japan.

A bit about you:

Expert in FinCrime compliance and risk management, with a strong background in and knowledge of applicable regulation in Japan;
A natural owner, that drives and delivers project from inception to completion, timely and with attention to detail;
Strong communicator, with the ability to effectively interact with different audiences (from Product & Engineering teams to external auditors and regulators such as the Ministry of Finance);
Problem solving attitude, with the ability analyse and interpret complex regulatory and risk management frameworks and apply them effectively with data to drive practical, actionable and value-adding business decisions;
A team player with a collaborative spirit and the ability to work effectively with different stakeholders such as Product, Operations, Risk, and Compliance;
Ability to prioritise effectively and call-out key areas of improvement; and
Legally authorised to work in Japan.

Nice to have but not essential:

Previous experience in working in FinTech or a similar fast-paced environment;
Experience working in other East Asia markets (e.g. Hong Kong); and
Willingness to travel, as Wise offices are located across different countries.
Technical skills. You have a thorough understanding of the regulations applicable to payment institutions/Funds Transfer Service Providers in Japan markets. You are familiar with the evolving regulatory expectations of the local regulators
Previous experience of working in a 2LoD or 1LoD Compliance or Regulatory role (non-operational) within financial services or as a consultant or contractor
Fintech focus. You have experience (or interest) in working in a fast-growing technology driven environment. Previous experience in a FinTech or consultancy firm is a plus
Get the job done. You’re comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy and managing evolving priorities to deliver against the team’s strategy. You have a problem solving attitude, with the ability to use regulations together with data to drive business decisions
Project management. You can break big problems/actions up into small and concrete actions. You have experience creating project plans and managing remediations/implementations
Excellent communicator. You are able to clearly communicate and breakdown complex FinCrime problems and regulatory requirements and are able to provide practical and actionable solutions
A natural owner. You drive and deliver complex cross-functional projects in an efficient manner. You don’t give up in challenging situations

Team player. You are a true team player with a collaborative spirit and the ability to work effectively with different stakeholders, such as Product, Operations, Risk, and Compliance

We’re people without borders — without judgement or prejudice, too. We want to work with the best people, no matter their background. So if you’re passionate about learning new things and keen to join our mission, you’ll fit right in.

Also, qualifications aren’t that important to us. If you’ve got great experience, and you’re great at articulating your thinking, we’d like to hear from you.

And because we believe that diverse teams build better products, we’d especially love to hear from you if you’re from an under-represented demographic.

For everyone, everywhere. We're people building money without borders — without judgement or prejudice, too. We believe teams are strongest when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive.

We're proud to have a truly international team, and we celebrate our differences.
Inclusive teams help us live our values and make sure every Wiser feels respected, empowered to contribute towards our mission and able to progress in their careers.

If you want to find out more about what it's like to work at Wise visit Wise.Jobs.

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