Head of Financial Crime Compliance and MLRO, Japan

About the Position

Wise is on a mission to build money without borders. We help people and businesses move and manage money internationally, making their lives easier and saving them money.

Protecting our customers and preventing financial crime are essential to that mission. We’re looking for a Head of Financial Crime Compliance and Money Laundering Reporting Officer to lead our Japan financial crime compliance programme and help us grow safely.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Japan financial crime programme and exercise responsibilities of Japan MLRO. Set priorities and maintain a clear local framework covering anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, proliferation financing, and sanctions. Translate Japanese requirements and Group standards into effective policies, controls, and accountabilities.
• Lead financial crime regulatory engagement. Coordinate engagement with the Ministry of Finance, Financial Services Agency, Kanto Local Finance Bureau, and other relevant authorities. Lead responses within your remit to inspections, information requests, and findings.
• Discharge the sanctions compliance mandate upon appointment. As Officer Responsible for Sanctions Compliance, take responsibility for the relevant sanctions risk assessment, policies, mitigation measures, procedures, training, and record-keeping arrangements.
• Understand and assess our risks. Lead financial crime risk assessments across customers, products, payment corridors, delivery channels, and partnerships. Use the findings to prioritize control improvements and assess proposed changes to the business.
• Strengthen customer and transaction controls. Provide independent advice and challenge on identity verification, beneficial ownership, customer risk assessment, enhanced due diligence, ongoing monitoring, sanctions screening, and controls addressing anti-social forces.
• Demonstrate control effectiveness. Lead risk-based second-line monitoring and testing, collaborating with the APAC Compliance Monitoring and Testing function. Work with Data, Engineering, and Operations to assess coverage, data quality, rules, and thresholds.
• Drive corrective action. Require accountable teams to address control weaknesses, agree on clear owners and deadlines, and verify that remediation addresses the underlying problem.
• Support safe product development. Advise on new products, payment flows, customer segments, and Wise Platform arrangements. Establish clear financial crime control requirements and exercise assigned compliance approvals before launch or material change.
• Oversee global delivery for Japan. Assess the activities performed by regional and global teams and outsourced providers, including quality, timeliness, and backlogs. Ensure global capabilities meet Japan’s requirements and escalate unresolved gaps.
• Bring clear decisions to governance forums. Present financial crime risks, incidents, control performance, and remediation to the Japan Risk and Compliance Committee and Board. Exercise delegated approvals, identify matters requiring escalation, and make clear recommendations on resources and management action.
• Build capability and accountability. Deliver practical guidance and training, coach colleagues handling complex issues, and help teams understand their responsibilities. Translate regulatory developments into timely changes to the programme.

Requirements

• Regulatory expertise. Strong working knowledge of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, Payment Services Act, Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, and relevant Ministry of Finance and Financial Services Agency guidance.
• Practical financial crime experience. Understanding of customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, sanctions, investigations, and Japanese suspicious transaction reporting.
• Senior judgement. Experience in making consequential compliance decisions, documenting reasoning, and challenging senior stakeholders constructively.
• Regulatory credibility. Substantial experience managing Japanese regulatory engagement, inspections, or remediation.
• Leadership and influence. Ability to set priorities, develop colleagues, and secure action across teams outside your reporting line.
• Communication. Strong professional fluency in Japanese and English.
• Data and technology. Ability to use data to assess risk and control performance.
• Delivery. Experience in turning complex issues into practical plans and establishing ownership.
• Customer focus and curiosity. Desire to understand how products work and prevent their misuse.

We Offer

• Flexible working arrangements
• Paid annual holiday, sick days, parental leave, and other leave opportunities
• 6 weeks of paid sabbatical after 4 years at Wise on top of annual leave

About the Company

Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money. Whether people and businesses are sending money to another country, spending abroad, or making and receiving international payments, Wise is on a mission to make their lives easier and save them money.

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.

Keep up to date with life at Wise by following us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Job Location

Tokyo, Japan

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