Scheme Operations Lead, Japan

Company Description

Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money.
Min fees. Max ease. Full speed.

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.

As part of our team, you will be helping us create an entirely new network for the world's money.
For everyone, everywhere.

More about our mission and what we offer.

Job Description

As a Scheme Operations Lead based in Tokyo, you will own and drive our direct scheme integration and daily operations primarily with the Zengin System (Japan’s nationwide online clearing network). The scope may expand into other APAC schemes in the future. Wise is among the pioneering non-bank fintechs to achieve direct access to this infrastructure. You will collaborate with a multidisciplinary global team (Product, Engineering, Banking, Compliance, Risk and Servicing Operations across Japan, APAC, Estonia, and our London HQ) to deliver world-class payment performance while seamlessly meeting localized regulatory obligations.

Key Responsibilities

1. Scheme Operations

• Daily Operations: Manage day-to-day communications from Zengin (advisories, circulars, etc.) and translate these into operational actions for internal stakeholders.

• Terminal & Booth Management: Oversee technical and User Testing (UT) work management for physical assets

• Maintenance & System Drills: Coordinate and support engineering maintenance work required by both Zengin and Wise. This includes managing internal/external Zengin maintenance windows and mandatory system drills

2. Incident Management & Resilience (On-Call Required)

• On-Call Framework: Operationalize and lead our on-call system, acting as the first point of contact to triage Zengin network incidents, and escalating to second level support where necessary. 

• Incident Resolution & Reporting: Lead cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Compliance, Servicing) to resolve live incidents. Coordinate the subsequent technical write-ups and post-mortem process with the respective engineering teams, and lead regulatory communications when required. 

• Business Continuity: Own the system/infrastructure Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and lead the Japan Annual Security Drill in close partnership with the Global Security team.

3. High-Impact Strategic Implementations (2028 & 2030)

• 8th Generation Zengin Migration: Lead the end-to-end operational implementation of the next-generation (8th) Zengin system in close collaboration with the engineering teams. 

• Industry Influence: Represent Wise in exclusive Zengin Study Groups. As one of the selected participant firms, you will use our unique fintech perspective to influence Zengin in building a better, more modern infrastructure for Japan.

4. Risk, Audit & Compliance

• Risk Assessments: Drive comprehensive risk assessments in tandem with the Payment Operations, Risk, and Privacy teams.

• External Audit Ownership: End-to-end management of external audits, from handling initial contract negotiations to managing day-to-day audit conversations, data requests, to the final report.

• System Risk Governance: Act as the ultimate owner of System Risk Management and governance frameworks for Wise Payments Japan (WPJ).

Qualifications

• Fintech or Payments Experience: Proven background in payment operations, banking infrastructure, or scheme management is a non-negotiable requirement.
   
• Analytical or Product Mindset: Strong problem-solving skills, with a preference for a product or analytical background over pure engineering.
   
• Hands-on Incident Management: Experience coordinating cross-functional teams (engineering, product, operations) to resolve live network incidents and run business continuity drills.
   
• Partner & Regulatory Relations: Comfortable acting as the main point of contact for domestic payment clearing networks, external auditors, and local financial regulators.
   
• Domestic Scheme Familiarity (Plus): Direct experience navigating local Japanese clearing systems (like the Zengin System) is highly desirable.

Additional Information

Note: Compensation at Wise includes a base salary and equity component in the form of RSUs.

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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