Channel BD Manager - Japan

Strategic Partnerships & Relationship Management - Serve as the primary relationship owner for key payment partners in Japan, including banks, acquirers, PSPs, card networks, digital wallets, and other strategic ecosystem partners. - Develop and deepen long-term partnerships through regular business reviews, senior stakeholder engagement, and ongoing commercial collaboration. - Build trusted relationships with key decision-makers and functional stakeholders across partner organizations. - Lead partner discussions covering commercial opportunities, product capabilities, operational performance, service improvements, and strategic priorities. - Act as the primary escalation point for critical partner matters and coordinate effective resolution across internal and external stakeholders. - Establish strong governance and communication mechanisms with strategic partners to ensure alignment, accountability, and effective execution. Business Development & Partnership Expansion - Identify and develop new partnership opportunities across acquiring, alternative payment methods, digital wallets, banking infrastructure, and other local payment capabilities. - Own the end-to-end partnership lifecycle, including market mapping, partner identification, opportunity assessment, commercial negotiation, due diligence, contracting, onboarding, and launch. - Lead commercial negotiations covering pricing, commercial models, service levels, operational requirements, and partnership terms. - Evaluate potential partners based on commercial value, product capabilities, operational resilience, regulatory considerations, and long-term strategic fit. - Build and maintain a strong pipeline of strategic payment partnerships and new channel opportunities. - Support the launch and commercialization of new payment methods and capabilities in the Japanese market. - Identify opportunities to improve payment coverage, economics, customer experience, and overall competitiveness. Market Intelligence & Strategic Planning - Maintain a strong understanding of the Japanese payments landscape, including key market participants, payment methods, regulatory developments, competitive dynamics, and consumer payment trends. - Track developments across local banks, acquirers, PSPs, digital wallets, card schemes, and emerging payment technologies. - Provide regular market intelligence, competitive insights, and strategic recommendations to regional and global stakeholders. - Translate local market developments into actionable recommendations for product roadmaps, partnership priorities, and payment strategy. - Identify gaps in the existing payment proposition and recommend opportunities for new partnerships or product capabilities. - Contribute to the development and execution of the company’s medium- and long-term Japan payments strategy. Cross-Functional Leadership - Act as the key local interface between the Japan payments ecosystem and regional/global internal teams. - Work closely with Product and Engineering teams to define local requirements and support the delivery of new payment integrations. - Partner with Commercial teams to support merchant opportunities and strategic customer requirements. - Collaborate with Risk, Compliance, and Legal teams on partner due diligence, regulatory developments, and local compliance requirements. - Coordinate with Operations teams to improve service quality and resolve payment-related issues. - Drive alignment across multiple stakeholders and ensure local initiatives progress according to agreed priorities and timelines. Local Market Ownership - Take strong ownership of the overall health and development of the company’s payment partnerships in Japan. - Serve as a local subject-matter expert on the Japanese payments ecosystem. - Represent the company in partner meetings, industry discussions, conferences, and other relevant external engagements. - Develop and maintain a high-quality professional network across banks, payment companies, fintechs, industry associations, and other relevant stakeholders. - Operate independently while maintaining close alignment with regional and global leadership. - Balance strategic market development with hands-on execution of day-to-day partnership priorities.

Professional Experience - 5–8 years of relevant professional experience in payments, fintech, banking, or a related industry in Japan. - Demonstrated experience in Payments Partnerships, Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, or Commercial Development. - Prior experience with Japanese banks, acquirer, PSP, digital wallet, payment gateway, payment institution, or fintech company is strongly preferred. - Proven experience managing external partners and complex commercial relationships. - Experience negotiating commercial agreements and driving partnerships from initial discussions through implementation and launch. - Experience working with regional or global teams in an international organization is highly desirable. Payments Industry Knowledge - Strong understanding of the Japanese payments ecosystem and its key participants. - Familiarity with card acquiring, payment gateways, digital wallets, alternative payment methods, and bank-based payment solutions. - Good knowledge of major payment methods and brands in Japan, including JCB, PayPay, Rakuten Pay, and other relevant local payment solutions. - Understanding of payment flows, authorization processes, settlement models, transaction performance, and partner operating models. - Ability to understand technical and operational payment topics and effectively collaborate with Product and tech teams. - General familiarity with Japan’s payment regulatory environment and the ability to work effectively with Legal, Risk, and Compliance teams. Commercial & Partnership Capabilities - Strong commercial judgment and ability to assess the strategic and financial value of potential partnerships. - Demonstrated negotiation skills across pricing, service levels, commercial terms, and partnership structures. - Ability to build trusted, long-term relationships with senior external stakeholders. - Strong stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to influence across organizations without direct authority. - Ability to manage multiple partner relationships and initiatives simultaneously. Network - Existing professional network within the Japanese payments or financial services ecosystem is highly desirable. - Relationships with Japanese banks, acquirers, PSPs, digital wallets, or other payment companies would be an advantage. Language Skills - Native or near-native Japanese with the ability to independently manage senior partner relationships, commercial negotiations, contract discussions, and local business communication. - Business-level English with the ability to communicate effectively with regional and global stakeholders in both written and verbal settings.