Channel Business Development Manager – Japan

About the Role
We are looking for a Payments Partnerships Manager – Japan to lead and strengthen our local payments ecosystem in Japan.
This role will serve as the primary in-market owner for payment partnerships, working closely with Japanese banks, acquirers, payment service providers (PSPs), digital wallets, and other payment ecosystem participants.
The ideal candidate combines strong local market knowledge, partnership development experience, and hands-on payment operations expertise. You will be responsible for managing existing strategic partners, developing new payment capabilities, improving local payment performance, and research market opportunities.
Key Responsibilities
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.
Qualifications
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.

Work arrangement
Yes