Squares Payments is responsible for every yen that moves through our bank partners, card networks, and Square's internal platforms and systems. The Payments team's mission is to make our customer’s experience across taking payments, closing the sale, and getting paid "remarkable", efficient, and cost effective. To that objective, Square must operate against a complex backdrop of industry partners to encourage flexibility, new standards, and openness to Square's innovation, products and services. The Payments team plays an integral role in crafting a diverse spectrum of solutions and capabilities for our customers, overseeing foundational industry and regulatory relationships and also the daily operations for incoming and outgoing payments.

This role will be key to our success in Square's market expansion strategy. They will be foundational to the development and expansion of our products in-market, including support for their colleagues across Business Development, Finance, Compliance, Risk, Counsel, Marketing, Operations, Product, Product Marketing, and Sales. They'll be responsible for key industry relationship oversight and coverage, executing on our global payments strategy and leading our Go To Market programs. Focus of the role will be managing our relationship roadmap with acquirers, banks, card networks and industry bodies operating across the region. The position will be important to Squares international expansion and strategic industry relationship engagement strategy, representing Square's Japan business to regulators and industry influencers foundational to Square's success. The role requires exceptional cross-functional collaboration, leadership, knowledge of global and local markets, and extensive experience representing digital payments products. The role requires experience in commercial partnerships, payments operations, and supporting new product and service expansion into new markets against a backdrop of complex ecosystem role players. Relationships with such partners require strong cross-functional, internal collaboration with Global Product GMs and in-market teams, but also deep and extensive industry relationships. This position is full-time and based in Japan with 20% travel expected.

You will:

• Build and manage strategic relationships with payment industry partners in Japan
• Define and execute on a comprehensive global payments strategy for Square in the rapidly evolving mobile payments and card acceptance space
• Strengthen the influence and market position of Square's business and brand while fostering joint marketing and promotion opportunities with industry stakeholders
• Oversee, negotiate and execute on partnership opportunities and commercial discussions to enable our financial capabilities
• Manage and grow a high performing team, mentoring individuals and developing leaders. Define the team’s operating cadence, goals and norms aligned with Square’s principles, mission and overarching strategy  
• Expand our partner and product footprint globally, accelerating the distribution of both new and existing Square offerings
• Understand Square's competitive position and implement programs to further and improve payments products, services and strategic objectives
• Lead and support management for Squares strategic industry initiatives, including fostering the partner engagement required to enable new products and platforms
• Maximize current partnerships through detailed and proactive account management, working with key industry partners, suppliers, and industry associations to define, iterate and enable new products and Go To Market strategies
• Research and analyze industry trends and opportunities for Square to further distinguish its position as it relates to its payments products and Go To Market plans
• Condition the expectations and dynamics of key industry influencers while managing external influences to optimize for the impact on Square's role in the ecosystem

• Deep Experience and solid understanding of payment industry and its current evolution across Japan. 
• An ability to lead cross-functional projects and interact at all levels with diverse roles including engineers, business partners and executive leadership
• Deep analytical skills that enable analysis of nascent industry movements
• Written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Strong relationship building skills coupled with the ability to develop consensus
• Strong knowledge and understanding of Japanese GAAP (JGAAP) and Japanese corporate law
• Understanding of the PSP business model and demonstrated performance in a regulated payments or electronic money institution preferred