As the world's leader in digital payments technology, Visa's mission is to connect the world through the most creative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's dedication to innovation drives the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and fuels the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce.

At Visa, your individuality fits right in. Working here gives you an opportunity to impact the world, invest in your career growth, and be part of an inclusive and diverse workplace. We are a global team of disruptors, trailblazers, innovators and risk-takers who are helping drive economic growth in even the most remote parts of the world, creatively moving the industry forward, and doing meaningful work that brings financial literacy and digital commerce to millions of unbanked and underserved consumers.

You're an Individual. We're the team for you. Together, let's transform the way the world pays.

Team Summary

The Government Engagement (GE) team aims to achieve broad alignment between Visa’s business objectives and public policies that affect the payments industry. Externally, the GE team engages a wide range of stakeholders to raise awareness of and build support for policies that expand access to and usage of digital payments in Japan. Internally, GE works closely with colleagues across the company including Communications, Global Policy, Compliance, Visa University, Social Impact, Risk, Legal, Product, and Sales.

What a Government Engagement Director does at Visa:

Based in Tokyo, the Director of Government Engagement will be responsible for helping to strengthen Visa’s relationships and thought leadership focusing on the future of digital payments in Japan. Reporting to the Head of Government Engagement, Japan, the successful candidate will be a subject matter expert in financial services and/or digital technology, with a proven track record of shaping relevant public policy in Japan. S/he will help lead Visa’s engagement with regulatory bodies such as the Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) and Bank of Japan (BOJ) as well as the Ministry of Trade, Economy, and Industry (METI). S/he will partner closely with Visa colleagues in market, regional hub, and global headquarters to help develop and implement Visa’s business strategy to grow digital commerce and the future of payments in Japan. Responsibilities (detailed below) include a wide range of duties from daily communications and engagement to long-term business strategy. The successful candidate must demonstrate exceptional maturity and attention to detail, along with ability to effectively manage several urgent business priorities and significant regulatory developments simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Lead outreach to policy makers and relevant stakeholders on emerging payments technology issues
• Convene and help lead industry dialogues around emerging issues in financial services technology, such as open banking, real-time payments, data/privacy, and digital currency
• Organise support for industry research and analysis toward policy development
• Draft position papers, issue briefs, and talking points on a variety of financial services/technology policy and regulations
• Work closely with business strategy, sales, policy, product, and legal divisions on commercial and strategic responses to emerging technology and market developments
• Monitor international, regional and domestic trends
• Represent Visa’s perspective and further our mission at industry events
• Liaise with global colleagues and coordinate domestic contribution to global initiatives

Why this is important to Visa

Visa is committed to advancing the Government of Japan’s Cashless agenda and helping Japan lead the way towards a future of digital commerce. This critical new role is essential to growing and displaying Visa’s thought leadership work in emerging technology. Through these efforts, we will meaningfully deepen our partnership with policy makers who are shaping the regulatory and operating environment for digital payments.

What you will need:

• +10 years of professional experience, at least five years of which involving government affairs, policy making, business strategy, or communications in the consumer payments, financial technology, or retail banking industries in Japan
• Expert-level knowledge of financial services; background in real-time payments, open data, digital currency and/or distributed-ledger technology a plus
• Experience working with/in the Financial Services Agency, Bank of Japan, and/or Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry preferred
• Outstanding written, oral, and interpersonal communications skills in both English and Japanese
• Demonstrated ability to build influence at all levels within local / international organisations
• Comfortable and effective when engaging at the highest corporate and political levels
• Proven track record of producing comprehensive, succinct, and persuasive policy materials
• Strong judgment/decision-making skills and political acumen
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work with a strong attention to detail

Projects you will be a part of:

• Build and maintain deep partnerships between Visa, our clients, and key government policy makers
• Help create new public engagement platforms and compelling content that advances Visa’s role as a thought leader in digital commerce
• Provide regulatory advice on and advocacy support for new business initiatives