About the role:

At Aspire, we recognize that the foundation of our success lies in the seamless integration of cutting-edge payment solutions into our Finance Operating System. The Network team plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of Aspire by establishing and nurturing strategic payment infrastructure alliances. Our team serves as the enabler, unlocking payment products, payment rails, paymodes, as well as building and expanding a robust payment network that aligns with the evolving needs of our clients and the overarching vision of the company. 

We are seeking a highly motivated and results-driven Network Partnerships Manager for Japan, to help build and manage our payments infrastructure in Japan. You will be responsible for building and leading our partnerships with financial institutions in-country, including banks, payment service providers, card networks, and other players locally. You will play a pivotal role working together with the Product, Commercial, Legal and Compliance teams in defining Aspire's product and partnership roadmap in Japan, based on business and customer needs, regulatory environment, and the demands of financial partners.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, execute, and optimize a comprehensive partnership plan with local financial institutions, in alignment with the company's overall goals and objectives.
• Work cross functionally with internal stakeholders to evaluate network partners based on strategic fit and product capabilities, in line with Aspire's values and vision.
• Support Product teams in building and launching our products in Japan, and Commercial teams in our go-to-market execution and delivery.
• Support Strategy and Regulatory teams where needed in ensuring adherence to local regulatory and licensing requirements.
• Owning the end-to-end relationship with network partners in Japan.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5+  years of product partnership experience working at or with payment companies or financial institutions.
• Understanding of transaction banking and cash management solutions.
• Strong sense of ownership, and demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills,
• Good communicator with ability to drive conversations and negotiation with decision makers.