Compliance Manager, Japan at Remitly Global in Tokyo

Job description

Job Description: At Remitly, we believe everyone deserves the freedom to access, move, and manage their money wherever life takes them. Since 2011, we've tirelessly delivered on our promise to customers sending money globally, providing secure, simple, and reliable ways to manage their money, ensuring true peace of mind. Whether it's supporting loved ones back home, growing a business across continents, or pursuing new opportunities abroad, we're not just here to move money— we're here to move our global customers forward. We're looking for builders, reimaginers, and global thinkers who want to work at the intersection of technology, trust, and transformation. If that's you and you're ready to do the most meaningful work of your career—we invite you to join over 2,800 passionate Remitlians worldwide who are united by our vision to transform lives with trusted financial services that transcend borders. About the Role: Remitly operates in Japan as a registered Funds Transfer Service Provider under the Payment Services Act (資金決済法), supervised by the Kanto Local Finance Bureau (KLFB) on behalf of the Financial Services Agency (FSA). Reporting to the Chief Compliance Officer, Japan, the Compliance Manager is the day-to-day engine of Remitly Japan's compliance and financial crime program — owning the regulatory calendar, running AML/CFT and sanctions execution, preparing filings and regulator correspondence, and driving issues to closure. This is a hands-on execution and ownership role rather than a board-facing accountable-officer role. Its core value is translation in both directions: turning Japanese regulatory obligations into pragmatic guidance for global product and operations teams, and making Remitly's global compliance platform demonstrably compliant with FSA, KLFB, and MOF expectations. This role is hybrid, based in our Tokyo office. You Will: Regulatory Operations & Reporting Own the Japan regulatory calendar end to end — KLFB and FSA periodic and ad hoc reporting, business reports, notifications of change, and statistical returns — ensuring filings are accurate and on time. Prepare RFI responses, inspection materials, and evidence packs; draft regulator correspondence for CCO review. Monitor FSA, KLFB, MOF, JAFIC, and Japan Payment Service Association developments; assess impact and drive changes into policy and process. AML/CFT and Sanctions Program Execution Operate Remitly Japan's AML/CFT program under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds (APTCP) and the FSA's AML/CFT Guidelines, covering CDD/EDD, ongoing due diligence, and transaction monitoring. Investigate escalated alerts and prepare Suspicious Transaction Reports for filing with JAFIC, maintaining quality, records, and timeliness. Own sanctions program execution, including FEFTA and Ministry of Finance (MOF) asset-freeze and economic sanctions obligations for cross-border remittance. Maintain sanctions list coverage and oversee sanctions and PEP screening; adjudicate or escalate potential matches and handle blocked and rejected transactions, including required reporting to MOF. Support the Japan financial crime and sanctions risk assessments, control effectiveness testing, and tuning of monitoring and screening thresholds with global Financial Crime teams. Compliance Advisory & Policy Translate Payment Services Act obligations — user asset protection and performance guarantee deposits, remittance limits, disclosure, incident response, outsourcing management etc. — into practical guidance for product, engineering, marketing, and operations. Localize global policies into Japan-specific standards and maintain the Japan policy suite and control library. Review customer-facing terms, disclosures, marketing, and product changes for regulatory conformity; escalate material risk to the CCO. Support APPI data protection obligations with Legal and Privacy, and consumer protection and complaint-handling requirements. Governance & Collaboration Maintain the