Team Summary

Visa owns one of the most trusted and recognizable global brands in financial services. Protecting that trust and differentiating Visa through security, resilience, and responsible growth is central to Visa’s strategy of Championing Security and Deepening Partnerships.

The Risk function plays a critical role in enabling Visa’s growth by safeguarding the integrity of the payment ecosystem, supporting clients through periods of rapid innovation, and ensuring that emerging risks are identified, understood, and managed effectively.

As part of the Japan / Korea / Mongolia (JKM) Risk organization, the Risk Director, Japan supports the Head of Risk for JKM with in-market ownership of risk strategy execution in Japan, working closely with clients, internal stakeholders, and regional and global Risk teams.

What a Risk Director does at Visa

Reporting to the Head of Risk for Japan / Korea / Mongolia, the Risk Director, Japan supports a broad portfolio of Strategic Risk Management and Ecosystem Risk (Fraud and Data Security) responsibilities for the Japanese market.

This role works in close partnership with Japan clients and with hub and global functions including Global Risk, Product, Value Added Services, Consulting and Analytics, and Client Services.

Key focus areas include:

• Support the development and execution of Japan risk priorities aligned with global and regional risk strategy
• Help prevent fraud, enhance authentication, safeguard sensitive data, and protect the payment system from misuse
• Support client risk engagements, incident response, and ecosystem-wide risk initiatives
• Act as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders on Japan-specific risk trends, regulatory expectations, and market developments
• Drive execution by translating risk strategy into practical, measurable outcomes in market under the direction of the Head of Risk

Projects you will be a part of

As Risk Director, Japan, you will contribute to and lead elements of projects such as:

• Support Visa’s Japan risk roadmap, including fraud mitigation, data security, authentication, and emerging risk initiatives
• Lead engagements with clients on fraud performance reviews, briefings on Visa Risk programs, and responding to client queries
• Support risk reviews of new clients, as well as periodic reviews of client risk capabilities
• Planning and execution of client Risk Management Council events in Japan
• Contribute to incident response activities, including fraud events, data compromise investigations, and remediation support
• Provide Japan-specific insights into regional and global risk programs, including ecosystem risk, responsible innovation, and new payment models
• Engage with law enforcement and other external stakeholders to support their requests for information and educate them on payment fraud
• Work cross-functionally to evaluate risks associated with new products, partnerships, and regulatory developments in Japan

Why this is important to Visa

Japan is a strategically important high potential market undergoing rapid change in payments, digital commerce, and authentication. Ensuring that Visa’s risk strategy is locally informed, consistently executed, and effectively communicated is essential to sustaining trust with clients, regulators, and consumers.

The Risk Director, Japan plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity and resilience of the payments ecosystem, enabling safe innovation for clients as new technologies and business models emerge, strengthening Visa’s partnerships by helping clients manage risk while achieving their commercial objectives, and providing the Head of Risk with strong in-market execution, insight, and leadership capacity.

By supporting both enterprise and operational risk objectives, this role helps Visa continue to lead the market in secure, reliable, and trusted digital payments.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in the office will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager. 

What you will need

• Strong operational risk experience within a regulated, multinational environment, with a proven track record of identifying, assessing, and mitigating fraud and security risks in the payments or adjacent industries.
• Deep understanding of payment fraud, data security, and authentication risks, with the ability to analyze issues at both strategic and operational levels and design effective countermeasures.
• Demonstrated experience protecting consumer and corporate data, including familiarity with compliance frameworks, rules management, and risk controls that support regulatory expectations and business growth.
• Proven client-facing and advisory capabilities, including the ability to partner with customers, generate insights, respond to risk-related queries, and act as a trusted advisor.
• Ability to execute effectively in a matrix organization, collaborating across Product, Client Services, Value Added Services, Analytics, Legal, and Global Risk teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including intellectual curiosity, comfort working with data, and the ability to translate insights into practical actions.
• Full professional proficiency in written and spoken Japanese and English. Native-level Japanese capability strongly preferred.
• Personal attributes suited to a fast-moving environment, including confidence balanced with humility, high energy, and a strong results orientation.
• Undergraduate degree from a top-tier institution.
   

What will also help

• Direct experience in the payments ecosystem, such as work at a card network, processor, issuing or acquiring bank, or closely related financial services organization.
• Experience supporting client risk reviews and fraud performance discussions, including capability assessments and structured risk engagements.
• Exposure to incident response activities, such as fraud spikes, data compromise investigations, or remediation planning.
• Familiarity with regulatory and law-enforcement engagement related to payment fraud, data security, or financial crime.
• International or regional experience within a multinational organization, particularly in Asia-Pacific markets or cross-border payment environments.
• Experience contributing to risk assessments for new products, partnerships, or emerging payment models.
• Additional professional or academic qualifications in risk, technology, or business are beneficial but not required.

Visa is an EEO Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.