Compliance Operations Specialist – Japan (Remote)

About the role

The Compliance Operations team at Square Japan ensures day‑to‑day operational compliance with regulatory, payment network, and partnership requirements. This fully remote position focuses on monitoring, investigating, and reporting potential compliance concerns such as AML, fraud, sanctions, and policy violations.

Key responsibilities

• Monitor and investigate compliance alerts generated through transaction monitoring systems and manual reviews.
• Analyze merchant transaction activity, payment flows, and business operations to identify suspicious behavior.
• Conduct investigations related to AML, fraud, sanctions, prohibited activities, and financial crime risks, documenting findings and recommending actions.
• Perform merchant onboarding, due diligence, and ongoing reviews in line with Japanese regulations and company policies.

Required profile

• Professional fluency in Japanese and English (written and verbal).
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in compliance operations, AML investigations, fraud investigations, risk management, or policy implementation within a financial institution or fintech.
• Strong understanding of Japanese financial‑crime compliance requirements and payment‑industry regulations.

Required skills

• Experience with customer due diligence (CDD), Know Your Customer (KYC), and transaction monitoring.
• Ability to conduct public‑record and open‑source intelligence research.
• Strong investigative and transaction‑analysis skills across complex financial products.
• Excellent written communication and case documentation in both Japanese and English.