Malaysia Country Manager

We are looking for an experienced Country Manager to lead our business in Malaysia. This is not a traditional hands-off executive role. 

Based in Kuala Lumpur you will be responsible for Wises overall success in the country enabling millions of Malaysian customers to experience the best way to move and manage their money across borders. You will be expected to grow the business by orchestrating appropriate go-to-market strategies while also improving and expanding our product offering and customer experience. 

Reporting to the Head of Southeast Asia Expansion you will have legal accountability as a resident Director on our local boards represent us with key regulatory bodies and act as the chief spokesperson for Wise in local media and public forums. You will partner closely with global and regional product engineering compliance risk and operations squads to expand our licensed capabilities in the market.

What will you be doing

• Risk Compliance & Subsidiary Governance: 

  • Entity Governance & Board Management: Serve as the resident Board Director for Wises licensed Malaysia subsidiaries. Direct and prepare local board materials manage local director liabilities and ensure subsidiary governance standards meet both regulatory expectations and global Group alignment.

  • Regulatory Compliance Oversight: Own risk compliance and governance for our Malaysia entities partnering with global Product Risk Compliance and Legal teams to ensure absolute compliance with local regulations through robust product design systemic controls and oversight.

  • Corporate Structure Strategy: Evaluate and optimise the corporate entity and licensing structure in Malaysia assessing strategic impacts on both local licensed operations and the wider Wise Group.

  • Regulator Relationships: Manage our key relationships with the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) and other central government bodies. Lobby these organisations for progressive regulatory changes to achieve our mission including advocating for direct non-bank integration into local payment systems.

  • Operational Resiliency: Collaborate with Risk and Compliance teams to develop implement and maintain robust Business Continuity Plans (BCP) to handle unexpected operational or systemic service disruptions in the local market.

  • Operational Leadership: Have oversight on the day-to-day operations of Wise in Malaysia. Guide strategy and provide cross-functional leadership to colleagues supporting Malaysia operations many of whom are based in our regional or global offices.

• Commercial Growth & Product Delivery

  • Financial Partner & SLA Management: Lead commercial and operational negotiations with tier-1 local commercial banks and payment networks. Hold both external financial institutions and internal global service squads accountable to strict Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to optimise transaction costs FX settlement timelines and API stability.

  • Licensing Strategy & Acquisition: Proactively assess expansion roadmaps and future commercial strategies to identify regulatory licensing requirements; own and lead the end-to-end strategy preparation and application process for any new local licenses required to unlock and scale these opportunities.

  • Product Prioritisation & Execution: Collaborate closely with global product and engineering squads to prioritise and execute new product launches (including cross-border remittance expansions multi-currency features payment card offerings and more) ensuring flawless local operational readiness.

  • Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy: Devise and execute the GTM strategy to grow our customer base in Malaysia. Partner with Product and Marketing leaders to define target audiences (freelancers expats and SMEs) refine positioning and optimise acquisition channels.

  • Customer Experience Optimisation: Work closely with Servicing Operations leaders to ensure the end-to-end customer journeyfrom digital onboarding to payment speedmeets Wises global standards and exceeds local expectations.

  • Brand Advocacy & Public Relations: Act as the chief public spokesperson for Wise in Malaysia. Partner with Public Relations Government Relations and Marketing teams to build brand awareness by participating in media interviews public policy forums customer meetups and industry events.

  • Office Leadership & Culture: Play a leading role in the establishing scaling and cultural health of our Malaysia office.

Qualifications :

• You have a wealth of experience in Malaysia payments fintech or related industries ideally with direct experience in customer / revenue growth and market / product level ownership.

• Proven track record of directly liaising with the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and AMLO. You have successfully navigated license acquisitions feature approvals regulatory reporting or audit remediations in Malaysia.

• Deep understanding of the Malaysian payment landscape DuitNow clearing rails card networks and payments & FX regulations. An established network within the Malaysian payment industry is preferred.

• Native fluency in written and spoken Bahasa Melayu alongside excellent professional English communication skills. You are highly comfortable presenting complex technical concepts to regulators and external bank partners as well as communicating with global internal stakeholders.

• A self-starter with a bias for action. You are low-ego and happy to roll up your sleeves to map processes write business proposals or investigate customer bugs yourself alongside being a strategic director.

• Highly data-driven. You use precise data to make business decisions define clear product metrics and articulate growth opportunities.

• Excellent at managing external relationships such as with regulators and financial institutions.

• Experience leading/building a team and also able to influence without authority.

This role will give you the opportunity to:

• Choose your own path to success - you will have the freedom to define the vision and the responsibility for making it happen

• Gain international exposure - you will work with our teams in offices around the world and have the the opportunity to travel to our Regional HQ in Singapore or to our offices in Europe when needed

• Be a part of something special by helping Wise grow in one of the most exciting markets for payments 

Additional Information :

Key benefits:

• Flexible working - whether its working from home school plays or life admin we get that flexibility is essential and youre trusted to do the right thing and be responsible

• Paid annual holiday sick days parental leave and other leave opportunities

• 6 weeks of paid sabbatical after 4 years at Wise on top of annual leave

For everyone everywhere. Were people building money without borders  without judgement or prejudice too. We believe teams are strongest when they are diverse equitable and inclusive.

Were proud to have a truly international team and we celebrate our differences.
Inclusive teams help us live our values and make sure every Wiser feels respected empowered to contribute towards our mission and able to progress in their careers.

If you want to find out more about what its like to work at Wise visit .

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Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time