Malaysia Country Manager

Wise; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Annual leave and sick days

Sabbatical after 4 years

Job summary

Wise is seeking an experienced Country Manager to lead its Malaysia operations from Kuala Lumpur. You will drive regulatory governance, licensing, and compliance, while orchestrating go-to-market strategies to expand Wise’s presence in the country.

Your remit includes product collaboration, partner negotiations, and public representation to regulators and stakeholders. You will influence cross-functional teams, build local leadership, and ensure an excellent customer experience, balancing global

Qualifications

• Wealth of experience in Malaysia payments, fintech or related industries, ideally with direct experience in customer/revenue growth and market/product ownership.
• Proven track record of liaising with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) or other regulatory bodies; licence applications, regulatory reporting or audits.
• Deep understanding of Malaysian payment landscape, DuitNow, clearing rails, card networks, and payments & FX regulations; established network preferred.
• Excellent professional English communication skills for presenting complex concepts to regulators and partners and internal stakeholders.
• Self-starter with bias for action; willing to map processes, write proposals, or investigate issues while thinking strategically.
• Highly data-driven; use precise data to make business decisions and articulate growth opportunities.
• Experience leading/building a team and ability to influence without authority.

Responsibilities

• Lead risk, compliance, and governance for Malaysia entities, aligning with global standards.
• Own licensing strategy and oversee end-to-end permit and license processes for local operations.
• Manage regulator relationships (BNM, SC) and ensure regulatory compliance across the business.
• Drive GTM strategy with product/marketing to grow Wise’s Malaysia customer base.
• Oversee day-to-day operations and provide cross-functional leadership across teams.
• Represent Wise publicly in Malaysia through PR and government relations activities.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory Liaison

Strategic Thinking

Data-driven decisions

English communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money. Whether people and businesses are sending money to another country, spending abroad, or making and receiving international payments, Wise is on a mission to make their lives easier and save them money. As part of our team, you will be helping us create an entirely new network for the world's money.

Job Description

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 Wise’s overall success in the country and grow the business by orchestrating go‑to‑market strategies while improving and expanding our product offering and customer experience.

What will you be doing?

• Risk, Compliance & Subsidiary Governance
  • Entity Governance & Board Management: Serve as the CEO for Wise’s relevant licensed entity and, if needed, as a Board Director for Wise’s Malaysia subsidiaries. Direct and prepare local board materials and ensure subsidiary governance standards meet regulatory expectations and Wise’s global standards.
  • 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 Wise’s corporate structure in Malaysia, assessing impact on both local licensed operations and the wider Wise Group.
  • Regulator Relationships: Manage our key relationships with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Securities Commission and any other relevant regulatory or government bodies. Lobby these organisations for progressive regulatory changes to achieve our mission.
  • 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: Oversee 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 our partners and the national payment network. Hold external financial institutions and internal global service providers accountable to strict Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
  • 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 or feature launches.
  • Go‑to‑Market (GTM) Strategy: Partner with Product and Marketing leaders to devise and execute the GTM strategy to grow our customer base in Malaysia, including defining target audiences, refining positioning, and optimising acquisition channels.
  • Customer Experience Optimisation: Work closely with Servicing Operations leaders to ensure the end‑to‑end customer journey— from digital onboarding to payment speed— meets Wise’s 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 Malaysia office culture, talent attraction and retention along with relevant functional and People team leaders.

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 Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) or other regulatory bodies. You have successfully navigated licence applications, 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.
• 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 thinker.
• Highly data‑driven. You use precise data to make business decisions, define clear product metrics, and articulate growth opportunities.
• Experience leading / building a team and also able to influence without authority.

Additional Information

• 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 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.

Key Benefits

• Flexible working – whether it’s working from home, taking care of family, or managing life admin, we get that flexibility is essential and you’re 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.