Ready to shape the future of tax operations in a world-class financial institution? Join a team where your leadership, client focus, and expertise drive service excellence and innovation. You’ll collaborate across regions, lead high-impact initiatives, and set new standards for client experience in Japan and Asia Pacific. Grow your career while making a difference for clients and the business.
As a Tax Client Support - Vice President within the Japan Custody Operations team, you will lead a high-performing team responsible for end-to-end tax operations and client support. You will own critical tax workflows, partner with global teams, and serve as the primary escalation point for client tax matters. You will drive process improvements, ensure robust risk management, and represent tax operations in governance forums. Together, we deliver exceptional client experiences and operational excellence across the Asia Pacific network.
You will work closely with Tax Operations teams in the UK, India, and the US, as well as with Product, Technology, Business Control, and Compliance partners. The team is committed to continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, and fostering a proactive risk culture.
Job responsibilities:
- Define vision, strategy, and performance standards for the Tokyo Tax Client Support team; cultivate a high-performance, client-centric culture
- Build strong working relationships with Tax Operations teams in the UK, India, and the US to support Asia Pacific processing and ensure consistent global execution
- Oversee tax operations supporting Securities Services, including client engagement, custody trade and cash, asset servicing, account opening, and transition management
- Serve as the primary escalation point for client tax matters in Japan; proactively manage client relationships, understand client structures and tax strategies, and ensure clients receive all entitled tax benefits to maximize tax efficiency
- Represent Japan Tax Operations in local and regional governance forums; provide concise updates and respond to cross-functional stakeholder inquiries
- Partner with Product and Technology to shape and deliver tax-related enhancements; collaborate with Business Control, Operational Risk, Compliance, and Audit on controls, testing, and issue remediation
- Engage with global and regional Securities Services operations and maintain close coordination with Tax Product and Corporate Tax
- Oversee post box services and clients’ tax documentation flows, coordinating with internal teams to ensure timely and accurate system setup
- Use metrics to analyze inquiry volumes and service levels, identify trends and spikes, and visualize performance and client behavior to inform faster, data-driven decisions
- Identify, assess, and escalate tax risks and operational issues promptly; lead resolution and implement preventive controls
- Support client tax account reviews and lead or contribute to ad hoc initiatives and projects across Global Tax Operations
Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills
- Bachelor’s degree
- 10+ years of experience in Operations or Client Services related role within an Commercial and Investment Banking or Securities Services industry
- Deep end-to-end understanding of custody services (i.e. tax, trade, foreign exchange, and cash processing, asset servicing, settlements, account opening, client service)
- Demonstrated leadership of teams and complex operational processes, including hiring, developing, and retaining talent; proven ability to lead through change in dynamic environments.
- Strong stakeholder management skills and a track record of building trusted relationships with internal partners and external clients; adept at managing challenging conversations to achieve outcomes.
- Excellent communication skills in Japanese and English—written and verbal—with the ability to articulate strategy, operating models, and procedures; executive-ready presentations.
- Experience representing operations in governance and management forums, with the ability to present succinctly, influence decisions, and drive accountability.
- Robust risk and control mindset with demonstrated operational control execution, issue management, and regulatory awareness across tax processes.
- Evidence of process redesign and continuous improvement, including rapid learning, documentation, and implementation of new processes.
- Strong time management and prioritization; capable of multi-tasking and delivering to fixed deadlines with high attention to detail.
- Data-driven approach with strong analytical skills; ability to interpret metrics, identify trends, and translate insights into actionable plans.
Preferred qualifications, capabilities, and skills
- Background in tax or familiarity with the custodian business is advantageous