Contract Specialist - Payments Industry

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of contracts, including agreements with merchants, payment partners, and service providers.
  
• Manage the end-to-end contract lifecycle, including:
• Contract template creation and updates in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Internal review and approval processes in accordance with company policy.
• Coordination of contract execution and signature workflows.
• Maintenance and oversight of the company’s contract management system to ensure accuracy and accessibility.
  
• Act as a key point of contact for internal stakeholders (Sales, Partnerships, Product, Compliance, etc.) to provide legal advice and resolve contractual or regulatory concerns.
  
• Research and report on Japanese and international laws applicable to the payments and financial services industries, including updates to relevant legislation and regulatory frameworks.
  
• Respond to merchant screening and onboarding requests, ensuring appropriate due diligence and legal review is conducted.
  
• Develop and maintain internal reference documents, templates, and legal knowledge base to support business teams.
  
• Work with external legal counsel when necessary on specialized matters.

Requirements

• Business-level proficiency in both Japanese and English (verbal and written), including the ability to review and draft legal documents in both languages.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in a legal role, including extensive experience in contract review and negotiation. This may include experience at an in-house legal department, law firm, or regulatory body.
• Strong understanding of Japanese contract law and general business practices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to explain legal concepts clearly to non-legal stakeholders.
• High attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of applicable Japanese laws and regulations, including the Installment Sales Act, Payment Services Act, and Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI).
• Prior experience in the payments, fintech, or technology industry, especially in a regulated environment.
• Familiarity with compliance requirements and practices related to merchant due diligence, anti-money laundering (AML), and consumer protection laws.
• Experience working in a cross-functional or multinational team setting.

• Salary increase based on annual performance evaluation
• Profit sharing (paid twice a year)
• Hybrid system that allows both remote and office work
• Full social insurance (Kanto IT Software Health Insurance Association)
• Health checkups
• Sports club privileges
• Recreation facilities
• Language training (subsidized lesson fees of 10,000 to 20,000 yen/month)
• Self-study support (up to 100,000 yen per year)