Investments Expansion Lead - Northam Assets

Company Description

Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money. Min fees. Max ease. Full speed.

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 life 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. For everyone, everywhere.

More about our mission.

Job Description

Wise was launched in 2011 with the vision of making international money transfers fast, cheap, fair, and simple. Today we’re about much more than just moving money. We’re building the world’s best international account experience. 

Wise sends more money into and out of the US than any other country. Our bank, payment partner and regulatory relationships determine the quality and breadth of our product. So, we're on the hunt for an executor with an analytical mind and strong communication skills to join the Banking & Expansion team in North America. 

In 2021, Wise launched Assets in the UK, a new type of account. Assets allows customers to back the money they hold with Wise through different asset classes such as stocks or bonds while retaining the instant access and spend functionality of a checking account. 

We’re looking for a Banking & Expansion Lead - Investments, Americas to join our New York City office. You’ll be responsible for expanding the Assets product to the US and other markets in North and South America. You'll be supporting the broader North America Banking & Expansion team, including building strong commercial relationships to enable the best product experience for our customers.

You’ll work closely with the Assets Product team, an autonomous team within Wise consisting of Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, Product Compliance and Operations. You’ll provide the team with local financial markets expertise, shaping the product vision and helping change the future of finance. This isn’t just a job, it’s a revolution!

Your Mission:

1 - Expand the Assets product to North America

• Lead and manage the end-to-end process of applying for a broker-dealer license in the US.
• Analyze the optimal route to market for the Assets product, taking into account how customer needs differ by market, product functionality and regulatory requirements
• Build a good relationship with US regulatory authorities to ensure a smooth licensing process and success once the license is granted 
• Ensure that the operating model agreed with regulators is efficient and aligns with our product and customers needs 
• Source and / or hire any personnel that may be required to obtain the license such as a local compliance officer or financial controller
• Liaise closely with teams across Wise such as Product, Engineering, Operations, Finance and Compliance to ensure that we have the necessary resources and processes in place to successfully sustain operations 

2 - Build strong commercial relationships

• Identify new commercial relationships with investment managers, banks and payments partners to optimize the product experience for customers in terms of price, coverage and available asset classes 
• Onboard new partners and negotiate contracts, taking into account commercial priorities as well as risks 
• Manage our existing commercial relationships to ensure that they are delivering the best outcomes for our customers in terms of price and coverage

3 - Identify new strategic opportunities

• Shape the product vision and roadmap alongside the Product Manager, thinking about our customer needs, blockers and opportunities
• Explore and develop strategies for expansion into other North and South American markets following successful entry into the US
• Work closely with the Product Manager and the wider team to prioritize opportunities taking into consideration the product roadmap, resource and product build requirements 
• Identify and size new product ideas to to test, build, and launch 

You may be a good fit if:

• Led the end-to-end process for expanding financial services products to new markets, including scoping route to market and applying for new licenses from local regulators
• You are familiar with the US financial services industry and understand different financial products and how they work, as well as their risks and target markets 
• You have negotiated commercial relationships with a clear product vision and understanding in mind. You are able to figure out the ideal operational and commercial process with new partners
• You are familiar with how US fund managers and financial institutions work. You are strong at managing those relationships and are constantly creating opportunities to improve them
• You have a good understanding of US investment services regulation in a changing environment
• You have worked in a fast moving environment, are happy to work independently, flexibly, and take initiative. You have demonstrated this experience by growing an early stage product into something larger
• You’re hands on and a strong individual contributor. You are able to operate at many levels of detail, flipping between executing as an individual contributor and building support from cross-functional stakeholders for new ideas and initiatives. We work in autonomous teams, so you’ll need an entrepreneurial and collaborative mindset to thrive
• You have fresh ideas - You don’t accept the status quo, but are interested in solving problems in novel ways. You are able to communicate the impact of those ideas, gather stakeholder buy-in, and formulate plans to implement them
• You are passionate about our mission and transforming the financial industry for good
• You have flexibility for some international travel (around 10-20% of time)

Requirements

• 4-10 years work experience in asset/ investment management, investment/ corporate banking, capital markets or other similar role within financial services, consulting, financial technology, startup or technology companies 
• Bachelor’s degree in relevant fields such as Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Management, Mathematics/Statistics, Computer Science etc. 
• Preferred at least one of Series 7 (General Securities Representative qualification) or Series 24 (General Securities Principal qualification) or willingness to work on obtaining the missing series within 12 months
• Detailed knowledge of US financial systems including banking and investments infrastructure, payment rails, regulatory agencies and regulations
• Ability to structure and independently lead commercial relationships (e.g., clients, service providers or other partners) and cross-functional projects, including demonstrated ability to align closely with Product, Engineering, Operations, and Compliance teams with a solid track record of execution 
• Excellent verbal and written communications including executive-level presentation, negotiation, and communication skills 
• Proficiency in financial and business analysis including demonstrated Excel / Sheets skills

#LI-KE1

Additional Information

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

We’re proud to have a truly international team, and we celebrate our differences.

Every Wiser should feel that they can be themselves at work.

Inclusive teams help us live our values and make sure every Wiser feels respected, empowered to share their contributions towards mission zero and able to progress in their careers.

Having diverse teams that reflect our diverse customer base helps us build a better product. We can be more creative and empathetic to our customer’s needs and make sure we leave no-one behind on our journey to mission-zero. 

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

We're 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 it's like to work at Wise visit Wise.Jobs.

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