Head of Japan Public Policy

Block is one company built from many blocks, all united by the same purpose of economic empowerment. The blocks that form our foundational teams - People, Finance, Counsel, Hardware, Information Security, Platform Infrastructure Engineering, and more - provide support and guidance at the corporate level. They work across business groups and around the globe, spanning time zones and disciplines to develop inclusive People policies, forecast finances, give legal counsel, safeguard systems, nurture new initiatives, and more. Every challenge creates possibilities, and we need different perspectives to see them all. Bring yours to Block.
The Role
Our International Public Policy team is made up of tough, quick-witted, entrepreneurial, and intellectually curious people. We communicate to the world Block's purpose of economic empowerment and our mission to empower businesses, artists and individuals with easy-to-use tools that give them an advantage where they previously had none.
Block is seeking an extraordinary public policy professional to join our team, which is responsible for protecting and advocating for Block's brand globally through engagement with government, industry and regulatory stakeholders. Reporting to the Head of International Public Policy (who is based in Sydney, Australia), you will work closely with executives and teams across Block's business teams, including Square Japan and other foundational teams. The role requires creativity, the ability to work cross-functionally with other teams, and to understand and communicate complex subject matter with ease.
You Will

• Lead Public Policy and Government Relations for Block in Japan, and provide varying levels of support for our business teams that work in the Japan market, including on all proactive and reactive opportunities that help tell our story to elected officials, policymakers, and regulators.
• Support Block's corporate communications activities in Japan, including partnering with our APAC Public Policy Lead and working with the Global Communications team, to help protect Block's public reputation and provide sound corporate communications counsel on a range of sensitive topics, including major announcements, mergers and acquisitions, crisis management, and regulatory affairs.
• Be a spokesperson on crucial media interactions, including crisis communications and issues that might affect our business and corporate reputation.
• Maintain an executive corporate speaking calendar and manage speaking opportunities in Japan for Block executives, and for our business partners.
• Manage ongoing media relations across Japan to maintain and build relationships with essential national business, financial and technology press in the market.
• Develop written materials, including company messaging and statements, press releases, government submissions, communications plans, FAQs, and other collateral.
• Understand complex policy documents with the ability to simplify for non-policy audiences.

• Be a proactive cross-functional partner with many teams across Block, including Square Japan , finance, investor relations, legal, compliance, product, marketing, and others.
• Work with and manage external consultants as needed.

You Have

• 7+ years public policy experience with a financial technology company and/or global publicly-traded company (this can be on in-house teams or as party of a consultancy)
• Fluent spoken and written Japanese and business English
• Strong writing and editing skills

• Experience in corporate communications
• Experience engaging and building effective relationships with corporate affairs stakeholders, including government officials, committees, trade organizations and journalists
• Experience with lobbying, participating in, or submitting responses to government consultations on behalf of a business
• Former work experience with the Japanese Government, especially METI (経産省) or FSA (金融庁), is a plus
• Ability to understand complex concepts and create essential messages that are consistent but tailored to multiple audiences
• Experience working with senior leadership and cross-functional teams

We're working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, based solely on the core competencies required of the role at hand, and without regard to any legally protected class. We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we're doing to build an inclusive workplace? Check out our Inclusion & Diversity page
Use of AI in Our Hiring Process
We may use automated AI tools to evaluate job applications for efficiency and consistency. These tools comply with local regulations, including bias audits, and we handle all personal data in accordance with state and local privacy laws.
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Every benefit we offer is designed with one goal: empowering you to do the best work of your career while building the life you want. Remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans, and modern family planning are just some of our offering. Check out our other benefits at Block.
Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people. Square makes commerce and financial services accessible to sellers. Cash App is the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Afterpay is transforming the way customers manage their spending over time. TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs. Bitkey is a simple self-custody wallet built for bitcoin. Proto is a suite of bitcoin mining products and services. Together, we're helping build a financial system that is open to everyone.