Senior Associate, Strategy & Operations, CEO Office

About the team The CEO Office Strategy & Operations team partners directly with Airwallex's executive leadership on the company's most important priorities. We work across regions and functions to drive clarity, build scalable operating models, and ensure the right work gets done at the right time. The team combines rigorous problem‑solving with hands‑on execution, rolling up our sleeves to take complex, zero‑to‑one initiatives from idea to reality. It is a high‑visibility, fast‑paced environment where you will collaborate with leaders across Product, Engineering, Legal, Risk, Finance, and Operations to shape the next phase of Airwallex's global growth. What you'll do As Senior Associate, Global Expansion, CEO Office, you will own the end-to-end expansion of Airwallex into new markets across APAC — from defining the market-entry strategy through licensing, product readiness, operational launch and preparation for commercial scale-up. You will work directly with executive leadership to solve the complex regulatory, product and operating problems required to establish Airwallex as a local financial platform in each market. This role is based in Singapore. Responsibilities: • Own new country expansion strategy: Lead the strategy for where and how Airwallex expands next across APAC — sizing the opportunity, choosing the markets, and defining what it takes to win in each one. • Design the market entry model: Decide the licensing path, entity structure, and commercial model for each market, translating regulatory and licensing requirements into the operating model Airwallex needs on the ground. • Shape the product roadmap: Work with Product and Engineering to turn regulatory and licensing requirements into concrete product scope and sequencing, so the roadmap is built around what's needed to launch and scale locally. • Drive executive decisions: Partner directly with CEO Office leadership and senior executives to frame decisions on where and how Airwallex expands globally. Present recommendations directly to executive leadership on market prioritization, launch readiness and investment decisions. • Build the operating system for launches: "Vibe‑code" the tools, templates, and operating rhythms for market entry — using AI‑assisted research, drafting and automation (for example licence mapping, competitor analysis, Global Expansion dashboards, reporting) to systematise how Airwallex expands and remove manual work. • Run governance: Own the go/no‑go and launch‑readiness process — cross‑functional sign‑off, risk assessment, and mitigation plans across product, operational, regulatory, and commercial dimensions — so no single function becomes the blocker to going live. • Flex onto priority CEO Office initiatives beyond core market launches, such as strategic reviews, restructuring or migration projects, crisis response workstreams, or cross‑market structuring exercises where disciplined leadership and executive‑level communication are required. Who you are Minimum qualifications: • 3+ years of experience in top‑tier strategy consulting (MBB or equivalent), regulatory/financial services law, or strategy / expansion roles in fintech or payments, with meaningful exposure to market‑entry or licensing‑driven projects. • Proven track record of owning complex, multi‑stakeholder programs end to end (not just contributing to workstreams), including planning, execution, and executive‑level updates. • Strong operating discipline: confident structuring multi‑workstream programs, running governance cadences, managing dependencies across multiple functions, and driving timely decision‑making. • Experience working with or around regulatory and licensing topics in financial services (for example payments, e‑money, banking, or card issuing), and comfort engaging with legal, risk, and compliance counterparts on requirements and constraints. • Demonstrated use of AI tools in your day‑to‑day work (for example for regulatory research, licence mapping, competitive analysis, documentation, or workflow automation), with good judgment on verification and when to pull in human experts. • Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, including the ability to simplify complex issues, influence senior leaders, and create clear, concise materials for steering forums. • High ownership mindset, comfort with ambiguity, and willingness to get hands‑on in the details to move launches forward in a fast‑paced environment. Preferred qualifications: • Direct experience driving new market launches or licence applications in APAC for a fintech, payments provider, or financial institution. • Background that combines strategic problem‑solving and execution, for example time in both consulting and an in‑house operating role, or in both legal/regulatory and commercial or product‑adjacent roles. • Familiarity with cross‑functional Global Expansion and product launch processes, including how Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, Risk, and Operations typically intersect for new‑country launches. • Experience working in or closely with a CEO Office, strategy & operations, or similar central team that runs company‑level initiatives and special projects. • Comfort building and iterating light‑weight AI tooling to standardise how we run launches and to automate status, risk tracking, and dependency management over time.