Japan Operations - Job Level: Associate, Director, Vice President

Experience

The level of responsibility and scope will align to experience and role level, ranging from early‑career professionals to experienced leaders with demonstrated operational and people‑management capability.

About the Role

We are seeking professionals to join our teams within Operations division to support global financial transactions, manage operational risk, and drive continuous improvement across a wide range of products, processes, and initiatives.

In the Operations division, we partner with business units across the Firm to support financial transactions, devise and implement effective controls and develop client relationships, driving strategic automation solutions by embracing a transformation mindset and challenging the status quo.

Since 1935, Morgan Stanley is known as a global leader in financial services, always evolving and innovating to better serve our clients and our communities in more than 40 countries around the world.

What you'll do in the role:

• Execute and manage operational processes and functions supporting transactions across multiple asset classes, leveraging knowledge of systems, markets, and financial instruments.
• Identify, assess, and escalate operational risks and control issues arising from day‑to‑day activities, and contribute to remediation, process improvements, and sustainable solutions.
• Support and lead process management, project, and change initiatives, including process improvement, technology development, testing, and implementation.
• Analyze complex, ambiguous, or non‑standard issues, identifying root causes, assessing impact, proposing actions, and driving issues through to resolution.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, including Business Units, Operations teams, and other infrastructure functions, as well as external client or market contacts where applicable.
• Share knowledge and expertise across the team, contributing to team effectiveness, high‑quality output, and the development of less experienced colleagues.
• Depending on level and scope, coordinate work, allocate tasks, provide guidance or training, and support escalation and issue management.
• For leadership roles, set direction and expectations, manage resources and capacity, develop talent, and contribute to business planning, risk management, and strategic priorities

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Strong understanding of operational processes, controls, and risk management within a financial services environment, with the ability to balance client service needs and control requirements.
• Ability to operate independently on defined responsibilities, address non‑standard issues within your area of expertise, and apply sound judgment without compromising control.
• Analytical and problem‑solving capability, with experience assessing complex situations, identifying risks, and driving effective outcomes.
• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders, adapt messaging to different audiences, and collaborate across teams and functions.
• Experience contributing to or leading process improvement, change, or project initiatives, with a focus on continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• A leadership mindset appropriate to role level, including the ability to coach, develop, motivate, and influence others, and challenge the status quo constructively where needed.
• Alignment with the Firm’s core values, acting as a culture carrier and role model within Operations and the broader organization.
• High business‑level Japanese proficiency and business‑level English proficiency, with the ability to operate effectively in a bilingual, global business environment.
• At least 2 years’ relevant experience would generally be expected to find the skills required for this role

Why Morgan Stanley?

• A career with Morgan Stanley means being part of an inclusive culture that encourages diverse perspectives, innovation, and cross-collaboration to bring value to our clients. You'll find passionate people from all walks of life working together to make the world a little better every day.
• We invest in the growth and success of our people through mentorship and development programs, as well as abundant opportunities to connect with peers and senior leaders through employee-driven networks and volunteer activities.
• Your wellness and priorities outside of work are important to us. Our competitive compensation and benefits package is designed to support the diverse needs of our employees and take care of you and your family.
• Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer. Our goal is to build and support a workforce that is diverse in experience and background but uniform in reflecting our standards of integrity and excellence. We are committed to support special needs or reasonable accommodations necessary to enable you to work comfortably and effectively.

• Discover our Japan Offerings:
  https://www.morganstanley.co.jp/ja/people/working-at-morgan-stanley
• Discover our Global Offerings:
  https://www.morganstanley.com/people/experienced-professionals

Our Commitment to Japan

Everything we do at Morgan Stanley is guided by our five core values: do the right thing, put clients first, lead with exceptional ideas, commit to diversity and inclusion, and give back. Since opening a representative office in Tokyo in 1970, we have been one of the largest and most active foreign financial firms in Japan providing investment banking, sales & trading, real estate, and investment management services.

Our People (English): https://www.morganstanley.com/articles/who-we-are

Our People (Japanese): https://www.morganstanley.co.jp/ja/people

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years.  Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices​ into your browser.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background.  Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.