Job Description:

Rakuten Rewards is a leading commerce marketing company that enhances the way people shop by offering Cash Back, deals and rewards from more than 3,500 merchants. Founded in 1999, Rakuten has grown to become the go-to shopping destination for consumers.  It is a critical part of the performance marketing and affiliate advertising ecosystems and leverages the data from its millions of shoppers across all channels to drive top line sales for its partner brands, increased frequency, loyalty, new customer acquisition and more. For more information, visit www.rakuten.com

Rakuten Rewards is seeking a dynamic and visionary Director of Strategic Initiatives to join our sales leadership team. The Director of Strategic Initiatives will play a critical role in driving the company’s growth and innovation by identifying, developing, and executing new strategic revenue growth initiatives in partnership with the SVP of Revenue and the CRO. This individual will work closely with senior leadership to shape the strategic direction of the company and ensure the successful implementation of key initiatives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategy: Support SVP of Revenue and CRO to refine revenue growth strategy to open up new revenue streams and sales opportunities
• Strategic Initiatives: Collaborate with senior leadership to define and prioritize strategic initiatives that align with Rakuten Rewards’ long-term goals and objectives (e.g. Retail Media Networks, Search, Strategic partnerships, new sales verticals etc)
• Project Management: Lead cross-functional teams to plan, execute, and monitor strategic projects, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with business objectives.
• Market Analysis and business case development: Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify emerging trends, opportunities, and threats in the e-commerce and rewards space and help build out business cases for growth
• Performance Measurement: Develop and implement metrics and KPIs to track the success of strategic initiatives and provide regular updates to senior leadership.
• Innovation: Foster a culture of innovation within the organization by promoting creative thinking and encouraging the exploration of new ideas and technologies.
• Stakeholder Management: Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring clear and effective communication of strategic initiatives and their impact on the business.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of 7 years of experience in strategic planning, business development, strategic initiatives or a related field within industry or consulting
• Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think strategically and make data-driven decisions and recommendations.
• Leadership: Proven track record of leading and motivating cross-functional teams to achieve ambitious goals.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Industry Knowledge: Ideally knowledge of e-commerce, advertising and marketing landscapes.
• Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

Five Principles for Success
Our worldwide practices describe specific behaviors that make Rakuten unique and united across the world. We expect Rakuten employees to model these 5 Shugi Principles of Success.

Always improve, Always Advance - Only be satisfied with complete success - Kaizen
Passionately Professional - Take an uncompromising approach to your work and be determined to be the best
Hypothesize - Practice - Validate – Shikumika - Use the Rakuten Cycle to succeed in unknown territory
Maximize Customer Satisfaction - The greatest satisfaction for our teams is seeing their customers smile
Speed!! Speed!! Speed!! - Always be conscious of time - take charge, set clear goals, and engage your team

At the time of posting, Rakuten expects the base compensation for this role to be within the range shown below. Individual compensation will vary based on job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications, and experience of the successful candidate as well as business need and geographic location. The successful applicant for this role will be eligible for discretionary bonus, health, vision, dental insurance, 401k matching, PTO, Volunteer Time Off (VTO), and other employee benefits as the company implements.

USD $125,064.00 - $233,496.00 annually