Vice President Architecture

Job Description:

Rakuten Kobo brings the best reading experience to millions of readers worldwide. We operate ebook and audiobook storefronts across dozens of markets, build our own eReaders and reading apps, and run a content and technology platform that few companies of our size can match.

Here at Rakuten Kobo Inc. we offer a casual working start-up environment and a group of friendly and talented individuals. Our employees rank us highly in terms of commitment to work/life balance. We realize that for our people to be innovative, creative and passionate they need to feel valued and supported. We believe in rewarding all our employees with competitive salaries, performance based annual bonuses, stock options and training opportunities.

If you’re looking for a company that inspires passion, personal, and professional growth – join Kobo and come help us on our mission of making reading lives better.

The Role:

You will lead the architecture function for all of Kobo's products and services, reporting to the CTO and leading a team of four domain architects covering commerce and discovery, purchasing and reading services, eReader platforms, and data engineering.

This is a VP-level leadership role exercised through architecture, not through P&L. You hold decision authority over Kobo's technology architecture — but your leverage comes from setting direction, defining the decision frameworks others use, and making the org better at making good calls without you in the

room. You stay close to the code through design reviews and architecture forums.

The landscape you'll shape:

• Our third-generation ecommerce, ad-tech, marketing automation, and personalization platform, powering storefronts in over 40 geos
• Reading experience on iOS and Android apps, on the desktop Webreader, and our eReader devices
• A rich content catalog and data model powering search, discovery, and syndication with retail partners

What you'll do:

• Lead, grow, and develop the architecture team — four domain architects with coverage across our major technology areas, with hiring authority as the function grows
• Run the architecture guild and practice forums. The guild is how architectural change is communicated to the broader engineering org; the practice forums are where major architectural changes and questions get surfaced and stress-tested with our principal and staff engineers and architects.
• Grow both into the venue where Kobo's biggest technical decisions are made
• Identify gaps in our software ecosystem and drive the roadmap that closes them, in partnership with the CTO
• Define the decision rubrics and frameworks that let engineering teams make sound architectural calls autonomously — your influence should scale far beyond your calendar
• Champion pragmatic, incremental architecture: reduce complexity, improve velocity and reliability, and keep tactical delivery and long-term evolution moving together

What success looks like (first 12–24 months):

1. The architecture guild and practice forums are thriving — well-attended, respected, and the de facto venue where big architectural decisions are communicated and debated

2. The flagship cross-functional initiatives are advancing or delivered, with architecture playing a visible, decisive role

3. There is a living, prioritized view of gaps in our software ecosystem, with a roadmap the CTO and R&D leadership team buy into

The Skillset:

We are not screening for a specific technology checklist. What's essential:

• 10+ years building and architecting software, including senior leadership experience (Architect /Principal / Director level) in software development organizations
• Deep understanding of how large-scale systems hang together — distributed systems, event-driven architectures, data platforms, and the modern design patterns and frameworks that hold them up
• Curiosity and the ability to learn independently — you'll inherit a broad, varied estate, and nobody will hand you a manual
• Collaboration and communication — you can facilitate design sessions, deliver training, evangelize technology choices, and earn the trust of engineers more senior in their domains than you areA track record of defining frameworks and decision rubrics that help other people make good calls, rather than hoarding the decisions yourself

Nice to have (context for our environment, not requirements):

• Experience in ecommerce or ad-tech platforms operating at significant scale, in both real-time and asynchronous workflows
• Experience with hybrid environments (own data centre + public cloud)
• Breadth across both client platforms and backend services

Working at Kobo:

We offer competitive compensation, including salary, bonus, and a comprehensive benefits package. Full details are shared during the hiring process.

Rakuten Kobo is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. If you require accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know — we'll work with you to make sure it's the right experience for you.

The Perks:

• Flexible hours and hybrid remote working environment
• Subsidized in-office lunches
• Four extended long weekends in the summer
• Full benefits starting from your first day
• Paid Volunteer days, unlimited sick days, and 3% RRSP matching
• Work From Anywhere Program for up to 3 months (90 days)
• Lifestyle spending account
• Talent and development training budget
• Free Kobo device + free weekly e-book or audiobook
• Weekly Kobo Spark sessions
• Maternity/paternity leave top up
• Dog friendly office

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Rakuten Kobo Inc. is the world’s digital bookseller created by and for booklovers. Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten Group, Inc. and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo’s millions of worldwide users can read anytime, anywhere, and on any device. With a mission to make reading lives better for all, Rakuten Kobo connects readers to stories using thoughtful and personalized curation of eBooks and audiobooks, and the best dedicated eReaders and apps for reading. With the singular focus of making reading lives the best they can be, Kobo’s open platform allows people to fit reading into more moments in their busy lives. To learn more about Rakuten Kobo, visit www.kobo.com.

Rakuten Kobo Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Accessibility accommodations for candidates with disabilities participating in the selection process are available on request. Any information received related to accommodation needs of applicants will be addressed confidentially.  

Rakuten Kobo would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this role however only qualified candidates will be shortlisted.  

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