Rakuten

Rakuten

Director, Engineering and Research

Bellevue, Washington · Director

Sponsorship not specified$143k-$267kDetected 36 days ago
Distributed SystemsAWSGCPAzureCloud PlatformsDevOpsMachine LearningDeep LearningNLPLLMsStatisticsBusiness DevelopmentPerformance ManagementElectrical EngineeringResearchExperimental DesignLeadershipCommunicationCollaborationMentoring

About the role

  • Rakuten Americas' AI & Data Division (AIDD) is seeking a passionate and experienced Director, Engineering and Research to play a pivotal role in bridging cutting-edge research with robust engineering capabilities to solve critical business needs.
  • In this role, you will focus on AI applications such as agent experiences, search, recommendation, personalization, and the broader customer experience-delivering meaningful impact for nearly 2 billion Rakuten users.
  • Inspired by our CEO's vision, "No AI, No Rakuten," you will help ensure AI is embedded at the heart of everything we do.

Responsibilities

  • Define and drive multi-year technical and research roadmaps, ensuring seamless integration of scientific discovery with scalable engineering implementation.
  • Establish cross-functional standards and processes that support both research excellence and engineering efficiency.
  • Build, mentor, and scale high-performing interdisciplinary teams, including both ICs and managers.
  • Lead talent strategies-recruitment, retention, performance management, and career development-for a diverse, technically excellent organization.
  • Optimize resource allocation across multiple product lines and initiatives, balancing delivery velocity with long-term innovation.
  • Partner with executive stakeholders in Research, Product, Business, and Operations to align on technical direction and deliver integrated solutions.

Requirements

  • Demonstrated ability to align and influence executive stakeholders across Research, Product, Business, and Operations on strategic, cross-functional initiatives.
  • ability to translate complex technical and scientific concepts across diverse stakeholders.
  • Experience or strong potential for engaging in strategic partnerships and business development initiatives.
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
  • 12+ years of progressive experience in software engineering and/or applied research, including 5+ years in senior manager or director-level leadership roles.
  • Significant hands-on experience with large-scale, distributed systems and modern cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • To perform this job successfully, an individual must demonstrate excellence across the following domains. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
  • Exceptional leadership in defining, communicating, and executing multi-year technical and research roadmaps for complex, large-scale systems.
  • Proven track record of building, coaching, and scaling interdisciplinary engineering and research organizations that deliver innovative, research-informed software products.
  • Deep expertise in architecting and operating scalable, secure, and resilient cloud-native systems, combined with a strong foundation in research methodology and experimental design.
  • Mastery of the full software development lifecycle, modern DevOps practices, and a commitment to engineering quality and scientific rigor.
  • Strong technical acumen in AI/ML domains, including LLMs, NLP, search, recommendation systems, and conversational AI.
  • Comfortable leading through ambiguity in fast-moving, international environments, managing globally distributed teams.
  • Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
  • Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain top-tier engineering and research talent, fostering a culture of innovation, psychological safety, and continuous learning.

Nice to have

  • Fluency in English is required
  • proficiency in Japanese is a plus.
  • Master's or Ph.D. preferred.

Compensation

  • At the time of posting, Rakuten expects the base compensation for this role to be within the range shown below.

Benefits

  • Strategic Leadership & Interdisciplinary Vision
  • Communicate vision, goals, and priorities across functions, ensuring strong alignment and shared ownership.

Company info

  • Rakuten Group, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses, and society.
  • Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to 2 billion members around the world.
  • The Rakuten Group has around 30,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions.
  • For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.
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