Director, Engineering and Research
Rakuten Group, Inc., Bellevue, WA, United States
Director, Engineering and Research
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 global.rakuten.com/corp/. 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. AIDD's mission is to build world-class AI experiences that serve as the digital core of Rakuten's global ecosystem. In this role, you will focus on AI applications such as agent experiences, search, recommendation, personalization, and the broader customer experiencedelivering 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. You will define and execute multi-year technical and research roadmaps that align foundational research with real-world engineering execution. You will lead interdisciplinary teams, scale operations, and oversee the full lifecycle of innovationfrom early-stage prototypes to production-ready, large-scale systems. The role requires close collaboration with executive stakeholders across Research, Product, Business, and global Rakuten teams to drive integrated, high-impact AI initiatives. Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Interdisciplinary Vision Organizational & People Management Cross-functional Collaboration & Business Impact Qualifications
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. Demonstrated ability to align and influence executive stakeholders across Research, Product, Business, and Operations on strategic, cross-functional initiatives. 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; ability to translate complex technical and scientific concepts across diverse stakeholders. Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain top-tier engineering and research talent, fostering a culture of innovation, psychological safety, and continuous learning. Experience or strong potential for engaging in strategic partnerships and business development initiatives. Fluency in English is required; proficiency in Japanese is a plus. Minimum Requirements Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Master's or Ph.D. preferred. A Ph.D. in a relevant AI/ML research field (e.g., Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Operations Research) is highly desirable. 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). Proven ability to translate AI/ML research advancementsincluding Deep Learning, NLP, LLMs, and conversational AIinto scalable production systems. Demonstrated success in leading large, interdisciplinary teams toward high-impact outcomes that combine research excellence with engineering precision.
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 global.rakuten.com/corp/. 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. AIDD's mission is to build world-class AI experiences that serve as the digital core of Rakuten's global ecosystem. In this role, you will focus on AI applications such as agent experiences, search, recommendation, personalization, and the broader customer experiencedelivering 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. You will define and execute multi-year technical and research roadmaps that align foundational research with real-world engineering execution. You will lead interdisciplinary teams, scale operations, and oversee the full lifecycle of innovationfrom early-stage prototypes to production-ready, large-scale systems. The role requires close collaboration with executive stakeholders across Research, Product, Business, and global Rakuten teams to drive integrated, high-impact AI initiatives. Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Interdisciplinary Vision Organizational & People Management Cross-functional Collaboration & Business Impact Qualifications
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. Demonstrated ability to align and influence executive stakeholders across Research, Product, Business, and Operations on strategic, cross-functional initiatives. 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; ability to translate complex technical and scientific concepts across diverse stakeholders. Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain top-tier engineering and research talent, fostering a culture of innovation, psychological safety, and continuous learning. Experience or strong potential for engaging in strategic partnerships and business development initiatives. Fluency in English is required; proficiency in Japanese is a plus. Minimum Requirements Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Master's or Ph.D. preferred. A Ph.D. in a relevant AI/ML research field (e.g., Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Operations Research) is highly desirable. 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). Proven ability to translate AI/ML research advancementsincluding Deep Learning, NLP, LLMs, and conversational AIinto scalable production systems. Demonstrated success in leading large, interdisciplinary teams toward high-impact outcomes that combine research excellence with engineering precision.