Job Description:

Business Overview

Rakuten is Japan's largest marketplace and Internet ecosystem, offering a wide range of more than 70 services, including e-commerce, travel, banking, fintech, food delivery, golf, insurance, instant messaging, and mobile networking. Rakuten offers more than 140 services worldwide, of which Communications & Energy Company is the division that operates the cell phone business and other telecommunications and electric energy-related businesses.

Please see below for a list of Communications & Energy Company's services*.

https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/about/company/communications_energy.html

Department Overview

As a retail electricity provider of the Rakuten Group, Rakuten Electricity provides "Rakuten Denki," an electricity service for general households, and "Rakuten Gas," a city gas service. Rakuten Electricity is expanding its services to become the No. 1 new electric power company by providing a safe, convenient, and affordable experience close to its users.

The service features a simple design with a basic charge of zero yen and a single metered charge based on the amount of electricity used, instead of the complicated and difficult electricity rate plans of the past. The service allows customers to receive Rakuten points based on their electricity bills and to pay their electricity bills with the points.

Furthermore, the digitization of the energy field is expected to continue in the future, including the digitization of electricity meters, the development of mobile communication technology, and the spread of IoT and AI. With the spread of distributed power resources such as solar power generation, storage batteries, and electric vehicles, virtual power plants (VPPs) can be used to control and optimize power supply and demand, bundle power sources generated by each household, and mutually trade power. I can also imagine a future where this is done. Against this backdrop, we aim to establish a new power platform by leveraging Rakuten Group's IT technology and big data.

As a core organization supporting the stable and efficient operation of the power business, the Supply and Demand Planning Team oversees all aspects of supply and demand management—from formulating budgets and procurement policies to addressing regulatory changes and monitoring performance.

- Electricity supply and demand account for the majority of business costs, and this position involves optimally planning electricity supply and demand while closely monitoring the external environment.

- We recognize the need for a fundamental review of our power source procurement portfolio in anticipation of future regulatory changes, and this position will lead the planning and execution of that review.

Position:

Why We Hire

Recruitment of additional staff.

With a view to further enhancing our operations in the future, we are seeking individuals who can serve as the core of our team.

Position Details

This position involves maximizing business profitability through electricity demand forecasting and data analysis. You will be responsible for electricity procurement and trading operations (supply-demand management)—a role that underpins the financial fundamentals of the retail electricity business—by utilizing analysis results to inform management decisions and business operations.

We offer an environment where even those without prior experience can grow by working alongside seasoned team members.

- Supply-demand management involves balancing the supply of generated electricity with the total electricity consumed by customers in 30-minute intervals.

While the process is automated rather than manual, it requires analyzing various data to ensure a precise supply-demand match—avoiding both shortages and surpluses.

- Demand forecasting (determining what data and information—such as weather data and historical trends—to collect, incorporating them into forecasts, and conducting post-analysis reviews).

- Procurement planning (formulating plans to procure electricity from sources like the Japan Electric Power Exchange (JEPX) based on demand forecasts).

- Submitting plans to relevant regulatory bodies and institutions required for business operations.

*This role significantly impacts the business's profitability; for instance, if actual customer consumption exceeds forecasts, the company may be forced to secure electricity at a higher cost.

Work Environment

- Demand & Supply Planning Team

Number of members: 4

Composition: Men and women in their 20s to 40s

All members are mid-career hires, and even those with no experience in the energy industry are playing an active role.

Mandatory Qualifications:

- Experience in roles involving numerical data—such as planning, analysis, research, or foreign exchange (for the purpose of formulating plans based on various numerical datasets)

Or experience in trading (finance, crude oil, non-ferrous metals, grains, electricity, etc.).

Desired Qualifications:

- Business-level English proficiency

- Experience in Demand Supply Planning within the electric power industry

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