Job Description:

Rakuten International is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc., a Japanese global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Headquartered in San Mateo, California with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, the Rakuten International business portfolio includes market leaders in e-commerce, digital marketing, advertising, communications and entertainment. We create products and services that provide exceptional value by aligning members and the businesses that want to engage them in a shared community. 

Rakuten is the most rewarding way to shop, giving millions of members Cash Back when they buy from their favorite brands. As a leading shopping platform, Rakuten partners with thousands of top brands across apparel, beauty and wellness, grocery, travel, on-demand services, subscriptions, and dining, helping members save on everyday purchases. Since 1999, Rakuten members have earned more than $4.6 billion in Cash Back, making it the largest Cash Back platform of its kind. Learn more at Rakuten.com.

Job Summary:
The Senior Director of Business Development will lead a high-performing team of digital advertising business development managers, with a primary focus on driving new customer acquisition and achieving revenue growth targets. This role requires a strategic leader who can cultivate client relationships, identify new business opportunities, and collaborate cross-functionally to deliver impactful advertising solutions.

The ideal candidate brings a strong understanding of digital marketing trends, a proven ability to lead sales teams, and a track record of exceeding revenue goals in a competitive environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of business development managers to achieve and exceed performance targets

• Build and maintain relationships with key industry contacts to generate new business opportunities

• Identify, prospect, and develop new advertiser sales leads within assigned territories

• Drive high-volume sales activity, including outreach, presentations, and proposal development

• Represent the organization at trade shows, conferences, and industry events

• Develop and deliver strategic, data-driven presentations to prospective clients

• Analyze the competitive landscape and position Rakuten as a market leader

• Manage and close large, complex deals while maintaining a strong sales pipeline

• Meet and exceed revenue and performance targets consistently

• Align team strategies with organizational goals to support long-term growth

• Oversee major advertising sales decisions to ensure alignment with business objectives

• Improve operational efficiency by designing and implementing sales processes and systems

• Ensure consistency of policies and procedures across teams and initiatives

• Mentor team members on best practices, professional growth, and performance improvement

Qualifications:

• Proven experience managing teams selling digital advertising solutions such as publisher media, affiliate marketing, display, search, social, video, or attribution

• Demonstrated success in generating new revenue and exceeding sales quotas

• Experience selling to C-level executives within Fortune 1000 and IAB 250 organizations

• Strong background in consultative sales environments

• Excellent negotiation, presentation, and closing skills

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred

• 5–10 years of relevant experience required; 10+ years preferred

• Demonstrated leadership experience in digital advertising or related industries

Work Environment & Expectations:
This role requires a strategic thinker with strong leadership capabilities, excellent communication skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-driven environment. The Senior Director will play a critical role in shaping the growth and success of Rakuten’s advertising business.

The position has a targeted pay mix of approximately 50/50, subject to employee and company performance.

#LI-CW1

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.