Job Description:

Business Overview 
The Technology Platforms Division (TPD) drives the growth of Rakuten's ecosystem by delivering innovative, high-quality technology platforms characterized by integrated control and strategic partnerships.   
Within TPD, the Cloud Platform Supervisory Department (CPSD) develops and manages Rakuten's state-of-the-art cloud platform, empowering global scalability and accelerating innovation across its diverse business units. 

Department Overview

The Cloud Management Department (CMD) leads Rakuten’s unified cloud infrastructure strategy by providing governance and essential tools to ensure seamless operation and high satisfaction among service providers and users. As the central point for strategy, planning, and process governance, we manage the cloud product portfolio, budgeting, quality, and security. Furthermore, we empower cross-departmental success through robust cloud foundation and management solutions.

Position:

Position Details

Rakuten Group, Inc. is expanding rapidly both from the size of business and diversity of business perspectives. To keep up with this rapid growth and changes of business, CPSD are always facing new challenges to scale our cloud capacity and capability across private/public hybrid environment while catching up the elevating demand for quality and security. We are a growing team with approximately 40, mainly in Tokyo, U.S.A, Paris, Bengaluru and China.

The Senior Manager, for Process and Governance Section, is responsible for Strategic Program/Project, Quality and security.  Job demands people management, stakeholder management from CxO to peer engineering managers, Program/Project Management, Quality & Security enhancement based on data driven modern process design and matured
communication. It is a critical leadership role responsible for driving product competitiveness and operational excellence across the organization. This individual will lead and optimize our project management methodologies, champion continuous quality improvement initiatives, and significantly enhance our security posture. The ideal candidate will possess a strong blend of strategic thinking, hands-on execution, and exceptional leadership skills to build and empower high-performing teams, ensuring the successful delivery of key initiatives while safeguarding our assets and data.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management Leadership:

- Develop, implement, and refine a scalable and effective project management framework and methodology (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Hybrid) across various departments, ensuring consistency and best practices, based on the modern global standard best practices.

- Oversee a portfolio of strategic programs/projects, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and to the required scope and quality standards

- Mentor, coach, and develop program/project managers and project leads, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

- Implement robust project tracking, reporting, and risk management processes, providing clear visibility to stakeholders and senior leadership

- Facilitate cross-functional collaboration to remove roadblocks and ensure seamless project execution

Quality Assurance & Operational Excellence:

- Establish and continuously improve the quality assurance process of software development, system integration, and change operation of cloud platforms, based on the modern global standard best practices, to support agile and efficient evolution of products

- Establish and champion a culture of continuous quality improvement across all operational processes, products, and services in collaboration with engineering teams

- Identify key areas for process optimization, efficiency gains, and waste reduction using methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, or other relevant frameworks

- Develop and implement quality metrics, KPIs, and reporting mechanisms to monitor performance and identify areas for intervention

- Lead root cause analysis for quality issues and implement effective corrective and preventative actions

- Drive the adoption of best practices and standardization to enhance overall operational efficiency and product/service quality

Security Enhancements & Risk Management:

- Collaborate with CSIO, IT, Legal, and other relevant departments to develop, implement, and enforce comprehensive security policies, procedures, and best practices

- Lead regulatory and/or industry compliance initiatives such as ISO27017 and PCI DS

- Oversee the identification, assessment, and mitigation of security risks across systems, data, and operations

- Stay abreast of emerging security threats, vulnerabilities, and industry best practices to proactively enhance our security posture

- Lead or support security audits, vulnerability assessments, , and penetration testing initiatives

- Develop and deliver security awareness training programs for employees

- Develop and maintain incident response plans and lead efforts during security incidents

Leadership & Team Development:

- Recruit, train, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of project managers, quality specialists, and/or security analysts

- Foster a collaborative, innovative, and results-oriented team environment

- Conduct regular performance reviews, provide constructive feedback, and support professional development

- Communicate effectively with all levels of the organization, from individual contributors to executive leadership

Mandatory Qualifications:

- Experience of project management, product management, product development and/or DevOps of cloud products, especially in the area of both private and public IaaS, PaaS, data analytics, ITIL, or other relevant technical domains

- Bachelor's degree (preferably in Business Administration, Project Management, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.)

- Master's degree (MBA or related field) preferred

- 10+ years of progressive experience in project management, operations, process optimization, and quality assurance roles

- At least 5+ years of experience in a leadership or managerial capacity, with direct reports

- Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects and programs from inception to completion

- Demonstrated experience in implementing and improving quality management systems and processes

- Strong understanding and practical experience with cybersecurity principles, frameworks, and best practices

- Experience in big consulting firm is a plus

Certifications

- Project Management Professional (PMP) - Preferred

- Agile certifications (e.g., CSM, CSPO, SAFe) - Preferred

- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt - Preferred

- ITIL Certifications

- Security certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, CompTIA Security+) - Preferred

Skills & Competencies

- Exceptional leadership, coaching, and team-building skills

- Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities

- Excellent communication (written and verbal), presentation, and interpersonal skills

- Proficiency in project management software (e.g., Jira, Asana, Microsoft Project, Smartsheet)

- Data-driven decision-making with strong analytical skills

- Ability to report influence and negotiate with stakeholders at all levels, from CxOs to engineering managers

- Proactive, results-oriented, and adaptable to a fast-paced, evolving environment

- Understanding of financial principles related to project budgeting and cost control

- Familiarity with risk management methodologies

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