Job Description:
Business Overview
The Rakuten Group’s mission is “to empower people and society through innovation.”
At the core of this mission is “Rakuten Ichiba,” which has evolved beyond a mere e-commerce platform to become an infrastructure that supports the lifestyles of Japanese consumers.
Currently, building on our dominant position in the domestic market, we are strengthening our role as a “gateway” for companies around the world looking to expand into Japan, and the cross-border e-commerce business is a strategic area with exceptionally high growth potential within the Group.
Department Overview
The US/EU Business Division is an elite team that supports leading overseas companies and brands-primarily from the U.S. and Europe-in entering the Japanese market by opening stores on Rakuten Ichiba.
In an environment where we “work with the world while based in Japan,” we engage directly with overseas decision-makers to drive major projects aimed at bringing brands into the Japanese market.
Going beyond mere sales efforts to help brands open stores, we take a business development-oriented approach to drive growth, working closely with each brand to build their success in Japan-specifically, to maximize sales.
Position:
Why We Hire
Recently, interest in the Japanese market has reached an all-time high, and we’ve seen a surge in inquiries about opening stores from the U.S. and EU. To maximize this growth opportunity, we plan to further strengthen our sales organization.
In this role, we expect you not only to drive large-scale projects as an immediate contributor but also to serve as a leader who will form the backbone of our organization-taking on responsibilities such as team management and the development of sales strategies in the future.
We are seeking individuals who want to make an impact by leveraging their global expertise on the front lines of cross-border business.
・At the forefront of global business development: You’ll be responsible for guiding global brands and retailers through their entry into the Japanese market from the ground up, and you’ll have the opportunity to personally devise market entry strategies.
・Experience in “building a business”: You’ll be deeply involved in the entire business development process-from analyzing target markets and planning go-to-market strategies to building sales pipelines-not just in new business development.
・Collaboration with Diverse Stakeholders: You’ll work closely with members of our overseas offices (U.S. and EU) as well as a wide range of in-house specialist teams-including Legal, Logistics, and Marketing-to hone your global business skills.
・An Environment for Exceptional Growth: There are abundant opportunities for promotion based on performance, and it’s not uncommon for employees to be promoted to manager within their first five years. You’ll experience firsthand the dynamic environment where your individual achievements directly drive the growth of the business.
Position Details
You will be responsible for business development, proposing and facilitating the entry of overseas companies and brands into the Japanese market through Rakuten Ichiba.
・New Business Development and Lead Generation: Build a sales pipeline by identifying, analyzing, and approaching target companies.
・Proposals and Negotiations: Present the potential of the Japanese market to decision-makers at overseas companies and propose strategic partnerships through opening stores on Rakuten Ichiba.
・Project Execution: Lead projects end-to-end-from contract signing to launch—while engaging internal and external stakeholders.
・Sales Strategy Development: Select priority targets based on market needs analysis, manage KPIs, and implement process improvements.
・Global Collaboration: Collaborate with overseas offices and relevant departments in Japan to resolve challenges specific to cross-border business.
Work Environment
・ Organizational Structure: An organization with approximately 70 employees in…