Director, Marketing Strategy & Operations

About Rakuten International  

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 over 4,000 employees worldwide, the Rakuten International business portfoliocomprisesmarket 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. 

About Rakuten Rewards

Rakuten is a leading shopping platform that offers Cash Back on purchases from all your favorite brands. By partnering with thousands of brands in apparel, beauty and wellness, dining, grocery, travel, on-demand services, subscription boxes, and more, Rakuten helps members save and get more on everyday purchases. Since its founding in 1999, Rakuten has become the largest and most rewarding shopping experience, and its members have earned$4.6 billionin Cash Back just for shopping through Rakuten. For more information, visit Rakuten.com.

Job SummaryWe’re seeking a Director of Marketing Strategy & Operationsto serve as thestrategic and operational hubof the Rakuten Rewards Marketing organization. This role sits at the intersection ofstrategy, analytics, and execution, ensuring that marketing priorities, investments, and operating rhythms are tightly aligned with business outcomes.

Reporting directly to the CMO, this leader will help define what matters most, translate strategy into action, and ensure the organization is well-resourced, effectively measured, and held accountable. You will work closely with senior marketing leaders, Finance, Analytics, Product, and Revenue teams to drive clarity, rigor, and momentum across a complex, fast-moving environment.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can zoom out to set direction and zoom in to solve problems—using data, structured thinking, and strong operational judgment.

Key ResponsibilitiesTo perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Strategic Planning &Road Mapping

• Ownthe end-to-end marketing planning process (annual, quarterly, and in-quarter), including setting priorities, sequencing initiatives, and driving alignment across Brand, Growth, Product Marketing, Loyalty, Partnerships, and Retention.

• Translatebusinessobjectivesinto clear, actionable marketing strategies, with defined success metrics and resource implications.

• Pressure-test assumptions, surface trade-offs, and recommend where to invest, where to pull back, and why.

• Establishclear operating rhythms that connect strategy to execution (planning cycles, reviews, decision forums).

PerformanceAnalytics & Operational Discipline

• Defineand own the marketing performance framework, including KPIs, dashboards, and leading indicators tied to growth, efficiency, and LTV.

• Partnerwith Analytics to move beyond reporting into insight generation—diagnosing performance,identifyingroot causes, and recommending action.

• Proactivelyidentifyrisks, bottlenecks, and underperformance, and drive cross-functional resolution.

• Lead quarterly business reviews, executive readouts, and post-mortems with a focus on learning and course correction.

Budgeting,ROI, & Financial Rigor

• Own the marketing investment framework, partnering with Finance to forecast spend, model scenarios, and ensure disciplined resource allocation.

• EvaluateROI across channels, programs, and initiatives—making clear recommendations on optimization and reallocation.

• Developforward-looking views on efficiency, scalability, and return, not just historical performance.

• Helpleadership balance growth ambitions with financial discipline.

Cross-FunctionalLeadership

• Act as a trusted strategic partnertoMarketing leadership, Product, Finance, Sales, and Analytics.

• Leadcomplex, ambiguous initiatives that cut across teams (e.g., GTM prioritization, operating model changes,toolingand process evolution).

• Createclarity where there is ambiguity; bring structure to fast-moving problems.

Executive Storytelling

• Synthesizecomplex analyses into clear, concise executive narratives.

• Leadwith the “so what” before diving into detail.

• Developframeworks and point-of-view documents that guide decision-making at the CMO and executive level.

• Supportthe CMO inpreparingexecutive and board-level discussions as needed.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of experience in strategy, marketing operations, business planning, growth strategy, or management consulting,ideally in a consumer-facing digital business.

• Demonstratedability tooperateas a strategic thought partner to senior leaders.

• Strong analytical skills witha track recordof turning data into decisions.

• Comfortnavigating ambiguity, driving prioritization, and holding teams accountable.

• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint; fluency in BI tools (Tableau, Looker, etc.)is stronglypreferred.

• Exceptional written and verbal communicator with executive presence.

• Experience reporting directly to a CMO, GM, or business unit leader strongly preferred.

• Bachelor's Degree Required,master's degreePreferred