Job Summary We’re seeking a Director of Strategy & Planning to serve as the strategic engine behind Rakuten Rewards’ Marketing organization. This high-impact role will drive cross-functional alignment, strategic planning, budgeting, performance tracking, and operational discipline across the marketing function. Reporting to the VP of Marketing Operations, you will partner closely with senior marketing leaders, finance, revenue planning, and analytics to ensure that Rakuten Rewards' marketing investments are efficient, effective, and future-focused.

Please read the information in this job post thoroughly to understand exactly what is expected of potential candidates. Key Responsibilities Strategic Planning & Road mapping

Lead the development of annual and quarterly marketing strategic plans, including goal setting, resource allocation, and cross-team prioritization

Align functional teams (Brand, Product Marketing, Growth, Loyalty & Retention, Partnerships, etc.) to strategic priorities and timelines

Facilitate strategic planning processes and ensure alignment in strategy and execution

Performance Management & Operational Excellence

Establish and maintain marketing KPIs and dashboards to monitor progress against goals on weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual timelines

Identify gaps, risks, and opportunities across marketing programs and budgets

Drive cross-functional processes to address departmental operational gaps as needed

Drive quarterly business reviews, executive updates, and post-mortem evaluations

Budgeting, Forecasting & ROI Analysis

Partner with Finance to manage the marketing budget: forecasting, tracking spend, and ensuring return on investment

Partner with Analytics to conduct marketing ROI analysis to guide spend reallocation and optimization decisions

Drive resource to return efficiencies across the department

Provide proactive financial insights that help leaders balance growth and efficiency

Cross-Functional Alignment

Act as a connective tissue between Marketing, Product, Sales, Finance, and Executive teams

Lead strategic initiatives that require collaboration across multiple functions (e.g., go-to-market prioritization, tool implementation, resource planning)

Support business cases and marketing initiatives with data-driven insights and decision support

Executive-Level Storytelling & Influence

Synthesize complex information into clear, executive-ready presentations and recommendations

Develop frameworks that guide decision-making and drive clarity across senior stakeholders

Help leadership focus on what matters most through structured thinking and strategic foresight

Qualifications: Proven ability to lead strategic planning, budgeting, and cross-functional projects in a complex organization

Strong business acumen, particularly in consumer-facing digital businesses (e-commerce, fintech, loyalty preferred)

Experience working with senior stakeholders and distilling insights into actionable strategy

Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills; experience with BI tools (e.g., Tableau) are critical

Highly organized, analytical, and adaptable—able to manage ambiguity and prioritize effectively

Strong communicator with excellent interpersonal, facilitation, and influence skills

Minimum Requirements 8–10+ years of experience in strategy, marketing operations, business planning, or management consulting

Bachelor's Degree Required

Master's Degree Preferred

#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 Rakuten provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type. Rakuten considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, provincial or local laws. 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. USD $113,157.00 - $211,032.00 annually

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