Procurement Operations Specialist - Procurement Operations Department, Procurement Operations Supervisory Department

Job Description:

Business Overview

Rakuten Group's fundamental management philosophy is to "Empower" people and society through innovation.
We offer over 70 diverse services, including e-commerce services such as "Rakuten Ichiba" and "Rakuten Travel," financial services such as "Rakuten Bank," and professional sports.

Department Overview

The position is within the Procurement Operations Department of Rakuten Group, Inc. The Procurement Operations Department is responsible for the overall procurement operations of the Rakuten Group.

Position:

Why We Hire

At Rakuten Group, we identify the strengthening of procurement governance as one of our top priorities. In this position, you will lead the development of a transparent, ethical procurement framework and the implementation of efficient operational processes to support it. We are looking for a candidate who can balance robust governance with operational excellence to drive value across the entire group.

We are looking for a proactive individual who can identify "bottlenecks" and inefficiencies in daily operations, and lead the entire process—from redesigning workflows to ensuring stable, long-term operation.

Position Details

P2P (Procure-to-Pay) Operations Management
- Review and validate procurement requests from internal departments to ensure compliance with company policies and established processes.
- Manage end-to-end operations related to goods receipt, service acceptance, and payment processing.

Stakeholder Management
- Act as a primary point of contact and coordinate effectively with suppliers, business units, finance, and legal departments.
- Provide timely support and resolution for inquiries related to P2P operations.

Process Improvement & Standardization
- Identify operational bottlenecks and propose strategic improvements to optimize the P2P cycle.
- Develop and maintain operational policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and process documentation.
- Oversee vendor/BPO performance management and drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service quality.

Work Environment

The entire organization has a size of nearly 80 employees, and the department you are expected to be assigned to has approximately 30 employees.
*Due to the expansion of operations, we are also promoting the use of external contractors, so the department as a whole is expected to grow further.

Mandatory Qualifications:

- At least three years of professional work experience.
- Business-level English proficiency, including reading, writing, and email communication.

Candidates must have experience in at least one of the following areas:
1. Practical experience in back-office or operational management.
2. Project management experience (including progress tracking, problem-solving, and stakeholder management).
3. Experience in building or improving operations (including workflow design, manual creation, and ensuring operational stability/adoption).

Desired Qualifications:

- Experience in procurement, purchasing, contract, and PO management.
- Proficiency in procurement systems (e.g., SAP Ariba, Coupa).
- Proven experience in process improvement and standardization.
- Experience working in a global, cross-functional environment.

- Ability to communicate proactively and effectively with stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.

Other Information:

Additional information on Location

Rakuten Crimson House *As designated by the company

#corporate #procurement #OperationalImprovement #operationdiv

Languages:

English (Overall - 3 - Advanced), Japanese (Overall - 4 - Fluent)