Senior Product Manager - Data Knowledge Department (DKD)

Job Description:

Department Overview

The Data Knowledge Department (DKD) organizes and provides Rakuten Group’s master data, such as product, brand, and company information, as “Knowledge.” We drive initiatives from catalog data preparation and solution development to data utilization, contributing to better customer experience and internal efficiency. As data generation and utilization needs expand, we are seeking a data professional to help lead the organization’s growth.

This role turns Rakuten Group’s master data into reliable, usable assets by leading standardization, rule design, and business impact.

DKD’s data forms a critical foundation for multiple services, including Rakuten Ichiba. This is an environment where you can drive business impact at scale from the data layer up, as the quality of the data strategies you design directly impacts the experiences of 100 million users in Japan.

Position:

Position Details

・Drive “data management for the AI era” by transforming structured, unstructured, and narrative data into AI-ready formats while preserving context

・Create new best practices in the still-emerging field of AI-era data management

・Work with massive data across Rakuten Group’s 70+ services

・Work close to management and help build the foundation for company-wide decision-making

・Help standardize data utilization quality across Rakuten Group

・Work in a global, fast-paced environment

In a specialized data management organization, you will lead company-wide standardization of data definitions and quality standards. Beyond creating rules, you will ensure field adoption and lead change management through operational transition. Using data platforms, catalogs, quality management, and master data management, you will involve multiple businesses and departments, connect management with frontline teams, and drive initiatives through production implementation and adoption, not just PoC. This is a management-track role with future team management responsibilities.

Specifically, you will be responsible for:

・Proactively identify key issues, evaluate strategic options, and present recommended actions to senior leadership to drive project success
・Able to manage multiple concurrent projects cross-functionally and maintain steady progress across teams toward shared goals

・Standardize data definitions and quality standards company-wide

・Manage departmental budgets and drive cost optimization

・Ensure field adoption of standards and rules, including related change management

・Lead cross-business and cross-department transformation projects

・Build data management mechanisms and define operational objectives and procedures

・Develop and implement data governance policies

・Negotiate and build consensus among stakeholders with different priorities

・Negotiate directly with Director/Senior Manager-level stakeholders to reach cross-organizational agreement, without needing guidance

・Proactively step into troubled or stuck projects and get them back on track quickly

・Identify company-wide data challenges and create roadmaps for quality, standardization, and adoption

・Clarify issues and move initiatives forward by involving stakeholders, even in uncertain situations

・Build consensus on data definitions and usage rules, and implement them with stakeholder buy-in

・Own not only rule and mechanism design, but also field adoption and ongoing data quality

・Explain how data utilization contributes to frontline decisions and business outcomes

・Balance field coordination with storytelling for management

・Plan and manage departmental budgets from a business perspective

・Product/Program Management professionals who have end-to-end leadership experience from strategy formulation through launch, and a proven track record of delivering quantitative business impact of several hundred million yen or more

・Strong communication skills and experience collaborating with diverse, global teams toward shared goals

Mandatory Qualifications:

・Experience in project recovery, with the ability to identify root causes and implement effective solutions to get projects back on track

・Manage multiple concurrent projects across teams, ensuring continuous progress and alignment toward common goals

・More than 5 years of experience in data management CoE, IT, data utilization, product management, or business planning

・Experience standardizing data definitions or embedding quality standards across functions

・Experience leading projects that connect management, business owners, frontline managers, and engineers

・Proven experience leading consensus-building by integrating diverse views and expectations

・Proven ability to manage stakeholders in both English and Japanese, including navigating complex negotiations and building consensus

Desired Qualifications:

・Experience managing a team of 5 or more members

・Experience managing global or multinational teams

・Experience in companies strong in data platforms or data engineering

・End-to-end experience from production implementation and adoption to KPI improvement

・Experience in departmental budget planning and management

・Practical experience with ontologies, taxonomies, or similar knowledge organization systems

・Experience in data analysis or design within E-commerce, Internet Services, or Advertising

・Experience applying AI, ML, or LLM solutions for operational or product improvements

・Experience leading development, balancing technical execution with strategic business impact

#engineer #productmanager #AI #aianddatadiv

Languages:

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