Director, Marketing Strategy & Planning

Job Description:

Rakuten International oversees 7 businesses with over 4,000 employees globally. The brand is recognized for its leadership and innovation in e-commerce, digital content, advertising, entertainment and communications, bringing the joy of discovery and access to more than 1 billion members across the world. Our teams deliver on the company’s mission to delight merchants and customers through innovation, optimism, and teamwork.

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, health and beauty, 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 billion in Cash Back just for shopping through Rakuten. For more information, visit Rakuten.com.

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.  

 
Key Responsibilities: 
 
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 
 

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 function