Rakuten Americas’ AI & Data Division (AIDD) is seeking a Director, Engineering and Research to bridge cutting-edge research with robust engineering capabilities to solve critical business needs, ensuring AI is embedded at the heart of Rakuten's global ecosystem and delivering meaningful impact for nearly 2 billion Rakuten users.
Requirements
- Deep expertise in architecting and operating scalable, secure, and resilient cloud-native systems, combined with a strong foundation in research methodology and experimental design.
- Mastery of the full software development lifecycle, modern DevOps practices, and a commitment to engineering quality and scientific rigor.
- Strong technical acumen in AI/ML domains, including LLMs, NLP, search, recommendation systems, and conversational AI.
- Significant hands-on experience with large-scale, distributed systems and modern cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
- Proven ability to translate AI/ML research advancements—including Deep Learning, NLP, LLMs, and conversational AI—into scalable production systems.
- Demonstrated success in leading large, interdisciplinary teams toward high-impact outcomes that combine research excellence with engineering precision.
- Exceptional leadership in defining, communicating, and executing multi-year technical and research roadmaps for complex, large-scale systems.
Responsibilities
- Define and drive multi-year technical and research roadmaps, ensuring seamless integration of scientific discovery with scalable engineering implementation.
- Guide architectural direction, modern engineering practices, and the adoption of technologies emerging from internal and external research.
- Provide expert leadership on the transition from research prototypes to reliable, secure, production-grade systems.
- Build, mentor, and scale high-performing interdisciplinary teams, including both ICs and managers.
- Optimize resource allocation across multiple product lines and initiatives, balancing delivery velocity with long-term innovation.
- Partner with executive stakeholders in Research, Product, Business, and Operations to align on technical direction and deliver integrated solutions.
- Drive cross-functional initiatives by uniting research and engineering contributions toward shared business goals.
Other
- Serve as a technical and scientific ambassador internally and externally, representing the team’s innovation and capabilities.
- Identify and support strategic partnerships and business development opportunities that leverage the team’s research-engineering synergy.
- Comfortable leading through ambiguity in fast-moving, international environments, managing globally distributed teams.
- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills; ability to translate complex technical and scientific concepts across diverse stakeholders.
- Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain top-tier engineering and research talent, fostering a culture of innovation, psychological safety, and continuous learning.
