E-commerce Manager - D2C Fulfillment Section, Commerce & Marketing Company (C&M)

Job Description:

Business Overview

The Marketplace business is the development of Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten's founding business.

Since Rakuten’s establishment in 1997, Rakuten Ichiba has continued to grow, embodying Rakuten's mission of empowering people and society through innovation, and has delivered the joy of shopping to users across Japan by creating a system that allows those who are good at business to easily open a store, transcending the limits of the marketplace. We have been delivering the joy of shopping to users all over Japan.

Today, Rakuten Ichiba is one of the largest e-commerce sites in Japan, with more than 50,000 merchants (as of May, 2026), more than 100 million user accounts, and many users.

Department Overview

Our D2C Fulfillment Section serves as a strategic partner for major manufacturers, operating their official brand stores on the Rakuten Ichiba platform as a dedicated team of e-commerce professionals.

We go beyond simple operational outsourcing. We act as a collaborative partner, working hand-in-hand with our clients to craft their e-commerce strategy. By providing an end-to-end service across the entire value chain - including site development, marketing, media planning, logistics, and customer support - we fulfill a dual role: maximizing sales while ensuring the realization of the brand’s unique vision and identity.

<Origins of Our Service>

The D2C Fulfillment Section was established to address two major hurdles that manufacturers often face in e-commerce. The first is a structural challenge: in certain industries, traditional customs or regulations have historically prevented manufacturers from engaging in direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, hindering their entry into the e-commerce market. The second is a resource and knowledge challenge: many companies struggle to launch or scale because they lack the necessary in-house production resources or operational expertise. We were founded with the mission to overcome these barriers and accelerate our clients' business growth.

<Our Strength: An End-to-End Professional Approach>

Typically, agencies operate with a Project Manager (PM) acting as a buffer between the client and specialized staff. We believe this structure creates distance, leading to misaligned expectations, compromised creative quality, and slower execution.

Instead, we employ a streamlined, two-person leadership model: an EC Store Manager and an EC Design Lead (Web Director). By removing the PM layer, these professionals work directly with the client, possessing the autonomy to make swift, optimal decisions aligned with shared goals. Furthermore, our in-house design and coding team ensures that both speed and quality are maintained - a point frequently praised by our clients.

Leveraging Rakuten Ichiba’s extensive data, we formulate long-term growth strategies backed by objective evidence. By rapidly iterating through the PDCA cycle for every promotion, we identify winning patterns and accelerate the achievement of sales targets.

Position:

Why We Hire

Since our launch in 2019, we have achieved double-digit annual growth, expanding our organization to over 50 professionals. Thanks to the continued trust of national-level clients, our project pipeline continues to grow year after year.

As we scale, we are at a pivotal stage where we must simultaneously drive strategic revenue growth and operational excellence. We are urgently seeking to optimize our resources and bring in top-tier talent to meet this demand. We are currently in the process of defining a new organizational model by refining workflows and leveraging AI to boost productivity. However, even as we modernize our processes, the core of our service remains unchanged: the relentless pursuit of maximizing brand value.

We are looking for true e-commerce partners - individuals who go beyond simple operational management and are capable of working hand-in-hand with clients to achieve shared goals. If you are someone who thrives on both strategic thinking and hands-on execution, we invite you to help us shape the future of our business.

<Why Join Us / What You Will Experience>

Data-Driven Creative Strategy: Develop the ability to formulate and validate hypotheses based on hard data, uncovering the why behind high-performing designs.

Strategic Partnership with Iconic Brands: Collaborate directly with Japan’s most renowned brands as a key creative partner, shaping their digital presence and strategy.

Creative Leadership, Not Just Execution: Move beyond being an order-taker. As an EC professional, you will lead the creative direction through direct, high-level communication with clients.

Leveraging Rakuten’s Ecosystem: Gain access to Rakuten Ichiba’s exclusive data and assets, empowering you to make informed, data-driven decisions that impact business outcomes.

Innovation & AI Integration: Proactively integrate AI into your workflow to boost productivity and implement cutting-edge initiatives directly into our service offerings.

<Our Culture>

Flat & Open: We maintain a flat organizational structure where communication is casual and accessible, regardless of age, background, or seniority.

Challenge-Driven: We embrace a fail-forward mindset, valuing bold challenges over the fear of failure.

Growth & Collaboration: Our culture is built on mutual support and knowledge sharing. We believe in providing honest, constructive feedback to help each other grow.

<Who We Are Looking For>

We are not just an outsourcing agency. We are a group of strategic partners dedicated to co-creating winning formulas for our clients' e-commerce businesses.

Proactive Problem Solvers: You thrive in an environment where you can formulate, execute, and validate your own hypotheses.

Continuous Learners: You are committed to constantly updating your skills and absorbing new industry insights.

Essentialist Thinkers: You have the ability to identify the root cause and focus your resources on solving the most critical challenges.

Hands-on Leaders: You enjoy leading teams and projects while remaining deeply involved in the execution process.

Change-Makers: You find excitement in the process of scaling and evolving an organization, and you want to be a key player in building our future.

Position Details

You will lead the official online stores for 3 - 4 major client brands, managing the entire process from strategic planning to execution to maximize sales. You will maintain a comprehensive view of the entire operation - including marketing, data analysis, media planning, ad operations, logistics, cash flow, inventory management, accounting, legal compliance, and customer support. In collaboration with the E-commerce Design Lead, you will consistently pursue and make decisions that optimize the overall business.

<Key Responsibilities>

Strategic Planning: Develop short- and long-term strategies to achieve sales targets and maximize advertising ROI.

Data Analysis: Identify key challenges and formulate improvement measures by leveraging Rakuten Ichiba’s big data.

Execution Management: Lead and optimize operations by coordinating with internal and external stakeholders across production, logistics, CS, legal, and systems.

Organizational Development: Improve existing workflows, implement and standardize AI/automation tools, and scale best practices across the organization.

<Training & Support>

We are deeply committed to fostering an environment for professional growth. We provide a robust support system, including a mentorship program and comprehensive training modules covering all essential aspects of store operations, ensuring you are fully prepared to succeed.

<Typical Daily Schedule>

09:00 - Sales, inventory, and customer review monitoring.

10:00 - Data analysis and strategy formulation.

11:00 - Execution of operational tasks.

12:00 - Lunch break.

13:00 - Internal team meetings.

14:00 - Client meetings.

15:00 - Promotion planning.

16:00 - Execution of operational tasks.

17:00 - Review of remaining tasks and daily wrap-up.

17:30 - End of workday.

Work Environment

<Organization Structure>

Total Headcount: Approx. 50 employees

Shop Managers: 11

Web Directors: 15

Web Designers: 7

Operations Assistants: 6

Business Support: 7

DX Specialists: 4

Age Range: Average age is in the late 30s (We have a diverse workforce ranging from their 20s to 50s)

Gender Ratio: 40% Male / 60% Female

Hiring Background: Approx. 80% of employees are mid-career hires

<Average Overtime>

20 - 30 hours per month

<Background of Mid-Career Hires>

Our team consists of professionals with diverse backgrounds, including:

Former e-commerce business owners

Professionals from manufacturing companies

Experienced e-commerce platform managers/specialists

<Career Path Examples of Successful Mid-Career Hires>

1 Year After Joining: Promoted to lead high-priority, key projects.

3 Years After Joining: Appointed as a Manager and currently leading the team.

5 Years After Joining: Appointed as a Vice Senior Manager, playing a pivotal role in the organization.

Mandatory Qualifications:

Professional Experience: Minimum of 5 years of professional work experience.

E-commerce Expertise: At least 3 years of hands-on experience in e-commerce site operations or e-commerce consulting.

Stakeholder Management: Proven experience in client-facing roles or managing internal stakeholder relationships, including negotiation and coordination.

Data Proficiency (Excel): Strong proficiency in Excel, including the ability to perform data aggregation and analysis using VLOOKUP and Pivot Tables.

Presentation Skills (PowerPoint): Ability to create professional strategy proposals and performance reporting decks using PowerPoint.

Desired Qualifications:

Rakuten Ichiba Expertise: Hands-on experience operating stores via Rakuten Ichiba’s management system (RMS).

Process Improvement: Proven experience in leading and executing business process improvement projects.

Data Analysis: Proficiency in data extraction and analysis using SQL.

Operational Design: Experience in building and optimizing logistics and Customer Support (CS) operations.

AI Literacy: Practical experience leveraging AI tools to enhance operational efficiency and streamline information gathering.

Other Information:

Additional information on Location

Rakuten Crimson House

Additional information on English Qualification

TOEIC Score exceeding 800 (or similar level of English ability) or a University Degree earned in an English-speaking country.

Proof of qualifications will be required by the time of the job offer.

If no evidence is available to prove the qualifications denoted above, taking an IP test, organized by Rakuten, during selection process is required.

<Rakuten Group, Inc. Homepage Link>

・ Benefits:

・ Recruitment Information: * Employment type is detailed

・ Rakuten Culture:

#business #PR #marketing #SCM #logistics #customersupport #commerce #RakutenIchiba