Product Manager, Core Platform Planning Group - EC Logistics Development Department (ECLD)

Job Description:

Business Overview

When you see the word "Rakuten", you probably have an image of many e-commerce-related services such as "Rakuten Ichiba", "Rakuten Books", and "Rakuten Fashion". If you order items from these services, it is commonplace every day that the items will be delivered to your home. Behind the scenes of this seamless experience lies a sophisticated logistics platform - managing how orders flow from e-commerce systems to warehouses, how shipment instructions are transmitted to delivery carriers, and how delivery status is communicated back to shoppers. This invisible infrastructure is exactly what we build and operate.

Department Overview

Our group sits within the Logistics Planning Section of the EC Logistics Development Department (ECLD), and is responsible for a suite of integration platform products that serve as the gateway between Rakuten's internal systems (order management, warehouse management, Rakuten Ichiba marketplace) and external partners (delivery carriers such as Japan Post, Yamato Transport, and Sagawa Express, as well as OMS vendors).

Our key products include:

・Shipment data integration with delivery carriers: Transmits shipment instructions to carriers and pushes departure/arrival notifications to shoppers

・Delivery status integration: Collects delivery tracking data from multiple carriers via API and EDI, and displays it on Rakuten's shopper-facing pages

・Waybill issuance and shipment instruction: Issues waybills and instructs shipment execution with major domestic carriers (Yamato Transport, Japan Post, Sagawa Express, Seino Transportation) on behalf of merchants

・Estimated delivery date calculation: Calculates and displays the earliest estimated delivery date on Rakuten Ichiba product pages

・Delivery lead time master data management: Manages the master data used in delivery date calculations, in coordination with carriers and warehouses

・Order management system integration: Acts as the gateway connecting Rakuten's order management system with warehouse management systems, including those of external OMS vendors

Because our products sit at the boundary between Rakuten's internal systems and external partners, cross-project coordination and stakeholder management - particularly with delivery carriers and external vendors - are central to the role

Position:

Position Details

We are looking for a product manager who takes ownership of one or more of our platform products, drives mid-to-long-term product strategy, and acts as a bridge between business stakeholders, external partners, and development teams. The product manager is responsible for creating and maintaining the product roadmap, aligning with internal and external stakeholders, and supporting the full development cycle from requirements definition through release. The role also includes KPI management for continuous product improvement.

Your main responsibilities will be as follows:

・Develop a logically-sequenced product and feature roadmap aligned with business strategy

・Define product requirements by analyzing business needs and translating them into system specifications and design documents

・Manage cross-project coordination, ensuring smooth alignment among multiple products within our group and with other sections in the department

・Build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders, including delivery carriers, OMS vendors, and business divisions within Rakuten

・Monitor product KPIs and drive PDCA cycles for continuous improvement

・Collaborate with engineers, infrastructure personnel, and QA to support successful delivery

・Support post-release service operations and incident response

・Report product and project progress and outcomes to business owners

The products you will be responsible for may vary depending on your experience and the status of ongoing projects, but representative examples include those listed in the Department Overview above

Work Environment

We have approximately 160 members actively working both in Japan and overseas. Many of our members join with experience as product managers or engineers in the software development industry. Our group in particular works closely with external delivery carriers and OMS vendors, so strong Japanese communication skills and experience in external stakeholder management are essential. We primarily utilize the internal Private Cloud environment, with some resources on Public Cloud. Due to the nature of our logistics operations, we also maintain some on-premises environments. The department responsible for managing the network is also within the same development organization.

Mandatory Qualifications:

・5 years or more of product management experience, or equivalent experience

・Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (business members, engineers, QA, infrastructure) to launch or improve services

・Ability to analyze business requirements and produce accurate system specifications and design documents

・Ability to make data-driven decisions and proposals

・Ability to manage and align multiple stakeholders with different priorities

・Ability to respond to unexpected incidents and system issues

・Business-level Japanese proficiency (written and spoken) - essential for day-to-day communication with domestic delivery carriers and vendors

・TOEIC Score of 800 above or equivalent ability

Desired Qualifications:

・ Experience in product management for integration or platform products (API, EDI, B2B system integration)

・ Experience working with external vendors or business partners as a primary point of contact

・ Work experience as an IT engineer

・ Product management experience for business systems or logistics-related systems

・ Knowledge of the logistics or e-commerce industry

・ Experience with agile development methodologies

・ Data modeling and analysis experience using BI tools or big data platforms

・ Knowledge of delivery carrier systems or EDI standards

Other Information:

Additional information on Location

Rakuten Crimson House (Head office)

#engineer #logistics #SCM #commerce