Description

Job Description:

About Organization

Our mission in the Digital Product Management Section is to plan, develop and deliver a digitalized lifestyle Product with all Rakuten Mobile users. Based on customer feedback, we work closely with design and development teams and many other stakeholders to bring innovative new products and features to market that prioritize customer satisfaction. This is an exciting opportunity in a fast-paced environment to work with many talented people and modern technologies. We would like to employ professionals who can take this great opportunity, which will have such a great impact on society with our dynamic innovative service, and enjoy this new challenge together with us.

Job Duties

This role leads the planning, execution, and delivery of product development projects within the Digital Product Management Section. The Project Manager will be responsible for overseeing the full project lifecycle, ensuring that new features and products are brought to market efficiently, on time, and within scope. This position requires strong cross-departmental collaboration to guide projects from conceptualization through launch and post-launch evaluation, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and maximizing customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Planning & Definition: Define project scope, goals, deliverables, and success criteria. Develop comprehensive project plans, including timelines, resource allocation, and budget estimates.

• Project Execution & Monitoring: Lead and oversee the day-to-day execution of projects, tracking progress, managing tasks, and ensuring adherence to project schedules. Facilitate project meetings and ceremonies (e.g., stand-ups, reviews).

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with diverse teams (Product, Design, Engineering, Marketing, Customer Service, Legal, external vendors) to ensure seamless project delivery and alignment.

• Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues. Develop contingency plans and escalate critical impediments to relevant stakeholders and leadership.

• Stakeholder Communication: Serve as the primary point of contact for project stakeholders, providing regular updates on project status, progress, and potential challenges. Manage expectations and foster strong relationships.

• Quality Assurance & Delivery: Work closely with QA and development teams to ensure all project deliverables meet defined quality standards and functional requirements before release.

• Process Improvement: Lead post-project reviews to identify lessons learned and best practices. Contribute to the continuous improvement of project management methodologies and tools within the section.

Work Approach

Proactive engagement with product and development teams, building stakeholder trust, data-driven decision-making, and agile adaptation to project needs.

Scope of Responsibility

Successful delivery of product development projects, timely achievement of project milestones, effective risk mitigation, and strong stakeholder satisfaction.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of proven experience in project management, preferably within IT, Web, SaaS, or mobile application development.

• Demonstrated experience with new service launch or large-scale system improvement projects.

• Practical experience with project management methodologies (e.g., Agile Scrum/Kanban, Waterfall).

• Proven ability to coordinate and lead cross-departmental teams and external vendors.

• Experience in a fast-paced, technology-driven environment.

Required Skills

• Strong logical thinking and analytical skills for complex project planning and problem-solving.

• Excellent facilitation, negotiation, and communication skills for building stakeholder consensus and driving project progress.

• Robust problem-solving and execution capabilities, with a focus on delivering results.

• Data-driven analysis and ability to propose actionable improvements.

• Effective documentation skills for project plans, reports, and communications.

• Foundational understanding of software development lifecycles, IT infrastructure, databases, and applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Industry of Origin: IT services, Telecommunications, Web services, SaaS, E-commerce, FinTech, or equivalent industries.

• Qualifications: PMP, CSM, Prince2, CompTIA Project+ or other relevant project management certifications are a significant plus. ITIL Foundation/Expert is also beneficial for understanding operational context.

Project Management Tools: Practical experience with Jira, Confluence, SmartSheets or other similar tools.

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