Sales planning(Sales Strategy & Operations Lead) - Sales Planning Section, Ad Sales Department, Marketing Partner Business (A&M)

Job Description:

Business Overview

Ad & Media Company provides advertising and marketing services, including digital advertising, research, and influencer business.

Its appeal lies in its ability to offer end-to-end solutions for all aspects of marketing, from upstream strategy formulation to downstream execution such as ad operations, performance measurement, and data analysis.

Marketing-related businesses include ""Rakuten Marketing / LinkShare,"" which provides general digital marketing solutions, ""Rakuten Data Marketing,"" which offers marketing solutions utilizing Rakuten's big data, and ""Rakuten Insight,"" which provides marketing research services, among other wide-ranging marketing businesses.

This environment allows you to place yourself in an organization that forms the core of Rakuten Group, leading to your personal growth and career advancement.
 

Department Overview

Our Advertising Sales Department is dedicated to providing Rakuten Group's "Marketing Solutions" to advertisers. We leverage a unique combination of strengths to address our advertisers' challenges:

Rakuten Data: Utilizing insights from approximately 100 million Rakuten member IDs.
Rakuten Media: Access to over 70 diverse Rakuten services as media platforms.
Cutting-edge AI Technology: Incorporating the latest AI advancements.
This department serves as a sales organization focused on solving advertiser challenges through these powerful assets.

Position:

Why We Hire

Rakuten Group has designated "AD Business" as its fourth core pillar, following Commerce, FinTech, and Mobile. As the Advertising Sales Department experiences rapid growth in revenue, our Sales Planning Section – the "brain" behind this expansion – is also growing. We are actively seeking new, talented members to join our dynamic team and contribute to our continued success.

- For the "Strategic Support for Advertising Sales Department Management" aspect:
Opportunity to influence decision-making: You will work closely with executive management (Executive Officers, Sales Department Heads) and have the opportunity to directly contribute to and influence key business decisions.
Cross-functional exposure and diverse experience: Serve as a central hub, collaborating across multiple departments (Sales, Corporate Planning, and other related divisions). This role offers exposure to a wide array of business functions and diverse work experiences.
Development of highly transferable skills: Acquire highly versatile skills in data analysis, report generation, and coordination/communication, which are invaluable for future career growth.

- For the "Planning & Promotion of Sales Productivity Improvement, Sales Training, CS Surveys, and Other Projects" aspect:
Direct involvement in strategic initiatives: You will be in a position to plan and promote strategic initiatives in close collaboration with executive management (Executive Officers, Sales Department Heads).
Broad cross-functional collaboration: Work closely with various departments including Corporate Planning, Sales, Advertising Product Planning, Recruitment & HR, and other related divisions, gaining diverse experience.
Hands-on project execution and long-term impact: Beyond just planning, you will be responsible for driving the promotion and execution of initiatives. This will allow you to acquire skills in improving mid-to-long-term sales productivity across various business areas.

Position Details

- Strategic Support for Advertising Sales Department Management (Sales Management & Strategic Planning)
Overview
As a member of the "Sales Management" team within Rakuten's Advertising Sales Department, you will serve as a "strategist" (参謀) supporting the decision-making of executives and department heads.
Details
You will primarily be responsible for the following tasks, encompassing general sales planning operations:
Preparation of reports for executive officers and sales department heads (using PowerPoint).
Collection, analysis, and reporting of sales figures and KPIs (using Excel, BI tools).
Consolidation of reporting content in collaboration with the sales department and multiple other departments.
Facilitation and moderation of all-hands meetings and regular meetings.
Development, improvement proposals, and documentation of business workflows.

Stakeholders
Executives / Sales Department Heads / Section Managers: Decision-making support, report delivery.
Front-line Sales Members: Collection of sales figures, provision of analysis results, offering insights.

- Planning & Promotion of Sales Productivity Improvement, Sales Training, CS Surveys, and Other Projects (Sales Productivity & Enablement / Project Promotion)
Overview
 As a member of the "Sales Promotion" team within the Sales Planning Section of Rakuten's Advertising Sales Department, you will be responsible for planning and promoting various initiatives to enhance advertising sales productivity.
Details
 You will primarily be responsible for the following sales promotion tasks:
Planning and promotion of sales productivity improvement initiatives: (Includes interviewing sales teams for challenges, identifying issues, and planning/executing solutions).
Establishment and promotion of sales knowledge management mechanisms: (Includes organizing sales materials using knowledge-sharing tools and promoting their utilization).
Planning and promotion of sales onboarding: (Includes planning sales skill training, conducting post-training skill assessments, and proposing/promoting improvement plans).
Planning and promotion of CS surveys: (Includes planning and promoting CS questionnaires for clients, identifying issues, and proposing improvement insights to sales teams).
Stakeholders
Executives / Sales Department Heads / Section Managers: Proposal of the above initiatives, reporting on execution.
Front-line Sales Members: Sales interviews for initiative implementation, execution support.
Corporate Planning / HR Recruitment: Planning and execution of sales training.
Advertising Product Planning: Establishment of sales knowledge mechanisms, systematization of sales case study creation.

Work Environment

Organizational Structure
The entire Advertising Sales Department comprises approximately 60 members.
As of January 2026, it consists of the following sections:

Sales Section
- Sales Planning Section (where this position is located)
- Operations Section
- Data Planning Section
- The Sales Planning Section, where this specific position resides, currently has 7 members (as of January 2026).

Example Career Path
Sales Promotion Team Member → Sales Promotion Manager → Sales Planning Section Manager

Back Ground
- Mid-Career Hires vs. New Graduates: Our team is composed entirely of experienced professionals, with a 10:0 ratio of mid-career hires to new graduates.
- Diverse Industry Backgrounds: Our mid-career hires come from a wide array of industries, including manufacturing, advertising agencies, prefectural governments, and media, bringing a rich diversity of perspectives and expertise to the team.

Mandatory Qualifications:

- At least 5 years of professional work experience.
- Experience in Sales and/or Sales Planning.
- Ability to create plans by understanding the practicalities and circumstances of sales operations (regardless of industry).
- Ability to not only create plans but also to drive their execution.
- Ability to develop plans tailored to on-the-ground realities through communication with stakeholders before formal planning.
- Ability to coordinate with multiple departments and lead meetings.
- Proactive individual who can identify challenges and take action independently, rather than waiting for instructions.
- Possesses project management skills.
 

Desired Qualifications:

- Experience in Sales Planning, Business Planning, and/or Corporate Planning.
- Experience in planning initiatives to improve sales productivity.
- Experience in planning sales training programs.
- Experience in systematizing sales knowledge and leading related projects.
- Work experience in an environment involving multiple departments.

Other Information:

Additional information on Location

Futako Tamagawa Rise Office

2-21-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

Additional information on English Qualification
English Requirement: Yes
*TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, etc.
*Details will be provided if you proceed to the selection process.

Rakuten Group, Inc. Homepage Link
- Benefits:https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/benefit/
- Recruitment Information:https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/information/ * Employment type is detailed
- Rakuten Culture:https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/culture/
 

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