Director, Client Services

Job Description:

Rakuten International is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc., a Japanese global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Headquartered in San Mateo, California with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, the Rakuten International business portfolio includes market leaders in e-commerce, digital marketing, advertising, communications and entertainment. We create products and services that provide exceptional value by aligning members and the businesses that want to engage them in a shared community.

Rakuten Advertising provides advertising technology and consumer insights to the world’s leading brands and retailers. Working with agencies and brands around the world, Rakuten Advertising unites technology, client strategy and consumer insights to deliver advertising experiences that drive increased brand awareness and marketing performance. With access to Rakuten’s diverse media properties and audiences, combined with an award-winning performance network and proprietary consumer research, Rakuten Advertising creates the right conditions to reach new customers and sustain long-lasting loyalty.

Job Summary:
 

Rakuten Advertising’s Client Services team is looking for a Director to help lead the continued growth of our most important, demanding and high-profile customer segment. You will act as the strategic advisor, executive account leader and driver of digital strategy for the client’s brand. You will develop global, regional and local relationships with the C and Senior level contacts in the Marketing and Digital teams of your clients to grow the Rakuten brand presence. The position is responsible for the staffing, training, management, and development of a client service team to exceed client expectations and secure client expansion and 100% renewals.

You are a service genius, digital marketing maven, data and analytics savvy leader who can execute against team objectives and work to achieve clients’ KPIs. Reporting into our Head of Client Services, you’ll be responsible for client expansion, renewals and the smooth day-to-day operation of the client facing teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead operational, service and financial performance of account teams, ensuring quality work, effective processes and client requests are handled in a timely and strategic fashion
• Expertly counsel clients to understand and support their business goals and take immediate action on client feedback
• Navigate client needs, objectives and challenges by continually delivering business results focused solutions reinforcing Rakuten Advertising’s strategic business value to the client
• Identify and mitigate client risks
• Develop annual Strategic Account Plans for each client based on client’s objectives and revenue, profit and customer acquisition goals to include upsell and cross sell programs and broader opportunities across the Rakuten ecosystem.
• Own senior level client relationships at the C & D level and work to contribute strategic value much beyond tactical campaign activities
• Act as a strategic advisor that builds strong client relationships and sets strategic marketing plans
• Create high level, strategic account plans that show your deep Rakuten Advertising solution knowledge
• Provide thought leadership and maintain a high level of ‘digital curiosity’ on strategies and marketplace evolution trends across e-commerce, Affiliate Marketing, SEM, Display, and Digital Attribution
• Bring an understanding of the current MarTech/AdTech landscape and ability to apply to a client’s digital ecosystem
• Hold P&L accountability across the clients you manage
• Hire, train, mentor and evaluate client service team members on an ongoing basis
• Set and manage team goals and expectations. Regularly forecast and adjust to changing market conditions. Communicate progress of revenue to budget forecast to the leadership team throughout the year
• Partner closely with internal teams on a global level
• Commit to continuous learning and improvement of leadership skills; set and pursue stretch goals

Minimum Requirements:  

• Director possesses 10+ years of client service and/or account manager success and several years of team management success
• Experience leading in a complex Ad/Mar-Tech environment and/or brands with advanced investment in digital marketing
• Possess broad online and multi-channel marketplace understanding
• Demonstrated success in client management, service excellence, team management, and marketing services
• High level strategic and relationship management experience
• Strategic understanding and success with RFPs
• Proven success leading teams and developing both direct reports and working with key cross-functional teams globally
• Successfully led profitable programs that have advanced client business goals
• Empathetic people manager, with the confidence, professionalism and entrepreneurial spirit necessary to manage and mentor a large team
• Has advanced writing, editing and presentation-development skills; project management skills and critical thinking skills
• Is passionate about excellent client service and has proven success at establishing, managing and leading senior client relationships over time, demonstrating increasing trust satisfaction and retention

Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree

#LI-TL1

Five Principles for Success
Our worldwide practices describe specific behaviors that make Rakuten unique and united across the world. We expect Rakuten employees to model these 5 Shugi Principles of Success.

Always improve, Always Advance - Only be satisfied with complete success - Kaizen
Passionately Professional - Take an uncompromising approach to your work and be determined to be the best
Hypothesize - Practice - Validate – Shikumika - Use the Rakuten Cycle to succeed in unknown territory
Maximize Customer Satisfaction - The greatest satisfaction for our teams is seeing their customers smile
Speed!! Speed!! Speed!! - Always be conscious of time - take charge, set clear goals, and engage your team

At the time of posting, Rakuten expects the base compensation for this role to be within the range shown below. Individual compensation will vary based on job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications, and experience of the successful candidate as well as business need and geographic location. The successful applicant for this role will be eligible for discretionary bonus, health, vision, dental insurance, 401k matching, PTO, Volunteer Time Off (VTO), and other employee benefits as the company implements.