Indirect Material and Service Category Procurement Buyer - Procurement Operations Department, Procurement Operations Supervisory Department (PCOD)

Job DescriptionBusiness OverviewRakuten Group, Inc. basic management philosophy is to "empower" people and society through innovation.Rakuten Group offers more than 70 diverse services, including the online shopping mall Rakuten Ichiba, e-commerce services such as the travel booking site Rakuten Travel, financial services such as Rakuten Bank, and professional sports.Department OverviewThe Procurement Operations Department serves as Rakuten Group’s centralized procurement function, overseeing procurement operations across the entire Group. The Global Sourcing Section is one of the department’s teams and leads sourcing activities—such as supplier selection and negotiations—in partnership with internal business units.Within the Global Sourcing Section, the Indirect Materials and Services (IM&S) Category Management Group manages sourcing for indirect categories, including, but not limited to, Sales & Marketing, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and Office Supplies.PositionWhy We HireWe are hiring to strengthen the IM&S Sourcing Group’s capabilities to advance centralized procurement and to ensure more efficient and mature sourcing practices across the organization.Position Details Manage sourcing initiatives for one of the following categories: Sales & Marketing or Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). Drive company-wide adoption of centralized procurement for indirect materials in designated categories. Develop category sourcing strategies for selected indirect categories. Optimize overall indirect category spend and drive cost-saving initiatives. Ensure alignment and collaboration with internal stakeholders and related departments.Work EnvironmentAround 80 people in the Procurement Operation Department, 5-10 members in IM&S group.Mandatory Qualifications At least 3 years of sourcing experience. Indirect sourcing experience is desirable, especially experience in Marketing or BPO categories Proven ability to manage end-to-end sourcing projects, including spend analysis; supplier market research and supplier identification (from external markets and internal databases); RFI/RFP development and competitive bidding; negotiations; supplier evaluation and award, contract negotiation/execution and supplier relationship management (SRM) Strong leadership skills to influence and align internal stakeholders and suppliers, driving sourcing projects to completion. Project management skills, delivering on time and with high quality while managing multiple concurrent projects. Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel and Word Experience with procurement and ERP systems.Desired Qualifications Experience in establishment of Procurement rules and its execution Knowledge of contract law and compliance Experience in project management or consultingOthers InformationAdditional information on LocationRakuten Crimson House (at Futakotamagawa, Tokyo)#corporate #procurement #sourcing #operationdivLanguagesEnglish (Overall - 3 - Advanced), Japanese (Overall - 4 - Fluent)