Rakuten International · 2 days ago
Director, Engineering and Research
Bellevue, WA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$143K/yr - $267K/yr
12+ years expRakuten Group, Inc. is a global technology leader in services that empower individuals and businesses. They are seeking a Director of Engineering and Research to bridge research and engineering in AI applications, focusing on enhancing customer experiences for nearly 2 billion users.
E-CommerceInternetSoftwareVirtual Reality
Responsibilities
Define and drive multi-year technical and research roadmaps, ensuring seamless integration of scientific discovery with scalable engineering implementation
Champion a culture of deep collaboration between research and engineering, breaking down silos to accelerate innovation and solution delivery
Guide architectural direction, modern engineering practices, and the adoption of technologies emerging from internal and external research
Provide expert leadership on the transition from research prototypes to reliable, secure, production-grade systems
Establish cross-functional standards and processes that support both research excellence and engineering efficiency
Build, mentor, and scale high-performing interdisciplinary teams, including both ICs and managers
Lead talent strategies—recruitment, retention, performance management, and career development—for a diverse, technically excellent organization
Communicate vision, goals, and priorities across functions, ensuring strong alignment and shared ownership
Optimize resource allocation across multiple product lines and initiatives, balancing delivery velocity with long-term innovation
Accountable for resource planning and budgetary oversight
Partner with executive stakeholders in Research, Product, Business, and Operations to align on technical direction and deliver integrated solutions
Drive cross-functional initiatives by uniting research and engineering contributions toward shared business goals
Serve as a technical and scientific ambassador internally and externally, representing the team’s innovation and capabilities
Identify and support strategic partnerships and business development opportunities that leverage the team’s research-engineering synergy
Qualification
Required
Exceptional leadership in defining, communicating, and executing multi-year technical and research roadmaps for complex, large-scale systems
Proven track record of building, coaching, and scaling interdisciplinary engineering and research organizations that deliver innovative, research-informed software products
Deep expertise in architecting and operating scalable, secure, and resilient cloud-native systems, combined with a strong foundation in research methodology and experimental design
Mastery of the full software development lifecycle, modern DevOps practices, and a commitment to engineering quality and scientific rigor
Demonstrated ability to align and influence executive stakeholders across Research, Product, Business, and Operations on strategic, cross-functional initiatives
Strong technical acumen in AI/ML domains, including LLMs, NLP, search, recommendation systems, and conversational AI
Comfortable leading through ambiguity in fast-moving, international environments, managing globally distributed teams
Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills; ability to translate complex technical and scientific concepts across diverse stakeholders
Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain top-tier engineering and research talent, fostering a culture of innovation, psychological safety, and continuous learning
Experience or strong potential for engaging in strategic partnerships and business development initiatives
Fluency in English is required; proficiency in Japanese is a plus
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Master's or Ph.D. preferred. A Ph.D. in a relevant AI/ML research field (e.g., Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Operations Research) is highly desirable
12+ years of progressive experience in software engineering and/or applied research, including 5+ years in senior manager or director-level leadership roles
Significant hands-on experience with large-scale, distributed systems and modern cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure)
Proven ability to translate AI/ML research advancements—including Deep Learning, NLP, LLMs, and conversational AI—into scalable production systems
Demonstrated success in leading large, interdisciplinary teams toward high-impact outcomes that combine research excellence with engineering precision
Benefits
Discretionary bonus
Health
Vision
Dental insurance
401k matching
PTO
Volunteer Time Off (VTO)
Other employee benefits
Company
Rakuten International
In Japanese, Rakuten stands for “optimism.” It means we are hopeful for the future and believe we can make tomorrow better by what we do today.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Rakuten International has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (7)
2024 (7)
2023 (8)
2022 (19)
2021 (15)
2020 (23)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Bjorn Laukli
CTO, Rakuten.com
Mario Pinho CPA, CA
CFO
Company data provided by crunchbase