Director, Procurement

Key Responsibilities

• Procurement & Vendor Lifecycle Management
• Lead competitive sourcing, supplier evaluations, commercial negotiations, and contract execution across multiple spend categories.
• Own renewal planning and actively drive contractual obligation management — ensuring informed, value-driven decisions ahead of key milestones.
• Evaluate purchasing and renewal decisions against business requirements, utilization, strategic alignment, and expected ROI.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business stakeholders, balancing cost, risk, and quality with a clear bias toward business outcomes.
• Identify and capture opportunities to improve commercial terms, reduce unnecessary spend, and maximize supplier value.

Data, Governance & Operational Integrity

• Improve the quality, completeness, and accessibility of supplier, contract, and spend data to support smarter decisions.
• Support supplier governance — onboarding, documentation, lifecycle management, and ESG-related reporting requirements.
• Partner with Internal Audit, Finance, and Legal to maintain procurement controls, process documentation, and audit-ready records.
• Prepare and continuously improve executive and governance reporting: QBRs, Risk Compliance Committee presentations, and business reviews.

Modernization & Strategic AI/Automation

• Proactively identify and advance automation and AI opportunities that drive practical, scalable improvements across the procurement lifecycle.
• Champion process modernization with a disciplined approach: pilot, measure, and scale initiatives that demonstrate clear business value.
• Contribute to the organization's long-term procurement technology and capability roadmap.

Global Partnership & Alignment

• Collaborate with Rakuten Group headquarters and regional stakeholders to align on policies, standards, and global procurement priorities.

Qualifications

• Preferred: Experience leading procurement transformation, automation, or AI-driven process improvement initiatives.
• Background in governance, ESG, risk management, or control frameworks.
• Experience operating within globally governed or matrixed organizations.

Leadership Attributes

• Ownership & Accountability: Takes full ownership of outcomes — not just activities. Stays actively engaged in the details, drives follow-through, and holds themselves and others to high standards.
• Strategic & AI Mindset: Sees beyond the transaction. Connects procurement decisions to business strategy and actively seeks ways to leverage technology, automation, and AI to scale impact.
• Intellectual Honesty: Provides balanced, evidence-based assessments. Comfortable surfacing problems, challenging assumptions, and delivering difficult messages with clarity and respect.
• Credibility Through Execution: Earns trust by doing the work — not just directing it. Maintains direct awareness of contracts, renewals, and operational priorities rather than managing solely through delegation.
• Collaborative Influence: Builds trusted relationships across business functions. Leads through partnership, not authority, while maintaining clear standards and sound judgment.

Minimum Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor management, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience leading commercial negotiations, managing complex renewals, and driving supplier accountability.
• Track record of evaluating business cases, ROI, and value realization for purchasing and renewal decisions.
• Experience with procurement platforms (Coupa, Ariba, or similar).
• Strong background in executive reporting, governance, and audit-support activities.
• Bachelor's Degree, advanced degree or relevant certification (CPSM, CSCP, CPM) a plus.