Finance Manager

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. 
 

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Finance Manager to join the Rakuten International Finance team. This role reports to the Senior Finance Manager/Americas Controller and is responsible for leading financial planning, analysis, and business partnership for Rakuten International’s multiple functional areas. The Finance Manager will own key forecasting and planning processes, partner closely with accounting during close, provide strategic financial insights to senior stakeholders, and drive continuous improvement across finance operations. This role primarily supports the U.S. regional headquarters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own and lead weekly forecasts, monthly outlooks, annual budgeting, and long‑range planning processes, partnering with business and finance leadership

• Deliver income statement and cost analysis, including detailed variance analysis versus budget, forecast, and prior year; clearly communicate key drivers, risks, and opportunities

• Serve as a finance business partner to functional leaders, providing data-driven insights and scenario analysis to support decision-making, while taking ownership of cost management across headcount, operating expenses, and allocations with a deep understanding of cost drivers and financial impacts

• Partner closely with the accounting team during month‑end close, including review of accruals, accounting entries, and GAAP compliance; ensure alignment between actuals and forecasts

• Build and maintain financial models, forecasts, KPIs, and dashboards to support management reporting and decision‑making

• Drive process improvements across forecasting, reporting, analytics, and systems to improve accuracy, efficiency, and transparency

• Lead and execute strategic and ad‑hoc financial analyses with measurable financial and operational impact

• Support global reporting requirements and collaborate with international finance teams as needed

• Maintain a strong hands-on approach by directly performing financial analysis, forecasting, and reporting as needed, ensuring delivery of results even under resource constraints, while maintaining high standards of accuracy through rigorous validation and reconciliation of data

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in FP&A, corporate finance, accounting, or related roles

• Strong command of GAAP and accounting fundamentals, with hands‑on experience supporting month‑end close

• Advanced financial modeling, forecasting, and variance analysis skills, with strong analytical judgment and ability to translate data into clear, actionable insights

• Advanced proficiency in Excel and strong working knowledge of PowerPoint, with strong systems capabilities and an interest in AI and data tools (e.g., Python, SQL, or similar), including the ability and willingness to leverage automation and AI-enabled solutions to improve financial analysis and decision-making

• Experience with financial planning and reporting tools such as Workday Adaptive Planning, Oracle FP&A, SAP BPC, or similar systems strongly preferred; experience with general ledger systems such as Oracle or SAP preferred

• Demonstrated ability to operate independently with a strong sense of ownership and accountability, managing multiple priorities and delivering high-quality outcomes with minimal oversight

• Strong hands-on capability with high attention to detail, including the ability to independently execute detailed financial work and consistently deliver accurate, error-free outputs

• Solid understanding of cost structures, including headcount, operating expenses, and allocations, with the ability to translate insights into effective financial actions

• Experience in a global and/or matrixed organization preferred

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field

• CPA, MBA, or MSc preferred

Language Requirements:

• English: Business level

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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.