Job Description

Business Overview

Rakuten is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where employees are valued for their diverse skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our global platform connects people worldwide, and our workplace mirrors this diversity. With over 70 businesses spanning 30 countries across various sectors, a cornerstone of our global presence lies in FinTech and Payments. Here, our global solutions enable end-users and merchants to quickly and safely make and accept payments. Beyond core transactions, we strive to delight our end-users by integrating the full benefits of Rakuten membership into our payment offerings, notably through our famous Rakuten Points.

Department Overview

The mission of the Frontend Development Department in the Product Development Division is to combine Rakuten’s diverse services and technologies to empower users, partner companies and society. We aim to improve the experience for users and partners beyond the boundaries of services and technology. Our department thrives on driving the cross-use of services. We foster a highly collaborative environment where members from marketing, development, and QA pool their expertise, exchange ideas, and build better products together. Mutual support is essential to our success, making challenging new value creation as ONE Team a real highlight. As part of our team, you’ll get to see behind the scenes of the technology that enables modern, online life, and contribute to this dynamic environment.

Position:

Why We Hire

The Data Services Group within Front End Development Department is committed to pushing the boundaries of data-driven decision-making and innovation across Rakuten Group and Rakuten Payment. We are looking for a talented and passionate Data Scientist to join our Data Science team. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of AI models, assist in uncovering valuable insights, and support data-driven decision-making. We value individuals who possess a clear understanding of data science principles and their application, as well as a foundational understanding and interest in the underlying data infrastructure that powers our insights and models. If you are driven by making a tangible impact, eager to apply your skills to solve defined problems, and are keen to contribute to both analytics efforts and robust data foundations, we invite you to join us.

Position Details

As a Data Scientist, you will contribute to various stages of the data lifecycle, from gathering and cleaning data to assisting in the building and deployment of predictive models. You will collaborate with your team to understand business challenges and contribute to data-driven solutions.

Key Responsibilities

- Execute data extraction, cleansing, and analysis on complex, large-scale datasets, contributing to the identification of trends and patterns.

- Implement and validate components of AI models and algorithms based on defined specifications.

- Assist in the analysis of business challenges and contribute to the ideation of data-driven solutions.

- Prepare clear reports and communicate analytical findings and project progress to the stakeholders in a timely and appropriate manner.

- Collaborate effectively with cross-functional team members, sharing necessary information to support shared objectives, following established guidelines.

- Maintain foundational involvement in the data platform, contributing to data pipeline stability, ensuring data quality, and scalable data access.

- Actively participate in knowledge sharing initiatives and commit to continuous learning and personal development within the team.

Work Environment
Our group comprises two specialized, yet highly collaborative, teams: the Data Platform team, focused on robust infrastructure and process excellence, and the Data Science team, driving cutting-edge AI and insightful analytics. We pride ourselves on a diverse and inclusive environment, bringing together talented individuals from new graduates to seasoned professionals, spanning both industry and academia. This rich mix fosters continuous learning and innovative problem-solving.

Mandatory Qualifications:

- Hands-on experience as a Data Scientist or in a closely related role, demonstrating successful application of data science techniques to solve real-world problems.
- Strong command of programming languages essential for data science (e.g., Python, R) and their key libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Pandas, NumPy), with capability to execute specified analytical tasks.

- Demonstrated ability to work with and process large-scale, complex datasets using appropriate tools and techniques for data manipulation and analysis.

- Strong theoretical and practical understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms.

- Proficiency in SQL for data extraction, transformation, and analysis.

- Practical experience with public cloud environments (preferably GCP) for data processing, storage.

Desired Qualifications:

- Familiarity with ethical AI principles and explainability techniques (e.g., SHAP, LIME) to build transparent and fair models.
- Foundational understanding or demonstrated interest in Large Language Models (LLMs), including their applications, fine-tuning, and the principles of building agentic AI systems.
- Practical experience with Natural Language Processing (NLP) specifically for Japanese text.
- Experience contributing to the creation or building of interactive dashboards using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Grafana.
- Understanding of data architecture principles, data warehousing, ETL/ELT processes.
- Prior experience in a FinTech or Payments domain is highly advantageous, with a strong understanding of relevant business metrics and challenges.

- Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts and analytical findings to the stakeholders, coupled with strong collaboration skills for effective teamwork in a cross-functional setting.

- Interest in the underlying data infrastructure, with a willingness to engage in tasks supporting data pipeline creation, data quality assurance, and scalable data access.

- Eagerness and ability to thrive in a multicultural, international working environment.

Other Information:

Additional information on Location

NBF Shinagawa Tower

Additional information on Secondment

This position will be hired by Rakuten Group, Inc. and seconded to Rakuten Payment, Inc.

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Languages:

English (Overall - 3 - Advanced)