Sr. Specialist, Publishers Partnerships

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.

Rakuten Advertising provides advertising technology and consumer insights to the world’s leading brands and retailers. Working with agencies and brands around the world, Rakuten Advertising unites technology, client strategy and consumer insights to deliver advertising experiences that drive increased brand awareness and marketing performance. With access to Rakuten’s diverse media properties and audiences, combined with an award-winning performance network and proprietary consumer research, Rakuten Advertising creates the right conditions to reach new customers and sustain long-lasting loyalty.

As a Sr. Publisher Partnerships Specialist, you will be responsible for the growth, development, and performance of a medium-sized publisher portfolio, acting as a senior individual contributor within the Publisher Partnerships team.

You will build and maintain direct relationships with publishers, understand their business goals, and provide consultative marketing direction, identifying and mitigating risks, and driving successful outcomes. You will act as a key escalation point for complex publisher issues and leverage a strong understanding of Rakuten Advertising products, publisher business models, and digital marketing to improve publisher performance and increase partnership value.

You will also play an important role in the development of newly acquired publishers, working closely with the Publisher Acquisition Manager to educate, activate, and develop new partners. You will act as an advocate and ambassador for Rakuten Advertising, helping new publishers understand our platform, products, services, and opportunities, and guiding them on how to build sustainable growth within the network.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversee the growth and development of a medium-sized publisher portfolio, with the goal of increasing active partnerships, revenue, and overall publisher performance.

• Build and maintain direct relationships with new and existing publishers, with support from the Manager where appropriate.

• Partner closely with the Publisher Acquisition Manager to support the successful onboarding, education, activation, and development of newly acquired publishers.

• Act as an advocate and ambassador for Rakuten Advertising, helping publishers understand the value of our platform and services and how they can grow their business with Rakuten Advertising.

• Guide newly acquired publishers through their early stages of development, identifying opportunities to increase engagement, activation, revenue, and long-term partnership value.

• Understand publisher goals, business models, audiences, and commercial priorities to identify opportunities for revenue and partnership growth.

• Provide consultative marketing support and guidance across the publisher portfolio, offering advice that supports partner ROI and long-term growth.
• Establish and maintain regular and appropriate communication with key publisher contacts through webinars, meetings, emails, calls, and support tickets.

• Act as a point of escalation for complex publisher issues, working with Publisher Support and wider back-office functions to drive effective resolution.

• Develop, maintain, and extend relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

• Maintain strong knowledge of Rakuten Advertising products and capabilities to increase product adoption and identify upsell and growth opportunities.

• Analyse publisher performance and business trends to identify opportunities, risks, and areas for improvement.

• Independently solve complex publisher and partnership issues by identifying root causes, coordinating stakeholders, and implementing effective solutions.

• Proactively identify opportunities to improve publisher performance, processes, and ways of working across the portfolio.

• Contribute to strategic initiatives and projects that support publisher growth, partnership development, and broader organisational priorities.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)

• 3+ years of relevant experience in digital marketing, publisher development, affiliate marketing, partnerships, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing a portfolio of publishers, partners, clients, or other external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to understand partner objectives and translate them into actionable recommendations that support revenue and ROI growth.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to resolve complex issues.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing
• Strong relationship-management and communication skills.
• Ability to educate, coach, and provide guidance to publishers.
• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent professional experience.
• Advanced English. Spanish is a plus.
• Strong organisational skills, commercial awareness, ownership, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

RAKUTEN SHUGI PRINCIPLES

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.

• Be 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 success in unknown territory.

• Maximize Customer Satisfaction. The greatest satisfaction for workers in a service industry is to see their customers smile.

• Speed!! Speed!! Speed!! Always be conscious of time. Take charge, set clear goals, and engage your team.