Sr. Manager, Internal Communications

Rakuten•San Mateo, CA

7d•$78,651 - $135,216•Onsite

About The Position

Rakuten International is seeking a versatile Internal Communications professional to join their team. The internal communications team's goal is to foster a sense of unity across Rakuten International's diverse businesses through various initiatives and communication channels. The ideal candidate will be skilled in writing, producing, and distributing content across multiple formats including email, video, live events, and audio, with a particular focus on developing video and audio content to drive employee engagement. This role involves inventing and executing new communication strategies, such as leadership pieces, recognition content, or internal podcasts, to reduce reliance on email. The position requires a strong ability to collaborate, a passion for storytelling, and the ability to manage multiple projects independently. The role also involves using AI tools to enhance the communication lifecycle and tracking engagement metrics to assess effectiveness. Key relationships will include the Internal Communications team, central service departments, Global Talent Management & Inclusion, and the AI and Data Division.

Requirements

Strong writing and editing ability for a broad, global employee audience.
Working knowledge of AI tools applied to communications work: drafting, iteration, repurposing, summarizing.
Demonstrable experience creating content in at least one format — video, live events, or audio — and a clear sense of how that skill transfers to the others. This doesn't need to be professional experience: if you've built a real following around a consistent idea or persona on any platform, you already understand what makes people pay attention over time, and that instinct transfers directly here.
Collaboration mindset: you'd rather be one of three people who could run the show than be the only one who can.
Versatility: as comfortable behind a camera or a mic as behind a keyboard, often in the same week.
Ownership without ego: the final product may not really be “yours” – and that’s OK.
Curiosity about new formats: video, audio, whatever gets the story read or watched without another email.
Judgment: you can handle sensitive, executive-level material with discretion and grace.
Above all: a passion for the truth well told.
3-5 years of experience in internal or corporate communications.
Experience partnering with HR, IT, InfoSec, or similar central service functions strongly preferred – with evidence that you can get things done without direct authority.
BA in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

Write, edit, and ship targeted internal communications across channels — email, intranet, chat/collaboration tools, video, and audio — with momentum towards adopting formats that don't require opening an inbox.
Partner on all hands meetings — run-of-show, platform logistics, speaker coaching, live production — bringing a real sense of what it takes to land a show.
Collaborate on building out our video and podcast capability — you’ll be part of shared ownership, so the current team has production backup.
Be the advisor that operational teams — HR, IT, InfoSec, AIDD, and similar — turn to for help winning real engagement behind an initiative, and shape that into communications employees actually read, watch, or hear.
Use AI tools to accelerate and transform the writing and production lifecycle — drafting, editing, repurposing, summarizing.
Build stakeholder reports and track basic engagement metrics to show what's working and what isn't.
Manage multiple concurrent projects independently, including sensitive or executive-level material, with sound judgment on confidentiality.