Sr. Manager, Talent Acquisition

Rakuten•Chicago, IL

3d•$94,284 - $175,824•Remote

About The Position

This role is eligible for remote employment in the following states: CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, MD, MA, MN, NJ, NY, OH, TX, UT. VA, WI 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: Reporting to the Director, Talent Acquisition and as a key member of the Talent Acquisition leadership team, the Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition will lead, coach, and develop a team of recruiters supporting all multiple businesses and functions across Rakuten International. This role will leverage AI and market intelligence to enhance sourcing, improve decision-making, and drive continuous process improvements across their team. They will serve as a trusted talent advisor, manage recruiting priorities, lead and develop recruiting team members, and help modernize Rakuten’s talent acquisition approach through data, technology, and AI-enabled recruiting tools. They will also integrate employer branding, competitive insights, and data-driven strategies to strengthen talent attraction and position Rakuten as an employer of choice, while advancing the overall capability of the Talent Acquisition function.

Requirements

Proven track record in building impactful partnerships and a demonstrated commitment to inclusive culture.
Customer-focused mindset with the ability to innovate, challenge, and deliver positive business outcomes.
Strong business acumen with the ability to understand organizational priorities and translate them into talent solutions.
Growth mindset and passionate about growing own skills and the overall team’s skills.
Ability to embrace ambiguity, inspire meaningful outcomes and guide recruiters towards achieving goals.
Demonstrated success in developing and implementing recruitment strategies.
Passionate about innovation, championing responsible AI recruiting solutions as it relates to hiring, bias, compliance and finding new ways to attract talent.
Strong change management experience, with a history of driving adoption of new tools, processes, and ways of working.
Highly analytical with experience building reporting frameworks, interpreting recruiting metrics, and translating insights into actionable talent strategies.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders.
High emotional intelligence, with strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and the ability to navigate complex organizational dynamics.
Exceptional stakeholder management and negotiation skills across all levels, from individual contributors to executive leadership.
A clear understanding of requisition prioritization, how to sequence hiring across competing demands, allocate recruiter bandwidth effectively, and align with Finance and HRBPs on headcount.
Strong experience in data analytics, data driven results, delivering, and communicating metrics and project management skills for overseeing recruitment projects.
Extensive experience with HR Systems (Workday, LinkedIn) for managing HR processes and data effectively.
You thrive in ambiguous, evolving environments.
8+ years of Talent Acquisition experience, including 5+ years of management experience as a talent acquisition manager leading international teams of high-performing recruitment professionals.
Bachelor's degree preferred

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop high-performing recruiters, fostering accountability, providing performance feedback and operational excellence.
Drive optimization of recruitment processes for efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with laws and company policies, implementing improvements for flexibility and speed.
Own how the team allocates resources across a dynamic and often competing set of hiring demands — balancing urgency, business impact, and recruiter capacity.
Develop and track talent acquisition metrics and KPIs, analyzing data to measure progress and identify areas for improvement.
Drive issue resolution, remove barriers, and ensure a seamless partnership experience across the end-to-end recruiting process.
Provide consultative and advisory thought leadership on competitive sourcing strategies, trends, and emerging talent acquisition practices.
Build strong cross-functional relationships with HR and business leaders to align recruitment strategies with business needs.
Oversee the development and implementation of annual recruitment strategies and strategic hiring projects, proactively planning for business demands.
Act as a strategic advisor, effectively managing stakeholder alignment at all levels from individual contributors through C-Suite.
Provide regular insights and reporting to leadership on hiring performance, pipeline health, market trends, and compensation benchmarks to support strategic decisions.
Continuously work to enable and expand own and team’s knowledge on recruitment trends, talent market, and competitive insights.
Executes a small volume of requisitions to support team workflows and maintain operational efficiency.