Jobs in San Mateo, CA

About the role

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 is the most rewarding way to shop, giving millions of members Cash Back when they buy from their favorite brands. As a leading shopping platform, Rakuten partners with thousands of top brands across apparel, beauty and wellness, grocery, travel, on-demand services, subscriptions, and dining, helping members save on everyday purchases. Since 1999, Rakuten members have earned more than $4.6 billion in Cash Back, making it the largest Cash Back platform of its kind. Learn more at Rakuten.com . Rakuten Rewards is seeking a Director of Data Science to lead our centralized data science organization, influence strategy and drive execution of machine learning and generative AI initiatives that deliver measurable, company-wide business impact. Reporting directly to the CTO, this role combines organizational leadership, technical depth, and business ownership, with a mandate to scale high-impact AI solutions from concept to production. You will be responsible for setting the technical vision, mentoring a high-performing team, and ensuring that our data science efforts directly translate into competitive advantages and improved member experiences. 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.

What you'll bring

• Strong foundation in machine learning, statistical modeling, optimization, and/or AI systems
• Experience leading the deployment and scaling of models in production environments
• Familiarity with modern data and ML ecosystems (Python, SQL, cloud platforms, and production ML tooling)
• Demonstrated ability to lead in ambiguous environments and define strategy from first principles
• Strong communication skills with experience influencing senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams
• Ability to balance technical depth with business pragmatism
• 10+ years of experience in data science, machine learning, or applied AI in industry
• 5+ years of leadership experience, including managing managers and building scaled teams
• Proven track record of delivering measurable business impact through production-grade ML/AI systems
• Bachelor's Degree Required
• Preferred: Experience in e-commerce, ad-tech, marketing science, recommender systems, or related domains
• Preferred: Experience integrating AI into customer-facing products and internal workflows