Job Description: Business Overview The Technology Platforms Division (TPD) drives the growth of Rakuten's ecosystem by delivering innovative, high-quality technology platforms characterized by integrated control and strategic partnerships. Within TPD, the Cloud Platform Supervisory Department (CPSD) develops and manages Rakuten's state-of-the-art cloud platform, empowering global scalability and accelerating innovation across its diverse business units. Department Overview The Cloud Management Department (CMD) leads Rakuten’s unified cloud infrastructure strategy by providing governance and essential tools to ensure seamless operation and high satisfaction among service providers and users. As the central point for strategy, planning, and process governance, we manage the cloud product portfolio, budgeting, quality, and security. Furthermore, we empower cross-departmental success through robust cloud foundation and management solutions. Position: Position Details We are seeking a talented and enthusiastic UX researcher to join our growing team. In this role, you will play a crucial part in uncovering user needs, behaviors, and motivations, directly influencing the direction and success of our products and services. Ideally, you are creative, open-minded, and have strong communication skills. You will work closely with designers, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure a user-centered approach is embedded throughout the entire development lifecycle. You must be responsive, flexible, and able to succeed within an open and collaborative environment. Responsibilities - Learn and apply Rakuten Group branding and design guidelines - Plan, conduct, and analyze qualitative research studies, including interviews, usability testing, ethnographic studies, and contextual inquiries - Lead generative research efforts to identify unmet user needs, explore new opportunities, and inform strategic product decisions - Apply your knowledge of end-to-end design thinking processes to frame research questions, synthesize findings, and translate insights into actionable recommendations - Collaborate with designers and product teams to integrate user research findings into the design and development process - Effectively communicate research findings and recommendations through compelling presentations, reports, and workshops - Contribute to the continuous improvement of our research methodologies and practices Work Environment About Our Team: Join our vibrant and diverse Horizon team, a melting pot of product managers, user researchers, UX/UI designers and engineers. The Horizon UX Team is a collaborative group of designers and researchers dedicated to crafting exceptional user experiences across a wide range of services. We believe that a deep understanding of our users is at the heart of innovative and impactful design, and we're looking for a passionate individual to help us achieve that goal. Mandatory Qualifications: - Proven experience in conducting qualitative research studies. (A portfolio submission showcasing your research experience and impact is required) You're comfortable planning, moderating, analyzing, and synthesizing findings from various qualitative methods - Demonstrable experience in generative research. You're adept at uncovering new opportunities and understanding user needs that might not be immediately apparent - Applied knowledge of end-to-end design thinking processes. You understand how research fits into each stage of the design process, from discovery to testing and iteration - Familiarity with various research tools and platforms Desired Qualifications: - Experience with mixed methods of research, combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a comprehensive understanding of user behavior - Ability to conduct user research in Japanese with internal users #engineer #technologyplatformdiv #UX Languages: English (Overall - 3 - Advanced), Japanese (Overall - 2 - Intermediate) In Japanese, Rakuten stands for ‘optimism.’ It means we believe in the future. It’s an understanding that, with the right mind-set, we can make the future better by what we do today. So we challenge ourselves to evolve, innovate and experiment, to create a better, brighter future for everyone. Today, our 70+ businesses span e-commerce, digital content, communications and fintech, bringing the joy of discovery to almost 1.3 billion members across the world. If you have any trouble logging in, please contact us here Rakuten Group, Inc.: rakuten-recruiting-info@mail.rakuten.com Please read the Application Requirements(EN) / 募集要項(JP) before applying. Our Diversity & Inclusion Policy and Application Documents Rakuten’s corporate mission is to “contribute to society by creating value through innovation and entrepreneurship.” We foster a culture that provides equal opportunities to those who share this founding philosophy and take on the challenge to transform society, regardless of age, gender, nationality, or any other status. Diversity is one of Rakuten's core strategies and a driving force for innovation. Because of this, you are not required to submit any of the following information in order to apply for our job positions. - Gender - Age - Photo - Nationality - Information not related to business, such as ideological beliefs, family structure, etc. * For legal compliance, we may ask you about your work eligibility. See the details