Business Development Manager

Job Description: Rakuten International oversees 7 businesses with over 4,000 employees globally. The brand is recognized for its leadership and innovation in e-commerce, digital content, advertising, entertainment and communications, bringing the joy of discovery and access to more than 1 billion members across the world. Our teams deliver on the company’s mission to delight merchants and customers through innovation, optimism, and teamwork. Rakuten Viki is a global entertainment streaming platform that specializes in Asian content. Our platform enables millions of viewers to discover and enjoy primetime shows and movies, subtitled in over 150 languages. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, we also have offices in Singapore, Seoul, and Shanghai, ensuring a strong global presence and a deep connection to the heart of Asian entertainment. Our platform is home to a large and loyal community of fans who share a passion for Asian culture and entertainment. Join us in our mission to bridge cultures and connect the world to Asian entertainment. At Rakuten Viki, we offer a chance to be part of a global community that celebrates culture, creativity, and connection. Overview: We are seeking a highly motivated Business Development Manager to support our global partnership strategy, driving brand awareness, user acquisition, and subscriber loyalty across Viki’s subscription offerings. In this role, you will play a critical part in identifying and cultivating partnerships within the OTT space, with a focus on creating compelling subscription bundles and exploring new monetization opportunities. This role will be based in San Mateo, California, and report to the Director of Business Development. Key Responsibilities: Assist in the development and execution of partnership strategies focused on expanding Viki’s reach, driving new user acquisition, and optimizing subscription offerings across SVOD, AVOD, and other subscription models. Identify and pursue potential partnerships with OTT platforms, mobile apps, content providers, and connected TV ecosystems. Focus on partnerships that enhance subscription value, improve user experience, and drive revenue. Collaborate with partners to help create and optimize bundled offers that attract and retain subscribers and assist in analyzing the impact of these offers on user acquisition and churn. Manage end to end negotiation process for bundling and subscription-related agreements. Collaborate with senior leaders to close deals that maximize both short- and long-term growth. Work closely with cross functional stakeholders including content, marketing, legal, product, finance, and customer experience to help ensure the smooth execution and integration of partnerships into Viki’s business operations. Monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) of partnership initiatives, providing insights into performance and suggesting improvements to maximize impact. Stay up to date on industry trends in the OTT, AVOD, and digital media spaces. Use market insights to support the development of effective partnership strategies and keep Viki competitive in the marketplace. Requirements: Minimum of 5 years of experience in business development, preferably within the OTT, digital media, or subscription-based industries. A keen interest in digital media, subscription growth, and AVOD (Advertising Video On Demand). Ability to communicate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders. Strong presentation and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to build and maintain relationships. Comfortable working with data to track performance, measure success, and identify opportunities for improvement. Strong problem-solving skills and a strategic approach to partnership development. Experience negotiating and executing deals, with a keen eye for detail and a focus on mutually beneficial outcomes. Adept at working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to implement partnership strategies and ensure smooth execution of new initiatives. A passion for the entertainment, tech, and OTT industries, with a creative and innovative mindset focused on growing and evolving digital content offerings. Accustomed to thriving in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, managing multiple projects while delivering results on time. Five Principles for Success 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 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 succeed in unknown territory Maximize Customer Satisfaction - The greatest satisfaction for our teams is seeing their customers smile Speed!! Speed!! Speed!! - Always be conscious of time - take charge, set clear goals, and engage your team Rakuten provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type. Rakuten considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, provincial or local laws. 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. The successful applicant for this role will be eligible for discretionary bonus, health, vision, dental insurance, 401k matching, PTO, Volunteer Time Off (VTO), and other employee benefits as the company implements. USD $78,651.00 - $135,216.00 annually Rakuten is Japan's leading Internet services company, a largest e-commerce company in Japan, and the third largest e-commerce marketplace worldwide with a combined membership of almost 1.3 billion. As part of the 70 businesses and services worldwide, Rakuten Viki is the world’s leading platform for Asian entertainment and culture where millions of people discover and consume primetime shows and movies subtitled in more than 200 languages by our community of avid fans. Alongside, we have Soompi, the publishing arm of Rakuten Viki, that is also one of the biggest global K-pop news sites and the longest-running fandom community. From innovative engagement features to original content, Rakuten Viki and Soompi are pushing the boundaries of global entertainment with our teams who utilize leading-edge technologies to build these platforms. If you are looking to join a diverse and talented team with great ambitions to change the digital entertainment landscape, come be a part of our Rakuten Viki team!

Salary : $78,651 - $135,216