Associate Director Engineering

About the Company

Founded in 1997, Rakuten Group is headquartered in Tokyo, with over 14,000 employees worldwide. Rakuten started as the largest eCommerce company in Japan, but has now become one of the largest internet conglomerates in Japan offering more than 70 services worldwide including Fintech businesses (Card, Securities, Bank and insurance) as well as newly-entered mobile carrier business as 4th carrier in Japan. Rakuten’s vision is to become the worlds’ biggest membership company. Rakuten provides the opportunities where employees can grow in a large dynamic and innovative company, along with the entrepreneurial environment of a startup. Rakuten’s global footprint spans six continents and multiple industries

Rakuten India Development Centre

We are seeking an experienced Associate Engineering Director to lead the design, development, and delivery of web and AI/ML-based applications. This role requires a strong technical foundation in modern web technologies as well as a strategic understanding of AI/ML integration to drive business value and product innovation.

About the Role

The ideal candidate will have 16+ years of experience in building and scaling software applications, including a proven track record of delivering complex web products. Experience in leading cross-functional engineering teams, aligning technology with product goals, and ensuring the performance, reliability, and scalability of applications is essential.

While the core focus is on web-based product development, this role also includes oversight of initiatives where AI/ML capabilities are integrated to enhance functionality and user experience. The candidate will collaborate with product stakeholders and data science teams to ensure seamless implementation and operationalization of AI/ML solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage multiple engineering teams responsible for the design, development, and delivery of both web-based and AI/ML-enabled applications across a diverse product portfolio.
• Define and maintain the technical architecture and roadmap for scalable web and AI/ML product solutions, ensuring alignment with business goals and technology strategy.
• Drive the entire software development lifecycle, including planning, design, development, testing, deployment, and ongoing support.
• Ensure the scalability, performance, reliability, and security of production systems, across both traditional web products and AI/ML-powered services.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and overseas stakeholders to define requirements and translate business needs into robust technical solutions.
• Lead the integration of AI/ML models into web products to improve user experience, enable intelligent automation and drive business impact.
• Champion engineering best practices across both domains, including code quality, automated testing, CI/CD, and secure coding standards.
• Ensure high performance and availability of platforms using modern backend technologies such as Python, Java, Flask, and orchestration tools like Airflow.
• Maintain an agile delivery approach, ensuring regular releases, fast feedback loops, and adaptability to change.
• Collaborate with infrastructure and DevOps teams to optimize deployment pipelines for web applications and AI/ML components.
• Mentor and develop engineering talent, fostering a high-performance culture that supports career growth and innovation.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends in web development and AI/ML, evaluating and introducing new tools and frameworks where appropriate.
• Manage resource planning and budget management to ensure effective allocation across web and AI/ML initiatives.

Qualifications

• 16+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 5+ years in engineering leadership roles.
• Proven experience in delivering complex web-based applications at scale using modern frameworks and cloud infrastructure.
• Demonstrated understanding of AI/ML model integration into production systems.
• Strong technical background with hands-on experience in technologies such as Python, Java, Flask, and data orchestration tools like Airflow.
• Solid knowledge of software architecture, design patterns, security, scalability, and performance optimization for both web and AI/ML systems.
• Experience working in Agile environments with cross-functional teams and a track record of delivering products on time and within scope.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing engineering budgets, team capacity planning, and vendor relationships (as needed).

Preferred Skills

• Passion for delivering high-quality products that solve real-world problems.
• Deep interest in emerging trends in web technologies and applied AI/ML.
• Demonstrated ability to bridge the gap between engineering and business, aligning teams around strategic goals.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Familiarity with MLOps principles and tools for model versioning, monitoring, and deployment is a strong plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive, growth-oriented mindset.
• Track record of building, mentoring, and retaining high-performing technical teams.

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